Virgin Australia Domestic Pier At Perth Airport

[Bob C]

I participated in the first Public Trial of the new Virgin Australia Domestic Pier at Perth Airport this morning.

As there is still some construction activity in the Pier, participants had to :

Be aged over 18.
Have no mobility restrictions or require any assistance as stairs would be used and participants would be required to stand for long periods.
Wear appropriate clothing for the environment :
Long trousers (no skirts, shorts etc.)
Long sleeved shirt or blouse (sleeves must be past your elbow)
Closed, flat shoes (no thongs, sandals, heels etc.)

Participants parked their vehicles in Long Term Car Park K and were then bussed to Terminal 2 where about 70 mature age “guests” assembled shortly before 1000 in the T2 Meeting Room for a briefing. Today’s trial would be the first of nearly 40 over the coming weeks, culminating in a full dress rehearsal when almost 1,000 “guests” would be involved a few days before the official opening.

The group then walked over to the Virgin Pier where we told that we would be involved in two boarding and arrival exercises but would not board an aircraft. These exercises seemingly went off without a hitch and it was all over 2 hours later.

There is certainly a WOW factor about the new pier and my main impression was its size compared to the present domestic terminals. The Pier makes extensive use of glass and the high ceilings and skylights all give a feeling of light and spaciousness. The operational areas on the ground floor such as check-in counters, self service terminals, baggage drop, security screening zone and baggage reclaim etc are reminiscent of those in the big terminals in Eastern States airports and really offer no surprises.

The upstairs departures area is 200 metres in length and has extensive views over the airfield so should offer good photo opportunities, albeit through glass. There are 12 aerobridge gates, one of which can serve both Domestic and International flights and is A380 compatible. However, more than 20 doors have to be locked to ensure a secure zone whichever mode is in use and glass walls separate the International and Domestic areas.

The retail, food and beverage area towards the end of the pier was cordoned off today and there is still plenty of outfitting to be done. But several builders I spoke to assured me that everything is on target and some readers will be pleased or not pleased to know that Hungry Jacks will be available.

Today’s activities were supervised by representatives from the builders, Built Environs, ARUP – operational readiness consultants, Perth Airport and Virgin Australia.

Old and new Virgin Australia “guests” arriving in Perth will sure to be impressed at these new facilities and I can’t wait for the opening which is expected sometime in November.

Landscapers were also busy at work today in the new 30 metre wide security exclusion zone forecourt at the front of the International Terminal. And the new car park looked like a bomb site but I was assured that all was on time (but the builders may be cutting things fine).

Cheers

Bob