General Virgin Australia Lounge Discussion

[MooTime]

You mean Dubai first class wine?

oh that's right I did see that here on AFF......I take my post back, or just edited it.
Thankyou for that.

 

[bcworld]

The wraps are ok. Everything has no imagination.

The wraps all just taste of...cold!

 

[henrus]

oh that's right I did see that here on AFF......I take my post back, or just edited it.
Thankyou for that.

To be fair I had lunch a few years back at the Louvre Abu Dhabi cafe and yellow tail was the only wine on the menu!

 

[Harrison_133]

Actually they had toasties on offer at Perth the other morning. !

Toasties are back in all lounges.

 

[stm1sydney]

The wraps all just taste of...cold!

Disagree, I think the wraps are usually pretty nice. The main dish is usually poor though - pasta with sauce - but occasionally something nice gets put on - I recall a chicken curry with fried rice a few months back.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Disagree, I think the wraps are usually pretty nice. The main dish is usually poor though - pasta with sauce - but occasionally something nice gets put on - I recall a chicken curry with fried rice a few months back.

The wraps and sarnies *used* to be pretty good! Packed with filling. I think they went downhill a bit in 2024, but seem to have improved a fraction of late.

I add cheese slices to them.

 

[simmomelb]

The wraps and sarnies *used* to be pretty good! Packed with filling. I think they went downhill a bit in 2024, but seem to have improved a fraction of late.

I add cheese slices to them.

I'm a bit of a fan of the wraps, one thing I know I can get often and are relatively tasty.
Good idea adding the extras!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'm a bit of a fan of the wraps, one thing I know I can get often and are relatively tasty.
Good idea adding the extras!

Either add the extras, or when they have the chicken wraps, take out the contents and use to top a salad!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

This wrap bizzo is a great option, better than the QP DIY sando.
3/4 of the wraps will last from mid afternoon to evening, esp if dep after early afternoon work bizzo, then to get Skybus to MEL airport before the flight, at 14.30, to get to ADL at 15.45, then on bus to home.

 

[billmurray]

The EY partnership ends in June - but i cannot find any availbility out of SYD, MEL or BNE with EY until then?

Anyone else notice this?

 

[henrus]

The EY partnership ends in June - but i cannot find any availbility out of SYD, MEL or BNE with EY until then?

Anyone else notice this?

One interesting thing about the EY partnership is that changes can be made after the end date subject to availability (I’m assuming VA for a year will have access to the award space).

Note on the Velocity website for Etihad

• Date changes to travel: Will be permitted up to 12 months from ticket issue, subject to availability. All travel must be completed by 31 May 2026.

• Reward seat bookings on Etihad Airways using Velocity Points:The final date to book rewards seats will be 31 May 2025 for travel up until 31 May 2026.

Then the same lines for Hawaiian which instead have a hard date:

• Reward Seat bookings on Hawaiian Airlines using Velocity Points: The final date to book Rewards Seats will be 30 June 2025 for travel up until 28 February 2026.
• Date changes to travel: Changes will be permitted up until 28 February 2026, subject to availability, and all travel must be completed by that date.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Not that I have taken EY flights, its sad when partnerships end..

 

[PERLHR]

Having looked again at the rubbish of food on offer in the VA lounge at SYD today, I did the first time look at some of the surprisingly fresh, lovely sandwiches, croissants, rolls and multiple fillings outside within the terminal for sale along with wine tasting and I have great pleasure in purchasing, savouring and enjoying said bought food. If only now VA will improve the offerings for our high spend!! It's just not worth the effort really and if SYD is an example why bother. Also relatively quiet sitting areas without important people on loud telephone calls. Eye opener!!

 

[ozstamps]

Years after full access was available, the Sydney lounge STILL only has the kerb side access open for a couple of hours daily.

Just nickel and diming as always.

They pay a ton of money to Sydney airport to have that space, so why not USE it????

Got stuck in a total zoo at general security last week.

 

[PERLHR]

Years after full access was available, the Sydney lounge STILL only has the kerb side access open for a couple of hours daily.

Just nickel and diming as always.

They pay a ton of money to Sydney airport to have that space, so why not USE it????

Got stuck in a total zoo at general security last week.

Yeah today was not that bad but I did think why can't we just get security to lounge access all the time.

 

[ozstamps]

Just nickel and diming as usual. Cab drops you off right at the walkway ramp up to 2 staffers, and you are having a coffee within 2 minutes.

No lining up behind 100s of noisy and excited school basketball players downstairs, as occurred last week at general security zoo.

It is a sensational location and access, that Sydney kerbside Lounge entry, one of the best i've seen globally - these dopes just do not use it near at all despite paying a LOT to have it. Summarises many things about Virgin these days.

 

[Human]

Having looked again at the rubbish of food on offer in the VA lounge at SYD today, I did the first time look at some of the surprisingly fresh, lovely sandwiches, croissants, rolls and multiple fillings outside within the terminal for sale along with wine tasting and I have great pleasure in purchasing, savouring and enjoying said bought food. If only now VA will improve the offerings for our high spend!! It's just not worth the effort really and if SYD is an example why bother. Also relatively quiet sitting areas without important people on loud telephone calls. Eye opener!!

The food at the VA lounge (and I'd also add the Qantas Club and Qantas Business Lounge in T3) has NEVER been "better" than the food available for purchase outside. It's not meant to be. But it saves me maybe hundreds of dollars per year because at least I don't need to purchase overpriced (admittedly, occasionally good-quality, but still overpriced) food from the vendors outside.

The food in the lounge is mostly edible (apart from the felafel, of course). That's all that I want.

 

[PERLHR]

The food at the VA lounge (and I'd also add the Qantas Club and Qantas Business Lounge in T3) has NEVER been "better" than the food available for purchase outside. It's not meant to be. But it saves me maybe hundreds of dollars per year because at least I don't need to purchase overpriced (admittedly, occasionally good-quality, but still overpriced) food from the vendors outside.

The food in the lounge is mostly edible (apart from the felafel, of course). That's all that I want.

Yeah I guess my point is with the changes etc, it's probably going to save hundreds of dollars just flying with whoever, and buying from vendors even if they are more expensive. cant really agree with you regarding the food though inside the lounge. Soup aside, the rest is just poor slop.

 

[MooTime]

Just nickel and diming as usual. Cab drops you off right at the walkway ramp up to 2 staffers, and you are having a coffee within 2 minutes.

No lining up behind 100s of noisy and excited school basketball players downstairs, as occurred last week at general security zoo.

It is a sensational location and access, that Sydney kerbside Lounge entry, one of the best i've seen globally - these dopes just do not use it near at all despite paying a LOT to have it. Summarises many things about Virgin these days.

You do realise your good self & the rest of us are all part of the zoo!

Having status does not exclude anyone.

 

[ozstamps]

Having Status at Virgin still does now exclude the absolute Zoo in the early morning at kerbside entry, and used to all the time, DODGE the zoo. So there should be no need to join it.

Why anyone defends this nickel and diming, mystifies me. The facility is in place, Virgin pays mightily for it, gets only partially used, and should be a huge selling point for Club Membership, and paid Biz travellers, and an Elite benefit advertised perk - as they used to do.

I never find the food offering in SYD lounge an issue - it is not advertised as a Michelin capped fine Dining Restaurant, or a wine connoisseurs Paradise, and never pretended to be one, and having made 100s of visits to United Airlines Clubs in America, can confirm it is far better than all of them.

As an absolute haven for flight delays, or a quick visit on arrivals to send some emails, it works fine for us.

Adelaide still has a separate line for Business and High status pax at security, and Sydney used to in the Zoo area too.