Lack of Food on VA Int flight OOL>DPS

[twinaisle]

There's a tip.

Question; is free booze not provided on VAi flights to DPS NAN etc?
Just curious.

You can smell it from them. They'll purchase a lot of soft drink or ask for ice.

That also means a very high possibility of having the Indonesian police meet you and cancellation of your return flights.

It's not worth it, trust me.

 

[simmomelb]

You can smell it from them. They'll purchase a lot of soft drink or ask for ice.

That also means a very high possibility of having the Indonesian police meet you and cancellation of your return flights.

It's not worth it, trust me.

Why not just buy drinks? It's not that expensive, no more than at a bar (possibly less).
Food is the issue on international IMO.

 

[twinaisle]

Why not just buy drinks? It's not that expensive, no more than at a bar (possibly less).
Food is the issue on international IMO.

Don't know. Cheapskates most likely.

 

[bcworld]

Why not just buy drinks?

Based on how much they plan to drink the crew may cut them off.

Seen it on a JQ flight MEL-HKT...nightmare pax.

 

[twinaisle]

Based on how much they plan to drink the crew may cut them off.

Seen it on a JQ flight MEL-HKT...nightmare pax.

It's a will. Don't know how much they've had. RSA etc

 

[JohnK]

Don't know. Cheapskates most likely.

At a ridiculous $11-$12 for 1 drink I don't blame them.

I've done it before and have never been caught. Add 30mL vodka/scotch into a can of diet coke and its very hard to spot or smell. Dilute even further if needed.

Luckily I don't need/want to do this anymore but not because I'm scared.

 

[simmomelb]

Based on how much they plan to drink the crew may cut them off.

Seen it on a JQ flight MEL-HKT...nightmare pax.

I've never had crew cut me off from drinks, but yes, if someone can't contain contain themselves, they definitely shouldn't be bringing their own drinks anyway, and to be honest, I think it's a good thing that bringing your own drinks on board is prohibited, I don't want to be on any flight where that is happening.
Respect for crew and other pax required at all times.

 

[justinbrett]

It’s not that uncommon, I’ve seen quite a few people busted.

Normal way to handle it on airlines I flew was to issue a stern warning with an enforceable threat, and that usually did the trick.

Personally I think going straight to the police without an individual warning is a bit much, people are young and stupid.

 

[twinaisle]

It’s not that uncommon, I’ve seen quite a few people busted.

Normal way to handle it on airlines I flew was to issue a stern warning with an enforceable threat, and that usually did the trick.

Personally I think going straight to the police without an individual warning is a bit much, people are young and stupid.

I'd get rid of the young part

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Lucky I've seen this thread. We're on VA DPS-ADL next week and I'll bring pringles/sandwich onboard. It's a late night flight but still may need snack.

Do give us a trip report.
O, and nothing of important value in plane hold baggage.
There is a scary video where the baggage handlers have the gall to open bags in the plane hold, looking for things of value to steal.

 

[simmomelb]

At a ridiculous $11-$12 for 1 drink I don't blame them.

I've done it before and have never been caught. Add 30mL vodka/scotch into a can of diet coke and its very hard to spot or smell. Dilute even further if needed.

Luckily I don't need/want to do this anymore but not because I'm scared.

If you think $11 to $12 a drink is expensive, I assume you haven't been out in the last few years?
Hard to get a wine at a bar in MEL/SYD/BNE for less than $15 nowadays :/

 

[JohnK]

If you think $11 to $12 a drink is expensive, I assume you haven't been out in the last few years?
Hard to get a wine at a bar in MEL/SYD/BNE for less than $15 nowadays :/

Yes I do understand bar/pub prices can be very expensive bit luckily I do not buy alcohol for consumption in Australia because I do not drink alcohol in Australia until the day of any trip overseas.

 

[justinbrett]

If you think $11 to $12 a drink is expensive, I assume you haven't been out in the last few years?
Hard to get a wine at a bar in MEL/SYD/BNE for less than $15 nowadays :/

People fail to consider they're getting a 1/4 bottle of wine (187ml) not a standard pub pour; and for spirits you should be getting 50ml, pubs in Australia give you 30ml.

Beer is probably the worst value on a plane.

 

[simmomelb]

People fail to consider they're getting a 1/4 bottle of wine (187ml) not a standard pub pour; and for spirits you should be getting 50ml, pubs in Australia give you 30ml.

Beer is probably the worst value on a plane.

Valid point, it's around half the price of a bar/pub for wines and spirits based on serving size.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I wouldn't say Rex is what VA used to be, Rex bus class meals are definitely below VA, in economy they offer more (included in the fare) but Rex lounges are dire & very few, at this stage (almost like sitting in a garage in Melbourne).
I know all of this could/will change in the future and I get where you are coming from (absolutely), but it depends on your FF status, seat and what you value the most.
I am also more than happy to pay a few bucks for a drink and food if in economy, and there are also some benefits of this, such as getting through service, much faster, jump on a full-service airline such as Qantas, and you'll soon see how long it takes the crew to get through pax (nothing wrong with that, just a point).
For me, I would personally put VA above Rex, despite Rex being a "full service" airline, but each to their own and it's certainly an interesting topic
All of the above is obviously in reference to domestic only.

Internationally, yes, VAi could do MUCH better, I don't think it can stay the same as it is now for much longer, even under a hybrid model.

Dunno. With 80 VA J class flights last year I’m not sure VA meals are better than Rex’s.

Rex has a hot bread roll with butter, tasty mains and desserts by Manna from Heaven, plus an ok chocolate. With Rex I haven’t had the same meal twice, on VA it’s the same every week, month after month.

VA has better alcohol, that’s for sure!

The Rex lounges are small, but you never have to roam around trying to find a seat, and their food selection is actually pretty good.

But.. it hardly matters because you only spend 15-20 mins in a Rex lounge… the flights leave on time. VA you could be spending a lot longer

 

[simmomelb]

Dunno. With 80 VA J class flights last year I’m not sure VA meals are better than Rex’s.

Rex has a hot bread roll with butter, tasty mains and desserts by Manna from Heaven, plus an ok chocolate. With Rex I haven’t had the same meal twice, on VA it’s the same every week, month after month.

VA has better alcohol, that’s for sure!

The Rex lounges are small, but you never have to roam around trying to find a seat, and their food selection is actually pretty good.

But.. it hardly matters because you only spend 15-20 mins in a Rex lounge… the flights leave on time. VA you could be spending a lot longer

Rex has exactly 4 meals on rotation for lunch/dinner, so getting the same meal is very common, just ask their CM and they'll confirm this
As for their lounges, I've used them 5 times now and I feel a little embarrassed for them, a mini bar fridge, twice had a padlock on it in the afternoon, which stated "drinks available from 4pm to 7pm". Both of these times it had the lock on (in Melbourne) were between approximately 2 to 4pm.
A couple of guys just walked in on my second visit, as there were zero staff on hand, genuinely no staff, and it was their first flight with Rex in economy (aka shouldn't have been there) and their flight was delayed by 3 hours, it happens with all airlines, but I think all of the Aussie airlines genuinely do their best to avoid this.
I usually spend about an hour in all lounges before the departure time, just to ensure I'm there with plenty of time (in case of bad road traffic), so I really value my time there and get a little work done in the work zone or quiet area.
The meals I've had on Rex J have all come partly in a cardboard box and looked very budget.
Perhaps things have improved a lot recently, as I haven't flown with them now for 3 months or so.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Rex has exactly 4 meals on rotation for lunch/dinner, so getting the same meal is very common, just ask their CM and they'll confirm this
As for their lounges, I've used them 5 times now and I feel a little embarrassed for them, a mini bar fridge, twice had a padlock on it in the afternoon, which stated "drinks available from 4pm to 7pm". Both of these times it had the lock on (in Melbourne) were between approximately 2 to 4pm.
A couple of guys just walked in on my second visit, as there were zero staff on hand, genuinely no staff, and it was their first flight with Rex in economy (aka shouldn't have been there) and their flight was delayed by 3 hours, it happens with all airlines, but I think all of the Aussie airlines genuinely do their best to avoid this.
I usually spend about an hour in all lounges before the departure time, just to ensure I'm there with plenty of time (in case of bad road traffic), so I really value my time there and get a little work done in the work zone or quiet area.
The meals I've had on Rex J have all come partly in a cardboard box and looked very budget.
Perhaps things have improved a lot recently, as I haven't flown with them now for 3 months or so.

Still in cardboard, but that doesn’t affect the quality of the meal. Quite quaint.

Maybe I’ve been lucky with the four meals, just had the right combination of flights! Or at least maybe it’s that both choices are ok with me, effectively doubling the meals from me to choose from.

The lounges are supposed to be accessed only by keypad, with a staff member to let you in. Maybe they purchased lounge access?

I was one of only two pax in the SYD lounge last week for a 5pm departure, and only one other pax with me in the MEL lounge for an 8pm. Was nice and quiet.And the massage chair in melbourne is good.

They did call ‘last drinks’ at around 715pm though.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

For SimmoMelb, Rex allows a pay per entry fee $33 for a visit.
But I see your point about min staffing.
Only 1 staff member to handle the inside running of the Rex ADL airport lounge, ie, do tidy up to move things to kitchen, and then, also to handle the desk outside the door outside as well, to handle pax questions, ...
Not to mention, no loo inside that lounge, so if you need the loo, you have to step out, and then stand there, hopefully someone will be coming out so you can go back in, as single entry does not give a card to swipe entry, and if the girl is inside, you are there on your own, hoping someone would be coming out.
Maybe the Rex lounge MEL/SYD is a bit different.
They really make their staff work hard!
Had flown them once, but till they improve, I will go with QF and VA for the time being.
---
Despite its downsides, VA is still a bit better than Rex, and cheaper than QF.

 

[simmomelb]

For SimmoMelb, Rex allows a pay per entry fee $33 for a visit.
But I see your point about min staffing.
Only 1 staff member to handle the inside running of the Rex ADL airport lounge, ie, do tidy up to move things to kitchen, and then, also to handle the desk outside the door outside as well, to handle pax questions, ...
Not to mention, no loo inside that lounge, so if you need the loo, you have to step out, and then stand there, hopefully someone will be coming out so you can go back in, as single entry does not give a card to swipe entry, and if the girl is inside, you are there on your own, hoping someone would be coming out.
Maybe the Rex lounge MEL/SYD is a bit different.
They really make their staff work hard!
Had flown them once, but till they improve, I will go with QF and VA for the time being.
---
Despite its downsides, VA is still a bit better than Rex, and cheaper than QF.

Ah yes, my bad, I should have made it clear that I spoke with these 2 guys and they definitely didn't pay to get in, they were laughing about it as they just opened the door, which wasn't locked or staffed. There were only 4 people in the Rex lounge, including myself.
Yes, the loo situation is terrible, I highly doubt I'd bother with their lounge again.
It is evident it was an afterthought when it was built.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Ah, gottcha.
Heh, brave of them.
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Won't be surprised if ZL buys out VA in the IPO.
Min staffing, not a lot of food choice on board...