No more free items from retail menu when flying business

[henleybeach]

I flew Melb - Bris yesterday and the gentlemen in 1A and C both wanted a Diet Coke and were told there was only one available and none could be sourced from economy under the new rules. Truely appalling.

Flabagasted if that’s the way they are going.
I often fly j ADL-PER vv when it’s not a Fokker and I’ve never bought anything of the menu or thought to in fact. The meal and pantry items have always been to my liking (I’ll eat anything ) and suffice. I fly to Brisbane this week in J it will be interesting to see what Happens. But if I want Diet Coke and I’m being told I need to pay for it, that will be the last time I fly them. I’m fortunate Work allows me to choose either qantas or virgin.

 

[HeatherV]

Why don't they just make a new Economy menu with only items on it that are available in Business?

 

[turffy]

Sometimes black and white rules need to be followed, but sometimes you need to apply a little bit of common sense and go and get a bloody can of diet coke from the back of the plane!

Problem is that "common sense" isn't well named - it just ain't that common. We flew VA business BNE-MEL return over the weekend and noted that they allocate 4 bread rolls and 4 muffins for the 8 passengers - not sure why you would want a sweet muffin to accompany your savoury meal. Also on meal choice there was either 4 or 5 only of the options for choice. Pathetic really.

 

[Max Samuels]

I flew MEL-BNE the other day in J on the 8th October (so just before the rule change).

The FA actually asked me if I wanted anything else and when I said cheese and crackers she went down the back and got them.

I think this is a stupid move on their part..... I often write about how much I enjoy VA over QF but this is kind of coughpy. I do find myself a bit peckish on VA after dinner has been served.... which makes me think - maybe it is because they are so quick and efficient with the dinner service that when one has finished the meal there is easily at least an hour of flying time to go? Maybe that is why QF's J meal service is soooooooooooooo slow - they don't want the pax to get hungry again?????

This stinginess seems to be reflected in the amount of meals loaded into the J cabin of late. I have taken a couple of flights where there were only 3 people in J and they seemed to have loaded exactly 3 meals on (well there weren't 3 of the chicken skewers!)

And I have been the only person in J on a dinner flight and they had loaded only 2 meals (so I could choose I suppose).

But I did see the FAs walking up the back with a tray covered with a tea towel and I swear I could smell the chicken skewers....

Anyway.... bad VA. BAD.

 

[luco2577]

All my flying in the last ten years has been Business or First internationally, and I always have Diet Coke - and sometimes a nice wine or two. If Diet Coke is not available on VA, I won't be flying with them now that I am looking to fly domestically in the future.

 

[mannej]

Problem is that "common sense" isn't well named - it just ain't that common. We flew VA business BNE-MEL return over the weekend and noted that they allocate 4 bread rolls and 4 muffins for the 8 passengers - not sure why you would want a sweet muffin to accompany your savoury meal. Also on meal choice there was either 4 or 5 only of the options for choice. Pathetic really.

I agree that it is silly not to have 1 bread roll per J pax, but for wastage reasons they will never load enough to guarantee meal choice for each J pax. This isn’t limited to VA only...

 

[Scarlett]

Plenty of examples above of the difference between being just good enough and being great.

And specifically on the 'buy on board' issue for J: why not just formalise the direction as being that alcohol from the Y cabin 'bob' menu must be purchased because it is the real problem for their bottom line.

 

[jakeseven7]

Why don't they just make a new Economy menu with only items on it that are available in Business?

This could be another good cost cutting idea for VA actually.

Remove J catering.

Up-spec the retail menu.

Give J passengers an $X allowance to buy from retail menu.

Thoughts?

 

[Max Samuels]

This could be another good cost cutting idea for VA actually.

Remove J catering.

Up-spec the retail menu.

Give J passengers an $X allowance to buy from retail menu.

Thoughts?

Well then it's not J!!!!
It's basically JQ with an "up-front" seat and a "$20 meal voucher"!

If giving away the food for sale is such a killer (which I think is a bit fake news), then why don't they just increase all their J airfares by $7 - which is still 50% of QF.

 

[Max Samuels]

I flew Melb - Bris yesterday and the gentlemen in 1A and C both wanted a Diet Coke and were told there was only one available and none could be sourced from economy under the new rules. Truely appalling.

How is diet coke not part of the "full bar" anyway? That makes no sense to me.
As dumb as it is, I do get the policy of having to pay for economy menu items such as sandwiches etc (so dumb), but sure mixer drinks like diet coke are just part of the standard J bar?

 

[woodborer]

How is diet coke not part of the "full bar" anyway? That makes no sense to me.
As dumb as it is, I do get the policy of having to pay for economy menu items such as sandwiches etc (so dumb), but sure mixer drinks like diet coke are just part of the standard J bar?

Should be. The real issue in all this is the way J is catered. Running out should be the exception.

 

[Plutonus]

I presume they haven't yet implemented the promised increased variety component of this change. Another day, another afternoon snack choice to mirror every other flight in the past few months.

 

[InfreqFlyer]

How about Jetstar J? Do you need to pay for food or drinks?

 

[Champo]

According to an instruction circulated to Virgin Australia cabin crew on September 26, and sighted by Executive Traveller, “effective 9 October, complimentary offering of retail items to Business and VIP guests will not be permitted.”

On October 9, the ‘buy on board’ menu will be rolled out in business class, and those passengers – along with members of The Club – will be asked to pull out their credit card for extras that were formerly free.

Virgin Australia clamps down on complimentary business class snacks

Virgin Australia will ask business class passengers to pay for extra meals, snacks and drinks ordered off the economy retail menu.

www.executivetraveller.com

Only saves $780,000 per annum from revenue of $5.3 billion. Seems a little ridiculous considering how much business class tickets cost. Back to cutting their way to profit.

 

[w2ttsy]

Geez, VA are trying their hardest to fall into the JQ level of service here. They're starting to really take the piss with this hybrid "FCC/LCC" type of flight experience. Either charge a more competitive price for LCC type experiences or stump up the higher level of service for the FCC fare that is being charged now. Maintaining my status or burning down points is the only reason I fly VA domestically.

All my international travel is on partner airlines as VA don't have the reach I need.

I'm still salty with the removal of booking exit row seats on Gold after Economy X came into play. Gold don't even get a discounted rate.

I'll be plat on my next flight so this won't be such an issue, but really I wish QF had status matched me (and jokes on them as they are losing out on a stack of business from me now because I'm flying PE once a quarter now SYD - SFO/AUS) as their domestic offering is so much better.

 

[jakeseven7]

Well then it's not J!!!!
It's basically JQ with an "up-front" seat and a "$20 meal voucher"!

If giving away the food for sale is such a killer (which I think is a bit fake news), then why don't they just increase all their J airfares by $7 - which is still 50% of QF.

Or conversely they could discount their J to make it more 'J Lite'?

- No IFE devices supplied (already implemented)
- No bespoke catering (they could just do a $ allowance from the retail menu)
- Keep the rest....

 

[darrend]

Petty does not go close to describing it. For me I used to travel with my family in business. The two children (5yrs +11 yrs) would always simply have a sandwich from the economy menu. Virgin do not cater for children in business but are happy enough to take the funds. This latest change has seen us all move to economy for domestic travel. Case in point this weekend just gone the 4 of us travelled return MEL - MCY in Y and J had only 3 takers on the return leg. Virgin's significant loss over some mindless penny pinching which very certainly cost them more in lost revenue than the cost of two lousy sandwiches.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Further to the main AFF article about BOB - BA charged a Club Europe passenger for an item they wanted from the economy menu (a UK-produced wine). Seems fair enough... the Club menu is sufficient without needing to offer the economy one free.

 

[Hooizzit]

As someone that rarely flies for business reasons but reasonably frequently flies Business for leisure, this came as a bit of surprise on our BRI-SYD flight on Oct 12th (I don't generally have reason to look at forums such as this that might have enlightened me beforehand!).

The exotically flavoured dessert offered with the meal wasn't to my 15yo sons taste, so he asked the attendant if he could have a kit-kat instead. After the 'rule change' spiel I handed over my card for the $4 payment. Obviously this is not the end of the world, but I agree with previous comments that it devalues the premium experience. I feel like I pay not to have to deal with this sh-tuff during the flight. Sure, some likely abused the service, but really? I couldn't help but feel that the attendant likely spent about $4 of their time processing the whole thing.

 

[Ade]

How about Jetstar J? Do you need to pay for food or drinks?

No. There is a meal that is covered as part of your booking.

You also get some options on board.

But some members in AFF have recorded their inconveniences over meals on JQ bi - from choice not available to even meals unavailable (or short in number) and getting meals from Y