Virgin Australia Business Class - Meals, Menus & Service

[anat0l]

This is what I was just served for CNS-MEL! 3.5 hours leaving at Lunch time and I get this! not even a side salad! SO MUCH FOR A 3 COURSE MEAL!

Are you meant to get a 3 course? Thought CNS-MEL might not be long enough? Then again, I do remember something said about 3+ hour flights - this sector is long enough for that...

In any case, I assume bread came with that (otherwise that olive oil and dukkah is useless). More importantly, did it taste good?



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[LiamR]

Ive copped a couple of flights just past 7 to find no dinner service.

Particularly sucks when the 6 and 6:30pm flights are 737-700's!

 

[anat0l]

Well, if it's any consolation, J fares are decreasing markedly... :-|



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[LiamR]

Let's try to get a handle on what DJ serve to their Business/premium customers and when they serve it.

Please post your experience of flying business/premium on Velocity Australia

Photos would be good too.​

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This is the offical meal schedule provided to me by Virgin Australia after an enquiry regarding pretty poor meal performance.

[TABLE="width: 427"]
[TR]
[TD]Meal Type
[/TD]
[TD]Meal Window
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Breakfast
[/TD]
[TD]First Flight - 08.30
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Morning Snack
[/TD]
[TD]08.31 - 11.59
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Lunch
[/TD]
[TD]12.00 - 14.00
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Afternoon Snack
[/TD]
[TD]14.01 - 17.59
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dinner
[/TD]
[TD]18.00 - 20.00
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Evening Snack
[/TD]
[TD]20.01 - Last Flight
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

AFAIK Dinner finishes at 1900 on MEL/SYD Flights!!

 

[Moopere]

Had a thought. Maybe I should bring my own food in a small esky and just make use of their silver, tray, salt and pepper, buns and perhaps, if I got lucky, a desert of some type (the cheese!!!!). Could use the so called snack as an appetiser and just roll out my own good stuff like a picnic

 

[brad330]

This is what I revived for a flight 3 times shorter MEL-CBR! VA get your cough together!

 

[anat0l]

This is what I revived for a flight 3 times shorter MEL-CBR! VA get your cough together!

What is that? Seems decent for such a short flight.



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[serfty]

What is that? Seems decent for such a short flight.
...

Look better than the ex CNS 3½ flight offering - only goes to illustrate how poor brad330's meal was.

 

[Justinf]

That has to be some sort of mistake?
The CNS offering that is.

 

[maninblack]

This is what I revived for a flight 3 times shorter MEL-CBR! VA get your cough together!

That is the Shepherd's pie with mushy peas. Not a great meal in my book but better than that CNS-MEL offering, that's just pitiful for an $1,100 one way ticket. I had really hoped VA were going to set a great standard but their J class is a total lemon thus far.

Compare this to what you get trans Tasman on the NZ 777 service for the same $$$

 

[skeltonl]

Re: Virgin Australia Business Class Catering

Good thought; I was going to start a thread where on specifies city pair, day of week and time of departure and those who have flown can post their experiences with similar flights.

BNE-CNS Fri 5:00pm

Flew on Sunday just gone and recived dinner which was the meatball dish shown in a picture in the thread. Was given the same thing coming back on Thursday on a flight CNS to BNE leaving at 16:40. I hope it goes out of rotation soon as its a bit rubbery. As per usual when I asked for other items off the economy food cart was provided at no charge (two bannana breads this time).

 

[serfty]

Re: Virgin Australia Business Class Catering

...As per usual when I asked for other items off the economy food cart was provided at no charge (two bannana breads this time).

And here's the current economy menu:

Virgin Australia - View our current onboard menu options

Of course, the FA may have other ideas: (http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ess-class-trip-report-36249-3.html#post561451)

Sounds like the question was said in the context of was there any thing else from the J menu, which in that case was a NO. ...

Food service on the flight in question:

FA: explains that food is the scroll type thing
SWMBO: "Are there any other options?"
FA: "No"

SWMBO was not aware that choosing from the Y menu was possible and neither was this offered to her.


SWMBO is reluctantly giving Virgin one more go MEL-OOL and hopefully will get the proper Virgin J experience this time.

There's also this which indicates further meal windows for longer flights:

i believe meal times are something like this -

flights under 3 hrs which are scheduled to depart within these times

Breakfast - first flight of the day till 830am
Morning Snack - 830am to midday
Lunch - midday to 2pm
Afternoon snack - 2pm to 6pm
Dinner - 6pm to 8pm
Evening snack - 8pm onwards

flights over 3 hrs which are scheduled to depart within these times

Breakfast - first flight of the day till 930am
Lunch - 930am to 4pm
Dinner - 4pm onwards
Supper & breakfast - redeye flights

... so, going by that, basically a 'full three course' meal service for any flight schedule over 3 hours (no 'snack' sevices other than 'supper').

 

[straitman]

Is the relevant time the departure time, the inflight time or the arrival time?

Departure time, which causes a problem, especially during daylight savings leaving QLD to say SYD/MEL

You leave BNE/OOL at say 17:00 and don't get back to SYD/MEL until 20:30... That should be a dinner service

Agreed.

We left OOL on a 1050 flight and arrived in MEL at 1405 and got a very small, simple snack. i.e. both sides of the lunch window so really should be lunch. :evil:

 

[muppet]

DJ 271 - MEL-CBR - 13:30 arr 14:35

Lunch offered on the E190.
Curtin even drawn in front of the row 3 seats.
Great service! Shepheards pie. Desert was a absolutely deathly chocolate tart... amazing.

 

[maninblack]

Great service! Shepheards pie. Desert was a absolutely deathly chocolate tart... amazing.

View attachment 6819

I have been served that Shepherds pie twice now and last time it was swimming in a sea of oil (rendered fat from the mincemeat) so I sent it back and the choc dessert was icy and frozen. Unfortunately I am yet to experience anything even remotely 'amazing' about any aspect of the Virgin J service.

In fact they will be getting their first letter from me about some absolutely appalling service I received last week but I will leave that matter private.

 

[brad330]

Anybody Experienced The Following?

0630 CBR-0740 MEL
1005 CBR-1115 MEL
0930 MEL-1255 CNS
1400 MEL-1725 CNS

Cheers, Brad

 

[danielt25]

I flew in Business (upgrade from flexi) on Good Friday, CNS - BNE (9:35am departure), and BNE - SYD (13:30 departure), both on 738's

Got offered the exact same meal on both flights, a choice of penne with meatballs or a salad with kalamata olives, desert was a chocolate mousse pudding. Plus a warmed breadroll with dukkah and extra virgin olive oil.

Tried the penne with meatballs on CNS - BNE , penne was overcoked (depending on how you like your pasta). Tried the salad on BNE - SYD. Salad was nothing special. Chocolate mousse was ok, left it the second time round.

Flew back SYD - CNS on Easter Monday, departure 14:35pm.

Again offered a dinner meal (at 2:35pm!), this time either cold penne salad or thai green prawn curry with rice / coconut toppings. Opted for the green prawn curry which was quite tasty, 4 prawns which seemed pretty fresh. Again the warmed bread roll. This time desert was a strawberry cheesecake type thing, that was quite nice I thought.

 

[brad330]

I flew in Business (upgrade from flexi) on Good Friday, CNS - BNE (9:35am departure), and BNE - SYD (13:30 departure), both on 738's

Got offered the exact same meal on both flights, a choice of penne with meatballs or a salad with kalamata olives, desert was a chocolate mousse pudding. Plus a warmed breadroll with dukkah and extra virgin olive oil.

Tried the penne with meatballs on CNS - BNE , penne was overcoked (depending on how you like your pasta). Tried the salad on BNE - SYD. Salad was nothing special. Chocolate mousse was ok, left it the second time round.

Flew back SYD - CNS on Easter Monday, departure 14:35pm.

Again offered a dinner meal (at 2:35pm!), this time either cold penne salad or thai green prawn curry with rice / coconut toppings. Opted for the green prawn curry which was quite tasty, 4 prawns which seemed pretty fresh. Again the warmed bread roll. This time desert was a strawberry cheesecake type thing, that was quite nice I thought.

That is the same offering as my CNS-MEL flight. 3 course meals on CNS-SYD/MEL vv both over 3 hours is a myth!

 

[mickeyc747]

That is the same offering as my CNS-MEL flight. 3 course meals on CNS-SYD/MEL vv both over 3 hours is a myth!

I was caught out previously when they use to have hot meals on flights over 3 hours in the old PE cabin and you will find the flying time is 2 hours 55 so under three hours. The catch is based on actual flying time not what is time tabled eg OOL SYD shows 1 hour 20 normal flying time is around 1 hour. Sneaky.

 

[LiamR]

I have been served that Shepherds pie twice now and last time it was swimming in a sea of oil (rendered fat from the mincemeat) so I sent it back and the choc dessert was icy and frozen. Unfortunately I am yet to experience anything even remotely 'amazing' about any aspect of the Virgin J service.

In fact they will be getting their first letter from me about some absolutely appalling service I received last week but I will leave that matter private.

Wait 5mins and the ice creme warms up to a suitable temprature.

I've just stepped off a SYD-MEL flight only to be told as we departed that gate gourmet forgot to load the catering.