Virgin Australia Business Class - Meals, Menus & Service

[Foreigner]

Flew E190 SYD to CNS. Scanner at gate beeped and I stood aside for fresh BP showing seat 1A!

Turned out that it wasn't J class as I'd seen before, yet two pax, the other across the aisle, were given similar courtesies including comp meals...these were not J meals. Tonight's selections were hot beef/veg pies. Offers of all beverages, Samsung tablet, etc.

Toilets were used by all and sundry.

Nice touch though I wished it was the real thing. Still, no complaints.

 

[lovestotravel]

Well considering you aren't flying VA it doesn't effect you anyway.

That's okay I'll continue to comment and I'll fly Virgin soon to keep you happy

Thanks for taking the time to go back through my old posts too

 

[Flywithd]

MEL - OOL at 15:05, snack was alternating between cheese platter or hoisin pork and hokkein noodles

 

[Sprucegoose]

Flew E190 SYD to CNS. Scanner at gate beeped and I stood aside for fresh BP showing seat 1A!

Turned out that it wasn't J class as I'd seen before, yet two pax, the other across the aisle, were given similar courtesies including comp meals...these were not J meals. Tonight's selections were hot beef/veg pies. Offers of all beverages, Samsung tablet, etc.

Toilets were used by all and sundry.

Nice touch though I wished it was the real thing. Still, no complaints.

Were you with JohnK?

 

[jazza1971]

That's okay I'll continue to comment and I'll fly Virgin soon to keep you happy

Thanks for taking the time to go back through my old posts too

Doesn't worry me if you do/dont fly Virgin mate, was simply pointing out what you yourself said

 

[Foreigner]

Were you with JohnK?

I have never met him. He certainly wasn't across the aisle.

 

[docjames]

I have never met him. He certainly wasn't across the aisle.

I think it was a joke (there's a thread where JohnK was less than happy about his "J" flight being on an E190 that had the old Y+ seating / blocked middle seat rather than the new J seats).

 

[lovestotravel]

Doesn't worry me if you do/dont fly Virgin mate, was simply pointing out what you yourself said

It bothered you enough to bring it up and basically tell me not to comment as it doesn't concern me... But again cool story

 

[jazza1971]

It bothered you enough to bring it up and basically tell me not to comment as it doesn't concern me... But again cool story

Ah no I didnt say anything about not commenting, I said you don't fly them so how are you being effected by a lack of menu changes.....

 

[lovestotravel]

Ah no I didnt say anything about not commenting, I said you don't fly them so how are you being effected by a lack of menu changes.....

It's a major part of the reason why I don't want to fly them! For me the lounge food/wine/spirits and then the on board food/wine is a big part of why I choose a particular airline to fly

I can't justify paying $$ to fly VA in business because their product is rubbish. IFE/meals/lounge/wine

Fix those issues and they would get more of my travel $

 

[Comoman]

Menu has changed - really good as well. Had a great duck (again) ex-Per on the A330.

Menus and photo attached. Eats Qantas for breakfast (great pun I know) - I flew Qantas 2 weeks ago Per-Syd return in J so yes I can compare. Better wine choice, better all round really. Don't get me started on the A332 seating....

 

[Comoman]

Eat to West Lamb Chops - yum!

 

[Justinf]

Comoman: that looks really, really good. I'm hungry now!

 

[KCMil]

Today is the first day of the new mainline J class menu. Saw the menu layout this morning and first main change is that at breakfast the vegetarian option is muesli instead of a hot meal. All the hot dishes appear to have changed as well (thank heaven!) Not every menu has the croissant, it is in fact strangely absent from most menu's it appears to have been replaced by different fruit rolls, prob because the croissants kept coming out looking like the leather soles of a shoe, flat and tough. Each menu has a different fruit muesli.

The dreaded meat ball pasta is gone! There are other pasta's but they all appear to have quite thick sauces with them and more plentifull. One of the mains was a tasmanian salmon fillet so that will be interesting to see if it works. I still feel that half the issue is the preparation on board, being overcooked or heated too early and drying out.
My information says that all the CS's are going through epicurean days with Luke Mangan so I dare say he is trying to "improve" the onboard prep skills, greatly needed. There's also a rather nice looking beef rib dish and the chicken curry appears to be a chicken breast not broken up mushy bits.
Now to hope the menu isn't in place for 12 months like the old one.

I'll try to get some pics up soon.

 

[Jousams]

Today is the first day of the new mainline J class menu. Saw the menu layout this morning and first main change is that at breakfast the vegetarian option is muesli instead of a hot meal. All the hot dishes appear to have changed as well (thank heaven!) Not every menu has the croissant, it is in fact strangely absent from most menu's it appears to have been replaced by different fruit rolls, prob because the croissants kept coming out looking like the leather soles of a shoe, flat and tough. Each menu has a different fruit muesli.

The dreaded meat ball pasta is gone! There are other pasta's but they all appear to have quite thick sauces with them and more plentifull. One of the mains was a tasmanian salmon fillet so that will be interesting to see if it works. I still feel that half the issue is the preparation on board, being overcooked or heated too early and drying out.
My information says that all the CS's are going through epicurean days with Luke Mangan so I dare say he is trying to "improve" the onboard prep skills, greatly needed. There's also a rather nice looking beef rib dish and the chicken curry appears to be a chicken breast not broken up mushy bits.
Now to hope the menu isn't in place for 12 months like the old one.

I'll try to get some pics up soon.

Got a OOL-MEL & MEL-SYD J flight on sat, will report back!

 

[lobo76]

Did MEL-CBR, CBR-SYD and SYD-MEL recently...

MEL-CBR: No named greeting. No IFE offered (normal for shorter flights?). CS asked if "I wanted any lunch at all" while shaking his head to the negative :/ I said I would like some and he replied "We've only got a prosciutto salad with goats cheese". I took it. Tiny serve. Not bad flavors. The prosciutto was a little chewy. I notices the only other pax in J got brought out a really tasty looking and smelling, large pie or perhaps a quiche? Not happy with the disparity there.

CBR-SYD: No IFE (no surprise for 23 min flight!). E190 with Biz seats. CS did an amazing job considering 3 pax and 23 mins. She served us all the harrisa chicken salad and drinks in the very limited time window!

SYD-MEL: IFE offered and taken (seemed to have less stuff preloaded... only 1 ep of Rake! :/) CS decided it was easier to sit next to me and show me the menu pictures! Felt like I was at Raisins She congratulated me on my vegetarian choice of the zucchini fritter... which came out with a sausage! Good job I'm not vego!

 

[Jousams]

Wait, so there is actually going to be a menu?

 

[KCMil]

Wait, so there is actually going to be a menu?

Nope, sorry if my explanation misslead you. No printed menu, the menu I saw was the crews serving guide.

 

[bullerdude]

Now i'm looking forward to my MEL-BNE and BNE-MEL this weekend - assuming the snack services have become better as well since i'm flying outside of main meal times.

 

[KCMil]

The snacks have changed, but still same sort of quantity which had already increased. Bakery item, snack item and a dessert, so for instance an afternoon snack MEL to BNE is bakery item plus harissa chicken salad with fatoush or buffalo mozarella panini, plus orange almond cake. That seems fairly substantial for a snack service.