Virgin Australia Business Class - Meals, Menus & Service

[danielt25]

VA799 brisbane to Cairns 8pm Sunday
Arancini balls

 

[bubblyguy]

Is it cucumber? I thought it might've been zucchini with Parmesan cheese. I didn't mind it.... It was refreshing and a bit different and certainly a change from a few salad leaves.

It certainly is zucchini with parmesan cheese and lemon olive oil. There are 6 different side salads, changing every Wednesday.

There is a pickled cucumber salad with mint and dill as one of the salads as well.

Above someone mentioned they were missing the small cheese plate. The Spring/Summer menu has the small cheese plate (no salad) meanwhile the Autumn/Winter menu has the side salad which has now changed from lettuce leaves to something quite different.

 

[midian454]

Above someone mentioned they were missing the small cheese plate.

The cheese is gone, but there seems to be plenty of whine...

 

[Muppet501st]

. Enjoyed the trout on 782 today

 

[smit0847]

Flew VA J MEL-ADL snack service on Thurs arvo. Told by CSM that all snack services from now has no choice 'to make it easier for them' and choice will always be vegatarian. Can't believe this is actually true?
Served a broken vegatarian tart - very underwhelming experience - no water offered at any stage of the meal and no drink top ups. Salad was sliced carrots with a bit of feta. Dessert was two (yes two) chocolate almonds.

Can't imagine people will be paying the $500+ for the meal I had. I'd have a better meal for $30 at the airport.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Flew VA J MEL-ADL snack service on Thurs arvo. Told by CSM that all snack services from now has no choice 'to make it easier for them' and choice will always be vegatarian. Can't believe this is actually true?
Served a broken vegatarian tart - very underwhelming experience - no water offered at any stage of the meal and no drink top ups. Salad was sliced carrots with a bit of feta. Dessert was two (yes two) chocolate almonds.

Can't imagine people will be paying the $500+ for the meal I had. I'd have a better meal for $30 at the airport.

I keep thinking it can't get any worse but im continually proven wrong

 

[danielt25]

Snack service cns - bne 8pm 26/3/16

 

[bullerdude]

Flew VA J MEL-ADL snack service on Thurs arvo. Told by CSM that all snack services from now has no choice 'to make it easier for them' and choice will always be vegatarian. Can't believe this is actually true?
Served a broken vegatarian tart - very underwhelming experience - no water offered at any stage of the meal and no drink top ups. Salad was sliced carrots with a bit of feta. Dessert was two (yes two) chocolate almonds.

Can't imagine people will be paying the $500+ for the meal I had. I'd have a better meal for $30 at the airport.

That's really poor... I thought the snack services were already well under lunch/dinner services.

Qantas can muster 2 or 3 options in a snack servers so there is no question they are better for those services now.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I keep thinking it can't get any worse but im continually proven wrong

I agree. I think it's pretty terrible not having a choice in a premium cabin. VA J must be in terminal decline IMO. It's not as if they have a J lounge concept for Plats and J pax pre-flight.

I also don't think offering Pumpkin Soup with Chicken (as was the sole choice on one of my recent flights) is remotely vegetarian. I suppose they just don't add the separately packaged chicken if there's a vegetarian J pax.

VA are now making AA and DL catering look good.

 

[Pleb Status]

Flew VA J MEL-ADL snack service on Thurs arvo. Told by CSM that all snack services from now has no choice 'to make it easier for them' and choice will always be vegatarian. Can't believe this is actually true?
Served a broken vegatarian tart - very underwhelming experience - no water offered at any stage of the meal and no drink top ups. Salad was sliced carrots with a bit of feta. Dessert was two (yes two) chocolate almonds.

Can't imagine people will be paying the $500+ for the meal I had. I'd have a better meal for $30 at the airport.

As being a vegetarian is a lifestyle choice for the vast majority of vegetarians, why should their lifestyle choice override my lifestyle choice (and that of most Australians) not to be a vegetarian?

 

[Princess Fiona]

As being a vegetarian is a lifestyle choice for the vast majority of vegetarians, why should their lifestyle choice override my lifestyle choice (and that of most Australians) not to be a vegetarian?

I'd suggest based on my Pumpkin chicken soup there's little risk of that happening.

 

[Milefest]

As being a vegetarian is a lifestyle choice for the vast majority of vegetarians, why should their lifestyle choice override my lifestyle choice (and that of most Australians) not to be a vegetarian?

Cost. A carnivore can eat a vegetarian meal but a vegetarian can't eat a carnivore's meal.

 

[smit0847]

Flew VA J MEL-ADL snack service on Thurs arvo. Told by CSM that all snack services from now has no choice 'to make it easier for them' and choice will always be vegatarian. Can't believe this is actually true?
Served a broken vegatarian tart - very underwhelming experience - no water offered at any stage of the meal and no drink top ups. Salad was sliced carrots with a bit of feta. Dessert was two (yes two) chocolate almonds.

Can't imagine people will be paying the $500+ for the meal I had. I'd have a better meal for $30 at the airport.

Snack service cns - bne 8pm 26/3/16
View attachment 67171

This is the exact tart I had (CSM forgot the green stuff on top) and the carrot side 'salad' is the sane.

Does anyone know if it's true that all snack services will now be vegetarian and not have an option?

 

[Mattg]

Based on the comments in this and other threads, I really can't see any reason to fly VA short-haul J any more. The hard product on the 737s has always been poor, but it seems that the soft product is now in serious decline as well. The recent catering changes reek of cost-cutting and IMHO reflect extremely poorly on the airline. Even getting a good crew seems to be the exception now, rather than the norm.

I had started to actively collect Velocity points over the past few months, with the intention of using them for short-haul J redemptions. But with the decline in service, combined with a recent hike in the number of points required for a redemption, I'm not going to bother any more. Qantas has a good product, and IMHO Virgin are not competing effectively.

 

[farstar]

Cost. A carnivore can eat a vegetarian meal but a vegetarian can't eat a carnivore's meal.

I guess you mean omnivore, by definition Carnivores only eat meat.

 

[Boof1]

Based on the comments in this and other threads, I really can't see any reason to fly VA short-haul J any more. The hard product on the 737s has always been poor, but it seems that the soft product is now in serious decline as well. The recent catering changes reek of cost-cutting and IMHO reflect extremely poorly on the airline. Even getting a good crew seems to be the exception now, rather than the norm.

I couldn't agree more Mattg. On a longer 737 sector a few weeks back when in J, I asked the CSM what was going on with the catering and was told that on any sector where the actual flight time (wheels up -> wheels down) was less then or equal to an hour they were cutting back to one meal/snack choice in J. Think of SYD-OOL, MEL-ADL, MEL-HBA, CBR-MEL, CBR-ADL and v.v as all now down to one choice in J.

What I didn't realise at the time was that this selection is now vego only, which if this is the case is even further reason to steer clear. Sunday nights Buffalo Mozzarella salad on a 1940 departure as a snack is just insulting... The other choice was NO.

It looked good (pic below), but just doesn't cut it when I was expecting a hot meal like we used to get. Dinner should at least be 1730 to 2030. When I asked this CSM why only one choice he told me it was due to being rushed on full flights with two choices. I asked him: "How often is J full and how can QF do it with 4 extra J seats in a 737?". No response...



I can't believe that the A330's have been refitted to "The Business" at great expense from what was a suitable product anyway, get amazing three course meals, and get everything that you could imagine on a proper long haul 9+ hour flight for a 4 hour trek to or from Perth, when the 737/E190 product is being cut back, service is marginal at best, and has had poor seats from day one.

It's no wonder that I've flown 10 sectors in the last three weeks and on 4 of them J was empty on a 737. Speaking of which in Y the "morning snack" last week was a Carmans muesli bar bite. An Inch and Half of a muesli bar, lucky I had a connection so over the two flights I got a full muesli bar. The week before it was a single lemon cream biscuit that was about three times the size of the shift key on my laptop. Don't believe me? Here it is for proof:



No wonder they are borrowing cash from the owners. They are going backwards badly.

Regards,
Boof

 

[Ausbt]

The week before it was a single lemon cream biscuit that was about three times the size of the shift key on my laptop. Don't believe me? Here it is for proof:

Sure, but did you check the nutrition panel on that thing? The amount of sugar and fat is equivalent to a full pack of Iced Vo Vo's ! Seriously though when I see that advert in Voyeur of a Y pax chowing down on a Quiche I want to scream.

 

[Pleb Status]

Based on the comments in this and other threads, I really can't see any reason to fly VA short-haul J any more. The hard product on the 737s has always been poor, but it seems that the soft product is now in serious decline as well. The recent catering changes reek of cost-cutting and IMHO reflect extremely poorly on the airline. Even getting a good crew seems to be the exception now, rather than the norm.

I had started to actively collect Velocity points over the past few months, with the intention of using them for short-haul J redemptions. But with the decline in service, combined with a recent hike in the number of points required for a redemption, I'm not going to bother any more. Qantas has a good product, and IMHO Virgin are not competing effectively.

When comparing QF 737 J to VA 737 J on the same short domestic sector, what hard product advantages does QF have? The last time I flew QF 737 J, the J seat was very 'used' and drop down screen entertainment was 'limited' at best. Some QF 737 have in seat entertainment which may be better, but I would take the guaranteed wireless entertainment over the possible drop down screens.

When comparing 737 J hard product, the best seat is row 3 on VA (in Y) because neither 737 J is worth paying/upgrading for.

 

[Princess Fiona]

When comparing QF 737 J to VA 737 J on the same short domestic sector, what hard product advantages does QF have? The last time I flew QF 737 J, the J seat was very 'used' and drop down screen entertainment was 'limited' at best. Some QF 737 have in seat entertainment which may be better, but I would take the guaranteed wireless entertainment over the possible drop down screens.

When comparing 737 J hard product, the best seat is row 3 on VA (in Y) because neither 737 J is worth paying/upgrading for.

BSI interior hard product is better than anything VA has on a 737.

I think QF J is far superior. Short sector in J after a long day I need good service and a decent choice of snack/meal.
VA is providing neither at present.

 

[Pleb Status]

BSI interior hard product is better than anything VA has on a 737.

Would you like to say why from purely a hard product prospective (excluding the in seat entertainment)?