Virgin Australia Business Class - Meals, Menus & Service

[Mr H]

Flying SYD-MEL at 10:30am last week I was offered a chicken burrito or a chicken curry (which could be made vegetarian if desired). I declined both, as I am allergic to chilli, and asked for a basic sandwich or something similar instead. I was given a packet of potato chips, a cheese & crackers and a chocolate. I was surprised to be served lunch at 10:30am, but okay...

This is probably the 3rd time it has happened in the past year that I've been unable to eat either meal offered and it's pretty frustrating. The breakfast served on the 9am flight a few days prior was great.

If I had that significant a food allergy I would investigate the special meals or make my own arrangements. Personally I think it’s a good thing that they offer real food on this flight and not the same cheap breakfast food that I would probably already have been offered in the hotel and again in the lounge. It was not always thus.

 

[MH_fan]

Tasty meal for my BNE-SYD flight the other night.

 

[RickyT84]

Early dinner on VA962 from BNE to SYD on Tuesday (19/11) - choice of butter chicken with rice or cheese tortellini in tomato sauce.

As I was travelling with my wife I opted one of each so we can try both dishes. Took a photo of the butter chicken which was tasty.



First time seeing the soy rice crackers and mini Cadbury diary milk bar offered with the meal.

Had a passable white but not sure what I was as the CSM brought the glass out direct from the galley. Service was good but not memorable.

 

[twinaisle]

Early dinner on VA962 from BNE to SYD on Tuesday (19/11) - choice of butter chicken with rice or cheese tortellini in tomato sauce.

As I was travelling with my wife I opted one of each so we can try both dishes. Took a photo of the butter chicken which was tasty.

View attachment 416411

First time seeing the soy rice crackers and mini Cadbury diary milk bar offered with the meal.

Had a passable white but not sure what I was as the CSM brought the glass out direct from the galley. Service was good but not memorable.

It's not usual offerrd on the tray so don't get used to it

White wolf Chardonnay/S Blanc on offer at the moment.

Keen to hear from your experience, what could the CM have done on a flight that long to make the service memorable to you?

 

[servicerequired]

Flying SYD-MEL at 10:30am last week I was offered a chicken burrito or a chicken curry (which could be made vegetarian if desired). I declined both, as I am allergic to chilli, and asked for a basic sandwich or something similar instead. I was given a packet of potato chips, a cheese & crackers and a chocolate. I was surprised to be served lunch at 10:30am, but okay...

This is probably the 3rd time it has happened in the past year that I've been unable to eat either meal offered and it's pretty frustrating. The breakfast served on the 9am flight a few days prior was great.

If that is the case, good practice would really be snag a sandwich or wrap from Y ... I would have thought? Why did this backup scenario process end?

 

[MooTime]

It's not usual offerrd on the tray so don't get used to it

White wolf Chardonnay/S Blanc on offer at the moment.

Keen to hear from your experience, what could the CM have done on a flight that long to make the service memorable to you?

I agree, a quick domestic dart hardly a memorable trip to begin with so enjoy your meal & vino off you go.

 

[RickyT84]

It's not usual offerrd on the tray so don't get used to it

White wolf Chardonnay/S Blanc on offer at the moment.

Keen to hear from your experience, what could the CM have done on a flight that long to make the service memorable to you?

Sorry if I sounded a bit off putting as I should have said the CSM merely took the tray after we finished and didn't offer any refills of our drinks and chatted with other crews in the galley.

No big deal I guess but it seems like a lot of CSMs offer top up of drinks.

Apologies if it came across as an entitled post...

 

[muppet]

Sorry if I sounded a bit off putting as I should have said the CSM merely took the tray after we finished and didn't offer any refills of our drinks and chatted with other crews in the galley.

No big deal I guess but it seems like a lot of CSMs offer top up of drinks.

Apologies if it came across as an entitled post...

I don’t think it’s entitled to note a lack of proactive service following the meal, which you did politely in your post. It’s not such a short flight that there’s no time for a top-up.

 

[twinaisle]

Sorry if I sounded a bit off putting as I should have said the CSM merely took the tray after we finished and didn't offer any refills of our drinks and chatted with other crews in the galley.

No big deal I guess but it seems like a lot of CSMs offer top up of drinks.

Apologies if it came across as an entitled post...

No need to apologise at all. It was a genuine question to see and you've summed up the flight for me!

Hopefully you come across a more service approached CM next time. There's heaps of them who are amazing!

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Had a fantastic CM and flight VA684 PER-MEL on Thursday - felt very well looked after, and couldn't have been better IMHO! Food was tasty as well!

Only minor downside was older (non Boeing sky interior) aircraft with no power or internet. On the plus side (and more than balances that out), there was a barrier and magic rope and so no people queuing next to me.

 

[BRIS_VA_HAWK]

On a delayed MEL-BNE last night (353) - scheduled 20:50 departure pushed back to 21:55, which ended up being 22:18 push back and 22:48 wheels up...courtesy of some Melbourne fog rolling in as well. We were on VH-VUQ, so new layout, no divider or "magic rope", however didn't have any invasions from row 3 and beyond...
PDB's were taken quickly and the CM did provide sparkling water when Mr 1D asked for it...
Orders taken 1AC, 1DF, 2AC & 2DF, but as several pax did not want dinner both choices - Mac & cheese with optional chorizo or Beef Rendang - were available to all.
The Rendang had zero spice and may as well be called beef stew. It came with rice and broccoli, which was nice enough.
A glass of sparkling and a glass of pinot noir were happily provided, but no proactive refill and once plates were cleared it was lights out and no sight of cabin crew until descent.
Overall a stock standard service with nothing in particular to recommend it.

 

[stm1sydney]

On a delayed MEL-BNE last night (353) - scheduled 20:50 departure pushed back to 21:55, which ended up being 22:18 push back and 22:48 wheels up...courtesy of some Melbourne fog rolling in as well. We were on VH-VUQ, so new layout, no divider or "magic rope", however didn't have any invasions from row 3 and beyond...
PDB's were taken quickly and the CM did provide sparkling water when Mr 1D asked for it...
Orders taken 1AC, 1DF, 2AC & 2DF, but as several pax did not want dinner both choices - Mac & cheese with optional chorizo or Beef Rendang - were available to all.
The Rendang had zero spice and may as well be called beef stew. It came with rice and broccoli, which was nice enough.
A glass of sparkling and a glass of pinot noir were happily provided, but no proactive refill and once plates were cleared it was lights out and no sight of cabin crew until descent.
Overall a stock standard service with nothing in particular to recommend it.

Don't be shy about pressing the call button.

 

[BRIS_VA_HAWK]

Don't be shy about pressing the call button.

It's all good, I had to drive home from the airport last night. More a comment in this case than anything.

 

[mad_atta]

On VA542 yesterday (Sunday) OOL-SYD. I was in 1A so got first choice - options were chicken with rice and Asian-style vegetables or vegetarian pasta with mushrooms. Unusually for me I went with the veggo option because the way the friendly and cheerful FA described it sounded more interesting than yet another chicken and rice aeroplane meal.

When it arrived I was distinctly underwhelmed by both quantity and appearance (the aggressive mood lighting doesn't help) and I thought I'd made the wrong choice as the chicken my friend ordered looked better (and was bigger), but he said it was only OK whereas my pasta was genuinely tasty.



It's been a while since I've been on VA and I was surprised that there was not at least either 1) a tiny salad or 2) some semblance of actual dessert. The cheese and crackers were sad and basic in the extreme, and I'd have preferred some kind of cake or slice to the tiny chocolate bar. But the chardonnay was drinkable, refills plentiful and service friendly so for a cheap upgrade bid I can't complain too much. I do also like the pre-departure drinks offer on VA.

Straying slightly off-topic, this was the result of a last-minute upgrade bid (at about T-26) as it was a dinner-time flight and I could see that J was wide open, so I figured that despite there being 3 of us on the booking we might get away with a cheap bid. The minimum bid was $95 so I bid $105 each. Interestingly, just about half an hour after my bid I got an email saying I'd been outbid and inviting me to raise my bid. Exactly an hour after that, I got an email saying our upgrades were confirmed. Although the 'you have been outbid' email did not say in so many words that our upgrades wouldn't clear, it certainly gave the impression that without an increased bid we'd be out of luck, which I think is kind of sneaky. (As it happens, I was busy so completely missed that email and only saw the confirmation one.) Anyway, I offer this up as hopefully useful info to anyone else in the same situation...

 

[RickyT84]

No need to apologise at all. It was a genuine question to see and you've summed up the flight for me!

Hopefully you come across a more service approached CM next time. There's heaps of them who are amazing!

I would see this as one off as almost all of the CMs on my flights had been very good and provided excellent service.

So it's been quite a bit of a shock with my experience last Tuesday.