Virgin Australia: Business class food service virg’n on disgusting
Forgive the pun. I travelled on two Virgin Australia flights yesterday in Business Class – ADL-MEL-SYD.
The flights were very pleasant, departed on-time , or indeed slightly ahead of time and arrived early. One of the strange effects of the dearth of domestic flights precipitated by COVID-19 and unpredictable border closures.
I knew food and beverage would be limited, although not as hideous as the cup-of-noodles incident when Virgin Australia was in administration. But I didn’t expect it to be quite as dire as it was.
Content of this Post:
Wine
We were back to the ‘red or white’ wine option on one flight, although on the other, the ‘Cabin Lead’ (don’t get me started on that awful management consultant speak – what happened to ‘Purser’) the grape varieties offered were outlined. But don’t expect to see an actual bottle, or have it poured at your seat.
Food
That heading is an overestimation of what was on offer. The box contained a bunch of pre-packaged ‘snacks’ of which only the ‘JAX’ snacks were edible due to a predominance of MSG. The Lavosh Bites made cardboard more appealing – despite the lashings of the Beerenberg relish.
The Chocolate brownie thingies were OK – but too rich for me. If this was your only chance to eat during a long day – you would have been sorely disappointed.
2PAXfly Takeout
The aviation industry has a difficult road ahead when it comes to sustainability. It’s going to require a relative revolution in technology, with ‘electric planes’ or hydrogen planes, or some form of jet engine that doesn’t require a carbon based fuel. And that is going to require the development of an alternative to jet engines probably.
It’s a big ask. It will take time to develop.
This move to home grown and manufactured SAF is a first step – maybe even a baby step in a very long road of innovation. In the long run, US$200 million won’t even touch the sides.
All I can say is thank goodness for the ham, cheese and tomato toastie I had at the brand new Virgin Lounge in Adelaide.
A rebirth of the business class service is due next month – or even at the end of March. Lets just say it won’t come too soon.
I’ll have a full review of the lounge for you (I hope) later this week.
What did you say?