Recent Decline of VA service

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and written with a slightly more emphasised tone to management. But I also believe that its often just too easy for complaints to be dismissed, until numbers reach huge levels - which may never happen.

Given the amount of interest food generates when flying, it is time someone starts a change.org campaign. (sorry, I know a bit cheeky but couldnt help myself)
 
Currently in the VA lounge in MEL and the food options are atrocious.
Cold cuts, salad, sliced tasty cheese. The hot options are chicken soup, minestrone soup or make your own toasty with the poor range of cold cuts. Popcorn, small cookies at the barista bar. Fortunately there's no evidence of hot dogs but jeez it's slim pickings. There's nothing very platinum about this lounge IMHO :(
Flight on the way here was a choice of Pork and Fennel sausage roll or Greek Mezze plate. Took the Greek plate and it wasn't bad but it wasn't great either.
I've got Coast to Coast boarding soon so hopeful things are on the up :)
 
Currently in the VA lounge in MEL and the food options are atrocious.
Cold cuts, salad, sliced tasty cheese. The hot options are chicken soup, minestrone soup or make your own toasty with the poor range of cold cuts. Popcorn, small cookies at the barista bar. Fortunately there's no evidence of hot dogs but jeez it's slim pickings. There's nothing very platinum about this lounge IMHO :(

On the three occasions I've been in the MEL lounge in recent times (lunchtime, late afternoon and early evening), that's all that's been on offer as well.
 
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Currently in the VA lounge in MEL and the food options are atrocious.
Cold cuts, salad, sliced tasty cheese. The hot options are chicken soup, minestrone soup or make your own toasty with the poor range of cold cuts. Popcorn, small cookies at the barista bar. Fortunately there's no evidence of hot dogs but jeez it's slim pickings. There's nothing very platinum about this lounge IMHO :(

Seems to be the standard I know of for the MEL lounge. At least that stuff is there. Not sure about poor standard TBH, unless you really are talking about the quality of the selection on that day.

You forgot to mention falafel, tabouli, hommus and flat bread, which has always been there when I was in MEL, unless it is now gone / wasn't there when you were there.

As for nothing "Platinum", well of course - it caters for all of Golds, Platinums and paid subscriptions. Until VA make separate lounges.... and if it is anything, the lounge was recently renovated.

Remember when VA served Jarlsburg or Swiss?

Nope. I only recall seeing sliced tasty cheese on the bar. Sometimes feta has been on offer. If there was Jarlsburg I would have likely flogged the bowl / plate.
 
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Seems to be the standard I know of for the MEL lounge. At least that stuff is there. Not sure about poor standard TBH, unless you really are talking about the quality of the selection on that day.

You forgot to mention falafel, tabouli, hommus and flat bread, which has always been there when I was in MEL, unless it is now gone / wasn't there when you were there.

As for nothing "Platinum", well of course - it caters for all of Golds, Platinums and paid subscriptions. Until VA make separate lounges.... and if it is anything, the lounge was recently renovated.



Nope. I only recall seeing sliced tasty cheese on the bar. Sometimes usfeta has been on offer. If there was Jarlsburg I would have likely flogged the bowl / plate.

No falafel, hommus or flatbread on offer tonight.
With what they do offer they may as well not bother TBH.
I recall being offered hot food on trays a couple of previous visits to the MEL lounge but didn't see this tonight.
If the food is going to be this poor then maybe there should be a paid menu available as in US lounges ?
 
With what they do offer they may as well not bother TBH.

This pretty well sums up my feeling a week ago up at BNE. For me at least, once things get to 'laughably' low levels then I start wondering if they are just taking the p*ss ... wouldn't have been much more disappointed if the various food dispensers where polished clean and empty.


I recall being offered hot food on trays a couple of previous visits to the MEL lounge but didn't see this tonight.

At both SYD and MEL I have often had the pleasure of hot food trays and though its ultimately a small thing the goodwill bought, for this traveller at least, is far in excess of the cost of the goods. It doesn't take lot to make me happy, but don't insult me :)

If the food is going to be this poor then maybe there should be a paid menu available as in US lounges ?

Yes, great idea. Next time I go to any VA lounge thats as bad as my last experience I think I'll wander out again, grab some food and come back in to eat it.
 
Something unexpected happened today. Rang as my flight DRW-SYD-CBR looked dicey. I had a T class fare (booked through Expedia). Anyway, they put me DRW-BNE-CBR, and my fare class changed to L. No cost. A very pleasant surprise. Extra 30 status points for making a call to ensure no overnighting in SYD at their expense.
 
No falafel, hommus or flatbread on offer tonight.
With what they do offer they may as well not bother TBH.
I recall being offered hot food on trays a couple of previous visits to the MEL lounge but didn't see this tonight.
If the food is going to be this poor then maybe there should be a paid menu available as in US lounges ?

What you describe is likely not much better than the QP, although for some odd reason I don't know why I find the QP's salads better than VA's lounge. And yes, sometimes in the QP you'll see an occasional hot item, like pies or something. On the weekend, I think these get rare in both sets of lounges (where a basic "subsistence" spread is put out).

Also, the hot food that was there in other VA lounges was at times marginal. We have the hotdogs - I guess you can't really stuff that up (hard to eat in a suit) - but I remember butter chicken in SYD once, whose taste was pretty insipid. (Now how do you stuff up catered butter chicken... actually, don't answer that.) Then there was the rather frequent Mexican cantina service of vegetarian hot bean mix and tortilla shells (along with avocado cream, sour cream and mozzarella). That was alright, if only that the beans needed a bit more flavour.
 
What you describe is likely not much better than the QP,

Except that Princess Fiona is a plat. On QF, wouldn't that mean QF J lounge rather than QP? I'm QF NB so I wouldn't know, but I think that is the difference here. VA have made a conscious decision to provide the same mediocre offering to all, whereas QF do recognise their WPs and higher with a better class of lounge. I do think though, that you've hit the nail on the head with the fact it was a late Sun night flight. In my experience, the occasional hot food offering in the VA lounge is during peak hours and not usually on a weekend and certainly not on a weekend night!
 
In my experience, the occasional hot food offering in the VA lounge is during peak hours and not usually on a weekend and certainly not on a weekend night!
Yup, last night in BNE it was pea and bacon soup or toasted sandwiches. Went to Red Rooster instead.
 
Yup, last night in BNE it was pea and bacon soup or toasted sandwiches. Went to Red Rooster instead.

I was there last night too. I tried the soup, I found it not very satisfying, and the accompanying bread was stale. However, was only there for a snack, having sat on plane ex DRW en route to CBR, after a big feed at Fiddlers Green at Darwin Waterfront, hence I had no desire for anything more, noting I'd get a Flexi Feed (which turned out to be ATR fare, aka corn chips and salsa)
 
Except that Princess Fiona is a plat. On QF, wouldn't that mean QF J lounge rather than QP? I'm QF NB so I wouldn't know, but I think that is the difference here. VA have made a conscious decision to provide the same mediocre offering to all, whereas QF do recognise their WPs and higher with a better class of lounge. I do think though, that you've hit the nail on the head with the fact it was a late Sun night flight. In my experience, the occasional hot food offering in the VA lounge is during peak hours and not usually on a weekend and certainly not on a weekend night!

What was described also matches the basic J lounge offering in SYD T3. The only better item in the J lounge is when they drag out the hot meal option at night. Otherwise, it is soup, salad, cold cuts, sliced cheese and make your own toastie.
 
What was described also matches the basic J lounge offering in SYD T3. The only better item in the J lounge is when they drag out the hot meal option at night. Otherwise, it is soup, salad, cold cuts, sliced cheese and make your own toastie.

I think the SYD J Lounge food is of substantially better quality and a greater selection than what was available at the MEL VA lounge last night.
Haven't been in the QP in years so no idea what's in there.

Also in reference to me being there late last night. I was there from 16.15 until 20.00. The lounge was very busy when I arrived at no time did I see any hot food (except soup or toasty) either on the buffet or being served. The staff were run off their feet cleaning tables. I moved dirty plates and glasses aside myself to get an empty table.
With the exception of the Barista coffee which was lovely, the entire place was far from a premium lounge experience IMHO.
 
I think the SYD J Lounge food is of substantially better quality and a greater selection than what was available at the MEL VA lounge last night.
Haven't been in the QP in years so no idea what's in there.

Also in reference to me being there late last night. I was there from 16.15 until 20.00. The lounge was very busy when I arrived at no time did I see any hot food (except soup or toasty) either on the buffet or being served. The staff were run off their feet cleaning tables. I moved dirty plates and glasses aside myself to get an empty table.
With the exception of the Barista coffee which was lovely, the entire place was far from a premium lounge experience IMHO.

Every time I've been in the SYD J lounge this year the basic selection has been equivalent to the VA SYD lounge in both quality and range of foods. This has been weekday nights. Qantas in this time have introduced the requirement to make your own toasted sandwich. Perhaps being a Sunday night there was an issue.

The Qantas J lounge does have nightly hot food selection that is slightly better. But then the J lounge is a premium lounge. That's important to remember the VA lounge does not claim to be anything more than a basic lounge. The fact that VA's basic food offerings match the J lounge is embarrassing to Qantas.

But then the last time I was in the QP was when the J lounge was closed at Christmas. My recollection is that the hot food offering was something like a pasta bake, which I rate above VA hot food offerings. I'd really love VA to bring back the curries.
 
Every time I've been in the SYD J lounge this year the basic selection has been equivalent to the VA SYD lounge in both quality and range of foods.

That's important to remember the VA lounge does not claim to be anything more than a basic lounge. The fact that VA's basic food offerings match the J lounge is embarrassing to Qantas.

Could not disagree more. Unless there is a mythical VA fine dining lounge somewhere in Sydney - every time I've been to VA Syd (and MEL, and BNE and PER) lounges I have been really disappointed with the food range and quality.

I'm not that interested in hot food but I do want fresh salads, nice bread and some healthy options. VA seems to be stuck in the same boring bland food for years. VA also have no naughty treats for morning or afternoon either, something the QF J lounge does very well. As I am usually in a QF or VA lounge anywhere between 2-5 times a weeks I know which one I prefer.
 
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