Second rate experience on SYD-BNE-SYD

[AIRwin]

Would love to just go on direct flights, since no SC's or points earned.

Change fees are waived:

Virgin Australia | Bring on Wonderful

Fly with award-winning service and great value fares to popular destinations across Australia. We can't wait to welcome you onboard Virgin Australia soon.

experience.velocityfrequentflyer.com

 

[Muppet501st]

Change fees are waived:

Virgin Australia | Bring on Wonderful

Fly with award-winning service and great value fares to popular destinations across Australia. We can't wait to welcome you onboard Virgin Australia soon.

experience.velocityfrequentflyer.com

just looked, cant change online and no direct flights in June anyway

 

[Vic]

Flew VA BNE-HBA last Tuesday.
One glass of water and some nuts

Flew VA LST-BNE last Sunday
One glass of water and orange cookies.

How is this different to the Pre-2020 Virgin economy catering?

Sounds exactly the same, I'm struggling to see a reduction...

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Am looking at the far future, have plans to "maybe" go to Japan, maybe 2022.
VAd is still being linked in booking on the NH ANA website, ADL - SYD overnight, then SYD - HND the next day.
Wonder how after Covid has been dealt with, that visitors to Aust, esp being linked from first grade international carriers, get onto (LCC) VA2.
Will be interesting to see what VA will bring out, in March, when we are told that they will confirm what's to come J class wise.
Ie, will the buffet come back in the lounges, or will they continue with the cafe like ordering food/drink system.
Guess this will save them money too, as people will have to think ahead and book what they want, and not just go to the servery and say, cider/beer/wine, etc.
Edit: they have this "hosted food bar", this probably means you can't get what you like anymore.
Does that mean the way it was prior to Covid, where they have the person behind the servery, preparing the food to be put onto the buffet, or does it mean they issue what you have "ordered".

 

[Vic]

Ie, will the buffet come back in the lounges, or will they continue with the cafe like ordering food/drink system.
Guess this will save them money too, as people will have to think ahead and book what they want, and not just go to the servery and say, cider/beer/wine, etc.
Edit: they have this "hosted food bar", this probably means you can't get what you like anymore.
Does that mean the way it was prior to Covid, where they have the person behind the servery, preparing the food to be put onto the buffet, or does it mean they issue what you have "ordered".

??????????????????????????

Prepared and plated is a COVID requirement. NOT a virgin specific cost saving and NOT unique to virgin. Qantas do this as well.

I love that so many commenters here seem to seek to criticise virgin over things beyond their control and hold them to a completely different standard to qantas.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

And what if the ordering food and drinks system as it is, stays in the VAd lounges because Bain sees it as a "benefit".

 

[Milefest]

I'd argue that table service (via app) is a more premium offering than a buffet. I think the main problem today is that the f&b selection is so poor compared to pre-covid.

 

[jonboixxx]

I was ! What a small world ! Row 9.
I used Etihad miles as I have plenty - 6900 and only $24 AUD of taxes.
Super cheap flight, took 10 mns to book with Etihad.

Just had an entitled guy who wanted to go before me at the priority check-in as I was younger than him and therefore should wait and let older person go in priority. Told him to wait like everyone else, he did not liked it at all. Entitled passengers drive me insane.

Just had some issues connecting to the wifi IFE with my mac, only worked with my iphone - not sure why.

After the QF VA status wars, I think entitlement issues around priority will continue to be a problem, as both airlines increase their number of entitled . Recently I had an amusing experience where male of couple jumped up from 1F on landing, to dump his bag on vacant 1C seat next to me to repack or something. Anyhow, no consideration that I may have wanted to stand and access my bag from above. No biggy, BNE baggage is pretty predictable and there they were at the carousel, after I strolled down.

 

[jonboixxx]

Am looking at the far future, have plans to "maybe" go to Japan, maybe 2022.
VAd is still being linked in booking on the NH ANA website, ADL - SYD overnight, then SYD - HND the next day.
Wonder how after Covid has been dealt with, that visitors to Aust, esp being linked from first grade international carriers, get onto (LCC) VA2.
Will be interesting to see what VA will bring out, in March, when we are told that they will confirm what's to come J class wise.
Ie, will the buffet come back in the lounges, or will they continue with the cafe like ordering food/drink system.
Guess this will save them money too, as people will have to think ahead and book what they want, and not just go to the servery and say, cider/beer/wine, etc.
Edit: they have this "hosted food bar", this probably means you can't get what you like anymore.
Does that mean the way it was prior to Covid, where they have the person behind the servery, preparing the food to be put onto the buffet, or does it mean they issue what you have "ordered".

5 Cougars thanks.

 

[GSP]

Will also try out the new VA ADL lounge, **with low expectations**, compared to the buffet of the past.

VA's previous ADL offering was (in AU) probably the lowest quality I've seen, so it would not want to sink much lower. That said, I was happy enough and better then than at the gate or Coopers Alehouse.

 

[jase05]

VA's previous ADL offering was (in AU) probably the lowest quality I've seen, so it would not want to sink much lower. That said, I was happy enough and better then than at the gate or Coopers Alehouse.

Yeah, food was never great but coldest beers of any lounge in Australia IMO and normally excellent coffee

 

[wendlle]

I just flew QF and the flight attendants were wearing their masks under their nose on both flights.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

I liked the former ADL VA lounge(r).
At least it had outside view, even though not tarmac.
Now its probably all enclosed.
Will see for myself in Jun anyway.
Others will see late this month.
I can't touch alco anymore, bleedy gout.
Just got email from JH about how VA will go into the "bright" future.
But still no news about NH ANA FF partnership.
Or how SQ and VA will liaise into the future.

 

[jakeseven7]

I liked the former ADL VA lounge(r).
At least it had outside view, even though not tarmac.
Now its probably all enclosed.
Will see for myself in Jun anyway.
Others will see late this month.
I can't touch alco anymore, bleedy gout.
Just got email from JH about how VA will go into the "bright" future.
But still no news about NH ANA FF partnership.
Or how SQ and VA will liaise into the future.

(Unconfirmed) Reports from another VA2 thread that the KrisFlyer transfer option is being disappeared from VA2's website....

 

[Vic]

And what if the ordering food and drinks system as it is, stays in the VAd lounges because Bain sees it as a "benefit".

Ordering food requires higher levels of staffing. Extra staff to take orders and deliver orders; extra staff time to plate food.

There is a famous historical reply to a question starting with "If":

If...

 

[jb747]

I’d have thought that successfully achieving a return journey between Sydney and Brisbane would be such a rare event that it would require dancing in the street.

 

[serfty]

I’d have thought that successfully achieving a return journey between Sydney and Brisbane would be such a rare event that it would require dancing in the street.

It has been a bit like that!

I'm hoping to go to Brisbane from greater Melbourne in three weeks, booked two weeks ago. We know what happens last Friday.

Anyway my return is booked with points on VA in snack box class.

We will see what happens.