Virgin Australia Business Class - Meals, Menus & Service
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Tray looks little uneven there...tip tip tipping.
markis10
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I blame the dollop
BRIS_VA_HAWK
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On a recent trip I had a slightly warped tray that "popped" when a little pressure was applied.
Whilst I didn't do any damage at the time, it surprised Mrs Hawk unnecessarily
kevrosmith
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I call them the “Trouble pop-o-matic bubble” game-board trays for this reason….On a recent trip I had a slightly warped tray that "popped" when a little pressure was applied.
Whilst I didn't do any damage at the time, it surprised Mrs Hawk unnecessarily
Last edited:
MEL_Traveller
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Yeah, quite common
But you learn… after you full glass ‘pops’ up and spills the contents.
Only do it once
The-Aviator
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February 2026 | VA567 | SYD to PER
This was the start of a four-night holiday to Perth primarily to cheer on the Matildas at the opening match of the Women's Asian Cup. There was a very disappointing 2-hour delay entirely of the airline's making but fortunately the in-flight service made up for it!
I checked in online but bag drop took a while with long queues for both priority and general access. Security however was swift thanks to the priority security lane which seems to work quite well, the guy at the entrance took a look at my Platinum black boarding pass, said "welcome" and let me through.
Didn't bother with food at the lounge, the main offering was a pot of what was labelled as chicken green curry but looked more like red curry or butter chicken, but without any chicken to be found in it! It was a Friday night and the lounge was incredibly busy however I was able to get a spot on the upper floor.
The inbound aircraft arrived late which was the primary cause of the delay (there had been an equipment change as well from a Max to an old 737-800), but there were further delays beyond that. Upon arrival at the gate the departure time on the screen kept getting pushed back 10 to 15 minutes at a time. I think it was a new agent doing the announcements and not a lot of information was provided however word soon got around that an issue had arisen with one of the toilets onboard. We eventually commenced boarding at 8pm and even boarding took forever, for reasons unknown there was about a 10-minute pause in boarding about halfway through the process. At least during this period the excellent CM Jen came round with PDBs and the sparkling was especially nice and chilled!
It took a full half-hour to board but eventually we were on our way, 2hrs and 15mins late. Dinner oders were taken 1DF, 1AC, 2DF, 2AC with the options being creamy alfredo pasta with optional pulled beef or marinated lemongrass chicken with herbed rice and bok choy. Jen showed us pictures of the options on the tablet which I rarely see but I think it is a nice way of presenting the options. I went with the chicken. Red wine choices were shiraz or pinot noir and whites chardonnay or sauvignon blanc, I went with a pinot noir. Sounded like everyone got their first choice of meal.
Being a longer flight the service commenced with a drink and fruit and nuts whilst the meals were being prepared, a nice premium touch for a transcon service.
Dinner arrived about twenty minutes later. I was happy with my choice, the serving size was generous and it tasted great. The main was accopmanied by the usual cheese and crackers and being a longer flight, a piece of toasted focaccia and a small cheesecake. The bread tasted nice but was a little bit dry, could have used some butter. The cheesecake was nice.
Jen kept wine glasses topped up during the meal. Once everyone had finished the lights were dimmed but by no means was this an end to the service, bottles of water (still or sparkling depending on what you'd requested earlier) were brought around to each passenger and she regularly checked to see how we were going. Just after Adelaide a snack tray was brought around with lots of different options to choose from, I got some chips and a Tim Tam.
And when we were a little under an hour out from Perth the tray was brought around again.
So more than enough food and drink on the flight! As for entertainment I primarily just used the Wi-Fi, this worked well for the most part however as many would know you can only use it on one device at a time and shortly after midnight Sydney time, I was unable to switch devices between my smartphone and tablet as it didn't recognise my name and seat number. Not a huge issue but honestly I wish they would just increase the device limit to two devices per user.
We arrived into what was still a very busy Perth Airport just before 10:30pm local time. The delay was of course disappointing but the service from Jen was some of the best I've had on any VA flight and lightyears ahead of the experience on the return journey, so thanks to her and the in-flight team a bad experience turned into an enjoyable one.
This was the start of a four-night holiday to Perth primarily to cheer on the Matildas at the opening match of the Women's Asian Cup. There was a very disappointing 2-hour delay entirely of the airline's making but fortunately the in-flight service made up for it!
I checked in online but bag drop took a while with long queues for both priority and general access. Security however was swift thanks to the priority security lane which seems to work quite well, the guy at the entrance took a look at my Platinum black boarding pass, said "welcome" and let me through.
Didn't bother with food at the lounge, the main offering was a pot of what was labelled as chicken green curry but looked more like red curry or butter chicken, but without any chicken to be found in it! It was a Friday night and the lounge was incredibly busy however I was able to get a spot on the upper floor.
The inbound aircraft arrived late which was the primary cause of the delay (there had been an equipment change as well from a Max to an old 737-800), but there were further delays beyond that. Upon arrival at the gate the departure time on the screen kept getting pushed back 10 to 15 minutes at a time. I think it was a new agent doing the announcements and not a lot of information was provided however word soon got around that an issue had arisen with one of the toilets onboard. We eventually commenced boarding at 8pm and even boarding took forever, for reasons unknown there was about a 10-minute pause in boarding about halfway through the process. At least during this period the excellent CM Jen came round with PDBs and the sparkling was especially nice and chilled!
It took a full half-hour to board but eventually we were on our way, 2hrs and 15mins late. Dinner oders were taken 1DF, 1AC, 2DF, 2AC with the options being creamy alfredo pasta with optional pulled beef or marinated lemongrass chicken with herbed rice and bok choy. Jen showed us pictures of the options on the tablet which I rarely see but I think it is a nice way of presenting the options. I went with the chicken. Red wine choices were shiraz or pinot noir and whites chardonnay or sauvignon blanc, I went with a pinot noir. Sounded like everyone got their first choice of meal.
Being a longer flight the service commenced with a drink and fruit and nuts whilst the meals were being prepared, a nice premium touch for a transcon service.
Dinner arrived about twenty minutes later. I was happy with my choice, the serving size was generous and it tasted great. The main was accopmanied by the usual cheese and crackers and being a longer flight, a piece of toasted focaccia and a small cheesecake. The bread tasted nice but was a little bit dry, could have used some butter. The cheesecake was nice.
Jen kept wine glasses topped up during the meal. Once everyone had finished the lights were dimmed but by no means was this an end to the service, bottles of water (still or sparkling depending on what you'd requested earlier) were brought around to each passenger and she regularly checked to see how we were going. Just after Adelaide a snack tray was brought around with lots of different options to choose from, I got some chips and a Tim Tam.
And when we were a little under an hour out from Perth the tray was brought around again.
So more than enough food and drink on the flight! As for entertainment I primarily just used the Wi-Fi, this worked well for the most part however as many would know you can only use it on one device at a time and shortly after midnight Sydney time, I was unable to switch devices between my smartphone and tablet as it didn't recognise my name and seat number. Not a huge issue but honestly I wish they would just increase the device limit to two devices per user.
We arrived into what was still a very busy Perth Airport just before 10:30pm local time. The delay was of course disappointing but the service from Jen was some of the best I've had on any VA flight and lightyears ahead of the experience on the return journey, so thanks to her and the in-flight team a bad experience turned into an enjoyable one.
fletty
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@The-Aviator you should submit feedback about your positive experience. I've done that when it feels above and beyond and it's always appreciated.
The-Aviator
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March 2026 | VA562 | PER to SYD
Not as enjoyable as the flight to Perth was, however at least this one was on time!
Bag drop was quick and the priority security screening lane was also open so I was in the lounge in no time. There was a sign at the entrance noting access may be restricted and it was indeed busy but I was still able to get a seat. Food selection was good which I find is generally the case at the PER lounge - the butter chicken had visible chicken in it! They also had some of those delicious chocolate brownies.
Boarding commenced more or less on time - this overall process was certainly the low point of the flight, albeit not entirely the fault of the crew. First of all the PDBs, I'm not sure what information the crew have about passengers (presumably first name / FF status at a minimum?) but I got the feeling the CM looked at her information, looked at me and was confused to the point she thought I might be in the wrong seat and confirmed with me the name she had on her info sheet. I was in 2F and she only had waters at this point and said she'd return with a sparkling wine, however when she came back she asked the guy who had arrived in 2D and he said he didn't want anything, she then disappeared with my sparkling wine! So no PDB for me.
At the time I wasn't sure what was going on but to give her benefit of the doubt, I think she was somewhat preoccupied by the dramas unfolding in the rows behind - there was some passenger in Row 4 complaining to the point where they were asking her if she wanted to be offloaded and then the CM personally took it upon herself to gate-check one man's bag because she deemed it too large. To be fair it was big but there were others with similar sized bags who were allowed to keep theirs, so I felt the poor man was targeted.
Eventually we were on our way and thankfully things improved once in the air. The CM approached me first, welcomed me as a Platinum member and said as a WP I would get first choice for dinner. Options were roast chicken with a medley of vegetables and roast potatoes or a vegetarian black bean enchilada with optional chorizo. I went with the chicken. CM offered a pre-dinner drink for which I ordered a gin and tonic and chose Shiraz to accompany the meal. Orders were taken 2DF, 2AC, 1AC and 1DF - the chicken was popular so by 1AC they were down to 1 chicken and by 1DF only the enchilada was left. When cash fares on this route are in the thousands I think this is pretty poor, if any route should be overcatered it should be the transcons.
My G&T arrived about half an hour after take off...
And dinner about twenty minutes later. I was happy with my choice, the serving size was good and i liked the bread and cake on the side.
Unlike my exceptional flight over with the tray of items from the pantry brought around multiple times there was none of that offered on this flight, however the drinks were certainly free flowing! Jim Beam seemed to be a popular choice in Row 1, so much so that right after the dinner service the CM advised the 2-3 passengers drinking it that they'd run out and would need to switch to something else! Again I feel this shouldn't happen so early into a transcon, people pay good money or use a lot of points for these trips.
In-flight Wi-Fi worked well despite a brief period (no more than a few mins) where it didn't work, I actually found some entertainment options on the IFE system which I liked for a change as well which was a pleasant surprise.
Flying over Adelaide...
The eastbound transcons pass by very quickly and soon the call to prepare the cabin for landing was made. The CM came around to collect glasses and I presumed this would be the end of service, but was surprised when she asked if I'd like a top-up! I felt it would be rude to say no and a few minutes later this "coffee" arrived - first time I've been given one of these wines in a coffee cup so I very much enjoyed the novelty of it
We touched down in Sydney right on schedule and being one of the last flights of the night had a very quick luggage collection at the carousel. Turns out all I need is a coffee cup of wine to service recover a poor initial experience on the ground, so it was a good flight in the end.
Not as enjoyable as the flight to Perth was, however at least this one was on time!
Bag drop was quick and the priority security screening lane was also open so I was in the lounge in no time. There was a sign at the entrance noting access may be restricted and it was indeed busy but I was still able to get a seat. Food selection was good which I find is generally the case at the PER lounge - the butter chicken had visible chicken in it! They also had some of those delicious chocolate brownies.
Boarding commenced more or less on time - this overall process was certainly the low point of the flight, albeit not entirely the fault of the crew. First of all the PDBs, I'm not sure what information the crew have about passengers (presumably first name / FF status at a minimum?) but I got the feeling the CM looked at her information, looked at me and was confused to the point she thought I might be in the wrong seat and confirmed with me the name she had on her info sheet. I was in 2F and she only had waters at this point and said she'd return with a sparkling wine, however when she came back she asked the guy who had arrived in 2D and he said he didn't want anything, she then disappeared with my sparkling wine! So no PDB for me.
At the time I wasn't sure what was going on but to give her benefit of the doubt, I think she was somewhat preoccupied by the dramas unfolding in the rows behind - there was some passenger in Row 4 complaining to the point where they were asking her if she wanted to be offloaded and then the CM personally took it upon herself to gate-check one man's bag because she deemed it too large. To be fair it was big but there were others with similar sized bags who were allowed to keep theirs, so I felt the poor man was targeted.
Eventually we were on our way and thankfully things improved once in the air. The CM approached me first, welcomed me as a Platinum member and said as a WP I would get first choice for dinner. Options were roast chicken with a medley of vegetables and roast potatoes or a vegetarian black bean enchilada with optional chorizo. I went with the chicken. CM offered a pre-dinner drink for which I ordered a gin and tonic and chose Shiraz to accompany the meal. Orders were taken 2DF, 2AC, 1AC and 1DF - the chicken was popular so by 1AC they were down to 1 chicken and by 1DF only the enchilada was left. When cash fares on this route are in the thousands I think this is pretty poor, if any route should be overcatered it should be the transcons.
My G&T arrived about half an hour after take off...
And dinner about twenty minutes later. I was happy with my choice, the serving size was good and i liked the bread and cake on the side.
Unlike my exceptional flight over with the tray of items from the pantry brought around multiple times there was none of that offered on this flight, however the drinks were certainly free flowing! Jim Beam seemed to be a popular choice in Row 1, so much so that right after the dinner service the CM advised the 2-3 passengers drinking it that they'd run out and would need to switch to something else! Again I feel this shouldn't happen so early into a transcon, people pay good money or use a lot of points for these trips.
In-flight Wi-Fi worked well despite a brief period (no more than a few mins) where it didn't work, I actually found some entertainment options on the IFE system which I liked for a change as well which was a pleasant surprise.
Flying over Adelaide...
The eastbound transcons pass by very quickly and soon the call to prepare the cabin for landing was made. The CM came around to collect glasses and I presumed this would be the end of service, but was surprised when she asked if I'd like a top-up! I felt it would be rude to say no and a few minutes later this "coffee" arrived - first time I've been given one of these wines in a coffee cup so I very much enjoyed the novelty of it
We touched down in Sydney right on schedule and being one of the last flights of the night had a very quick luggage collection at the carousel. Turns out all I need is a coffee cup of wine to service recover a poor initial experience on the ground, so it was a good flight in the end.
MEL_Traveller
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was the swizzle stick served that way or did you turn it upside down? 
(edited to correct spelling)
Last edited:
The-Aviator
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So yeah it was served that way and I had the same initial shock as you, it was feeding into my thoughts about the CM! I did some googling at the time and turns out when used for stirring/mixing purposes the paddle end does go at the bottom but when used for presentation it is definitely meant to be paddle-side up.
I don't think a gin and tonic is in particular need of stirring/mixing, but again, benefit of the doubt
MEL_Traveller
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Errr… lol. Not sure I entirely agree with google! The paddle has been handled and has ink on it? Not sure that’s supposed to go into da drink!So yeah it was served that way and I had the same initial shock as you, it was feeding into my thoughts about the CM! I did some googling at the time and turns out when used for stirring/mixing purposes the paddle end does go at the bottom but when used for presentation it is definitely meant to be paddle-side up.
I don't think a gin and tonic is in particular need of stirring/mixing, but again, benefit of the doubt
AIRwin
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Paddle side up
Fyi - "the pantry" is on request and not to be taken out on a tray so when crew do this it actually goes against the service requirements.
The LCC only load a few of each spirit so when it's out it's out unfortunately.
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And looks it too.
Soggy as a nappy.
Layslow
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Beautiful shot of Adelaide, and great review. CongratsMarch 2026 | VA562 | PER to SYD
Not as enjoyable as the flight to Perth was, however at least this one was on time!
Bag drop was quick and the priority security screening lane was also open so I was in the lounge in no time. There was a sign at the entrance noting access may be restricted and it was indeed busy but I was still able to get a seat. Food selection was good which I find is generally the case at the PER lounge - the butter chicken had visible chicken in it! They also had some of those delicious chocolate brownies.
View attachment 500375
Boarding commenced more or less on time - this overall process was certainly the low point of the flight, albeit not entirely the fault of the crew. First of all the PDBs, I'm not sure what information the crew have about passengers (presumably first name / FF status at a minimum?) but I got the feeling the CM looked at her information, looked at me and was confused to the point she thought I might be in the wrong seat and confirmed with me the name she had on her info sheet. I was in 2F and she only had waters at this point and said she'd return with a sparkling wine, however when she came back she asked the guy who had arrived in 2D and he said he didn't want anything, she then disappeared with my sparkling wine! So no PDB for me.
At the time I wasn't sure what was going on but to give her benefit of the doubt, I think she was somewhat preoccupied by the dramas unfolding in the rows behind - there was some passenger in Row 4 complaining to the point where they were asking her if she wanted to be offloaded and then the CM personally took it upon herself to gate-check one man's bag because she deemed it too large. To be fair it was big but there were others with similar sized bags who were allowed to keep theirs, so I felt the poor man was targeted.
Eventually we were on our way and thankfully things improved once in the air. The CM approached me first, welcomed me as a Platinum member and said as a WP I would get first choice for dinner. Options were roast chicken with a medley of vegetables and roast potatoes or a vegetarian black bean enchilada with optional chorizo. I went with the chicken. CM offered a pre-dinner drink for which I ordered a gin and tonic and chose Shiraz to accompany the meal. Orders were taken 2DF, 2AC, 1AC and 1DF - the chicken was popular so by 1AC they were down to 1 chicken and by 1DF only the enchilada was left. When cash fares on this route are in the thousands I think this is pretty poor, if any route should be overcatered it should be the transcons.
My G&T arrived about half an hour after take off...
View attachment 500378
And dinner about twenty minutes later. I was happy with my choice, the serving size was good and i liked the bread and cake on the side.
View attachment 500379
Unlike my exceptional flight over with the tray of items from the pantry brought around multiple times there was none of that offered on this flight, however the drinks were certainly free flowing! Jim Beam seemed to be a popular choice in Row 1, so much so that right after the dinner service the CM advised the 2-3 passengers drinking it that they'd run out and would need to switch to something else! Again I feel this shouldn't happen so early into a transcon, people pay good money or use a lot of points for these trips.
In-flight Wi-Fi worked well despite a brief period (no more than a few mins) where it didn't work, I actually found some entertainment options on the IFE system which I liked for a change as well which was a pleasant surprise.
Flying over Adelaide...
View attachment 500380
The eastbound transcons pass by very quickly and soon the call to prepare the cabin for landing was made. The CM came around to collect glasses and I presumed this would be the end of service, but was surprised when she asked if I'd like a top-up! I felt it would be rude to say no and a few minutes later this "coffee" arrived - first time I've been given one of these wines in a coffee cup so I very much enjoyed the novelty of it
View attachment 500381
We touched down in Sydney right on schedule and being one of the last flights of the night had a very quick luggage collection at the carousel. Turns out all I need is a coffee cup of wine to service recover a poor initial experience on the ground, so it was a good flight in the end.
View attachment 500382
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