Here is Virgin’s new ‘buy on board’ menu for economy class

Looking forward to seeing what's offered and being able to decide if I want to buy - much more appealing than the previous food snack offered.

I'm surprised that are taking away the current offering.  Thought it would have been low cost and something is better than nothing.

Damn, I’m really going to miss that 20g muesli bar at dinner time.

Lets be honest their transcon food in economy was dreadful compared to the Qantas box meals anyway so BOB with an actual quality offering could be a better proposition.....seriously hope they keep the ink gin though!

So what they are actually saying is their target market is Jetstar customers, low budget end consumers. If I was in the ACCC I'd be really wondering if the new ownership is in the best interest of consumers.

VAs economy food was absolutely disgusting. It's as if they had went for the bare minimum just to tick the all inclusive option. Even on international. Have enjoyed their business class meals and never had a complaint international or domestic.

As stated numerous times, I will prefer to buy on board knowing I have choice and hopefully quality...will soon find out. And as long as they cheaper then Qantas - then they are sticking to their value orientated approach and choice offerings for a wider pool of flyers.

I wonder if they adopted the BoB mode earlier if they could still have maintained the relationship with Air Nz and potentially *A

I still feel they should offer a meal on the longer flights (Coast to Coast, and longer than 3 hours). Between boarding, the flight and arriving, there is at least a 5 hour period when it is difficult to find something to eat. 

I don't feel dropping the snack on shorter flight is too much of a negative as the size of the snack was always smaller then anything Qantas would offer, but I think they should have improved their included drink offering as Water +  Tea & Coffee is a bit plain.

On Jetblue they still offer Snacks and a larger set of Drinks, so i'm not sure why the Boss said they were going to be more Jetblue than Jetstar, even though the service is a bit more like the later.

I’m happy with that. If I want to eat I’m happy to buy on board something decent. That will be the thing that I’m looking for. Given I usually eat in the lounge or somewhere prior to getting to the airport, I usually don’t eat on board so don’t want something included in my fare. 

Will be interesting flying PER - SYD lunch flight on Friday, looking forward to seeing a BOB menu, provided there’s some alternatives to your normal Soft Drinks, Nice chip dip item & Vegan Meal, I’ll then certainly be keen to buy! Countdown to Thursday’s reveal! 

I’m hearing reports of carry on bags now being weighed as well even at the priority counter?

It's funny to read these comments as an Aussie based in europe.  We've been dealing with 'full service' airlines adopting the BOB model for years now.  And not just on short hops but some longer euro routes hitting the four hour mark.  BA, Iberia, Aer Lingus, TAP,  SAS, Finnair all have a Buy on Board model of some sort in economy now in intra-europe flights.  Austrian, Swiss, and Lufthansa are also moving to the model.  And BA have recently announced they are moving back to free soft drinks and snacks which is a great move.  It really annoys me when I fly BA and even as a Gold Card Holder I have to cough up £3 for a cuppa!

Personally, when it comes to food i'd rather pay for a meal of my choice onboard or buy something in the airport instead of being given a 'meal' on a flight that consists of some kind of unhealthy snack item.

Drinks on the other hand, i'm all for free tea, coffee and water and it's good to see that Virgin will still offer this.  Some of the BOB airlines in europe also offer these items free, many don't.  

A lot of success or failure of BOB is down to how well the airline executes it.  BA's was a disaster.  They had faulty cumbersome tablets initially that were always crashing while processing a sale.  And as BA sub-contracted the BOB to a third party and the third party had to suffer the loss of any perishable food items, you'd find that there was never enough food loaded and the crew would often run out of food items after five or so rows and sometimes wouldn't even get half way down the plane PERIOD on shorter flights.  

Easyjet on the other hand has the BOB service smooth as clockwork.  Enough stock, plenty of choice and they speed through the cabin efficiently.

The day before last I flew Austrian Airlines from Vienna to LHR and enjoyed one of the most delicious (paid for) meals i've ever had in economy.  Chicken Schnitzel.

The big problems with BOB seem to happen on the longer flights.  Last year I flew IST-LHR (thankfully I was in J) which is around a 4 hour flight.  We boarded, closed the door and then the pilot announced a two hour slot delay.  So, 6hrs on the plane.  I heard the crew later chatting in the galley that they had run out of all food after three rows and many of the passengers were starving.

My personal preference would be to pre-order from a wide ranging BOB menu online before travelling to ensure I get a meal i'll be happy with.

In my experience economy buy on board is seldom the same quality as what can be brought onboard from the airport.  Even a cold meal from the airport is usually better than a hot meal on board. Seatmates sometimes look enviously at the picnic I take on longer trips. Hot chips on board would be a winner though - lol.

Good riddance to cheap snacks and cheap excuses for being 'all-inclusive'. This was an obsession of former CEO John Borghetti, but it makes you look cheap and offers a poor passenger experience if you don't do it well. Either offer a decent snack or a meal for free, or don't bother. This is another good example of the new Virgin being different to Qantas.

I think that getting rid of the 'free' snacks and meals in economy in order to keep air fares low is a good strategic move and very much in keeping with Virgin's new 'value' positioning. Get what you need, pay for what you want. In this case you need that air fare and at a low price, and if you want food then you pay for that.

I'd much rather see a very good buy on board trolley, a really good selection of snacks and meals and drinks, than crappy snacks.

I think this is a step in the right direction overall, but the caveat is that Virgin needs to make sure this trolley is well stocked so that on full flights the poor passengers in the last dozen rows don't find that everything's been sold out before the trolley reaches them. Maybe as an extra perk for being Velocity Platinum the crew might approach Platinums in economy first to ask them what they'd like from the BoB menu?

No where have I seen that Virgin will be launching BoB on and from the 25th.

Card or cash?

Nothing more infuriating that QF only accepting cash and having to miss that drink on a Sunday afternoon flight.

I am in the position of having bought economy tickets a few months ago for flights after 25 march.

As I understood it , the fare included snacks and juice.

What am I supposed to say to the flight attendant to get what I paid for ?

Virgins email is confusing - what does the paragraph mean ?

We understand you have purchased a fare inclusive of a complimentary snack. If you would still like to receive a snack, please make yourself known to cabin crew once on board and they will be able to assist.

AND the juice!

VirginStar or Jetvirgin..... congrats to Virgin for giving Rex a leg up! 

So virgin is competing with Jetstar now and not Rex’s mid market approach?

I remember when Virgin used to be far superior to every other airline in Australia.

I guess I won't be flying with them again...

I, for one, will not miss the birdseed bar or the half sandwich with a minimal lowCost filling. Choice is a good thing. I would happily buy a sandwich from Coles or Woollies rather than a lesser quality one from an airport outlet or onboard (Gate Gourmet; what a misnomer). To paraphrase my late Mum, "If you can't afford to serve a full sandwich, better to serve nothing at all". Methinks the price sensitive buyer, given a fare of equal cost, will go for the airline (Rex) with free catering. A brave step VA.

I regularly do the Syd/Adelaide trip (every two weeks) and have been flying QF recently as they had a lounges open in Adelaide and Virgin didn't. 
I can honestly say that the QF in flight offer (snacks) was marginally better than Virgin which was actually rubbish and a total waste of time and money. But I don't fly this route to be fed as long as I can get something substantial in the lounge prior if it is an early flight (eg breakfast or lunchtime) So as long as Virgin has water I will be fine. For domestic flights onboard dining is not a big deal for me.

In regards to the lounge experience, I have been getting the upstairs experience at Virgin for several years out of Sydney so was spoilt for quality and service but now it is not opened and may never be opened again, I used the standard Virgin lounge out of Sydney last week and thought it has really slipped - no hot food some basic breaky cereal and stale muffins and very tired as well as pretty uninspiring staff, the Qantas lounge is far superior, having said that, I used the new Virgin lounge in Adelaide for the first time and really enjoyed it, Arthur and the team do a great job, it is stylish and roomy and the order at your seat/table process is simple and quite timely.  Food and Beverage selection is far superior to the Sydney lounge and better than the QF Adelaide offering and more than enough to avoid the need to eat anything on the way home to Sydney.

I’m waiting for Australian airports to provide better takeaways, much like in USA so that it’s easier to buy food to eat on the plane.  Agree with comments about Virgin lounge ... Brisbane lounge was not worth a visit a few weeks ago, stale muffins wrapped in plastic and cardboard cups of cold coffee.  Long for the days when the food was yummy.

This gives me some level of comfort. I flew BNE:MEL recently and got to the airport too late to buy anything substantial (most places were closed at 17:30 or had huge queues). I was pretty peeved I couldn't get a wine or something decent to eat. The 20g bag of snacks was not appropriate for an 1800 flight. 

I have a flight to Darwin coming up that was changed from MLE:DRW to be via BNE. I was dreading being on the plane that long.

PS: How bad is it that we have to request our "snack".  So much shade from the cabin crew.

At the end of the day, knowledge is power.  I rather make a purchase when I know EXACTLY what i'm gonna get for my money.  I don't want to get on a three hour flight hungry because my ticket says a 'meal' will be served to find out it is a cereal bar or some sugary snack I wouldn't eat.

I have total respect for airlines that are very open and transparent about what your money gets you.  I hate it when airlines use terms like 'a gourmet meal is served' when it's some kind of 99p junk or when they hide the fact you have to cough up for nibbles.  I flew AA domestically from DFW to SAN a couple weeks ago and while walking around the departure gates I noticed that all the flights that weren't serving a meal had this information scrolling along the bottom of the departure display screen 'beverage service only' (in other words if you want something to eat, go buy it).

Virgin has made it pretty clear what they're about and exactly what you get in exchange for your cash.  If that suits you, the fare suits, you like the brand and the timings you and you're happy to sit back with a complimentary cuppa and something you've brought in the airport you won't be disappointed.  If having some sort of inflight 'offering' is important, then fly Qantas or Rex.

IMHO Virgin will not lose that many of its most important customers to Jetstar (or Rex.....yet).  BA found the same when they went BOB.  There was no mad rush to Easyjet as the loyal frequent flyers had status with BA so stuff like lounge access, Fast Track and seat allocation were still perks they didn't want to give up in exchange for saving 15 or 20 quid on a flight by EZY.

I don't think this will be 'the end' for Virgin.  It's one change to the service proposition - which can easily be switched back.  I imagine the bean counters will be monitoring very closely how it pans out.  The will lose some customers for sure, but I imagine they'll see how this is offset by the savings made on complimentary snacks and drinks and the revenue from sales.  If the scale tips too much in the opposite direction they can easily revert back to what was.  BA has gone full circle - freebies to BOB back to (limited) freebies.  Swiss has gone from freebies to BOB to freebies to BOB in the past five years.  

So many airlines have moved to buy-on-board with actually very good menus, eg BA, Swiss, Austrian, so this proves it can be done, the question is, can Virgin Australia do it just as well? Until I see otherwise, if I am flying with Virgin in economy I'll pick up something at the airport, there are so many great food outlets at airports these days although I wish we had something like Pret or Eat. I would much rather choose what I want to eat.

Reading the new menu has left me still hungry. Suggesting better options will be introduced later just feels like the can is being kicked down the road still. There's going to be some very hungry people still on long sectors

yuk.I will happily and I am in Adelaide by the way settle for going to say the food courts at Marion FOR a decent Double Cut Roll with meat/cheese and some salad put in my fridge overnight to take when flying the next day over any of the crappy VA food to use an example.if coming home from say Sydney or Brisbane more than happy to settle for Subway Roll or Maccas Burger with drink prior to getting on the plane or even Red Rooster.

Come on guys! Noodle cups were a business class treat only a few months ago! How lucky are we to get them now in economy?!

In all honesty, the lack of the muesli bar or what not is not a big deal. This buy-on-board menu could be better, but its not horrible either. Does Rex even offer a buy on board menu? or just a free snack (which is what exactly?).

If Virgin are smart they would hand out small bags of snacks (like Delta's Biscoff cookies) - not advertised, just as a 'surprise and delight' - no trolley needed, just a small basket with a single type of item that is passed out.

It is interesting that they literally have NO hot food available for purchase - not a hot dish, hot sandwich/wrap.  Nothing that needs to be heated.  This is bizzare considering the lengths of some of the sectors.  I'd imagine this is so VA can remove the ovens from the back galley and save on space and weight.

I actually think it is a really poor offering and if they are trying to create a revenue stream from BOB they're missing a trick.  Options are so limited.  Not just food but drinks too.  I mean it's great they'll offer free tea and coffee but what about offering some nice coffee and a selection of teas for people happy to pay?

Take a look at this in comparison - Austrian Airlines BOB menu which they've just launched as they switch to BOB this month.

https://www.austrian.com/content/dam/austrian/global/documents/fly/austrian-melangerie/OS_IFE_Melangerie_March-May_2021_210x297mm_REV21_OL.pdf

This is such a disappointment, especially compared to how well Virgin have done with the new business class menu. I'd have hoped the economy BoB menu would get similar attention but no, it's the bare minimum and at 'captive audience' pricing too. The most substantial offering are cup noodles, and at $7.50? That's insane and it's almost insulting. So many airlines overseas have rolled out really good BoB menus, Virgin have dropped the ball here.

Nope. No, Virgin. Go back and start again please. Buy on board menus shouldn't just be filler snacks and booze. I know in this article you've said that a more substantial menu will come later in the year but there are still plenty of people flying right now, and school holidays coming up too. There's so much more that could have been done here, this really is a missed opportunity.

Lol, and some wonder why people throw shade at Virgin. This is laughable...

What a pathetic offering. Really Virgin, is this the best you can do? Can't even get a sandwich. I wouldn't put those chemical-ridden two minute noodles anywhere near my mouth.

I am constantly amazed about how obsessed people are about the perceived quality of food when flying particularly when in economy.  Seriously, even the best economy meal I have ever received on an domestic flight probably wouldn't pass muster at the local foodcourt  and would be sent back.  You fly to get places; if you after a great dining experience, buy a cheap ticket and use the money you've saved on a good restaurant meal when you arrive.

I have no problems with a BoB snack.  Typically on a one or two hour sector, all I want to buy would be a beer and a cheese and crackers and actually did exactly this for a year on weekly trips to Sydney flying DJ.  If I want something more substantial, I'll eat in the lounge or buy Maccas and eat it at the gate.

Yuk.  Nothing really substantial or appetizing there.  Those overpriced snacks would leave me feeling even hungrier.  I've flown a lot on BA within Europe.  At least their buy on board menu is more substantial and good quality (M&S).  I have experienced issues though on BA with some items not being available.  The worst experience I had though was on a London - Stockholm flight at dinner time when the flight attendants only got to me with about 20 minutes of the flight remaining.  They were so busy faffing about and pandering to some other passengers who seemed very special to them.  But that's another story.  It is a problem though with the BoB model, the crew need to be efficient.  It's not as easy as just dolling out the same meal to everybody.

Think this new offering is 50/50 with more work to do. The soft drink prices are good at $3.50 (Jetstar $4) however assume they’re only the 200ml cans. 

Mr Lee’s noodles are quite nice, they’re no longer available @ supermarkets so probably tempted to buy on board. 

Very surprised there is no Hot food options considering this is popular on Jetstar flights I’ve flown. 

Would of been nice to have a Cider in the mix. 

So .. we've waited a total of five (5) months for $12 wine, $9 beers, $8.50 spirits, $7 noodles, as well as chocolate and chips ? Nothing inspirational, substantial or even 'value-oriented'. 

Pretty sure that my "incompetence" comment in another thread, regarding management skill is definitely on display with the choice 'revealed' for Economy today. None of this qualifies as a 'meal' - and barely qualifies as 'snack' material. Jayne, did you let a 6 year old work this out ?

• The $12 wine (presumably a 187 ml mini) equates to a $48 retail (750 ml) bottle. Over-priced (by 50%) 
• $9 beers? Tell 'em they're dreaming! 
• $8.50 spirits? Does that include a 'mix' or not? (I'm betting "no", that'll be a $3.50 add-on).
• $7 cup noodles? Must be selling off the left-over J Class "noodlegate' goodies. Seriously, your local Woolies does these retail for $1.00-$1.50

At this rate, it appears that Virgin's Economy BoB package is designed to eliminate Y Class catering entirely. If so, Virgin should achieve this aim fairly quickly. BoB revenue? Not at these prices - it will be non-existent.

Not envying anyone stuck on a longer haul or trans-con on Virgin, who misses out on visiting an airport food purveyor or a lounge visit before their flight.

Relax citizens, as an 'opening hand' (as it were), this will be just good enough for a month or two, but VA really needs to get some smarts into their catering department and improve this by the end of May.  Doing so won't require the usual Bain-style workshops, working group meetings, project control group meetings, round-table consultative sessions or importing an overseas 'specialist' used elsewhere by the Bain mothership  All that's needed is to seek the opinion of existing customers, add common sense, and assume - just for a moment - assume that you'll be summarily dismissed 'by day's end' (so to speak) if you stuff-it-up.  

Hint: if nobody comes up with a blueberry muffin or flourless orange cake - its been stuffed up and you should dust-off your Linkedin profile !!    Doesn't 'Karma' and 'accountability' really suck !!!

Jayne, you have 2 months to get the right, normal people of the job, not your Bain consultant friends as has curiously been suggested by a former employer.    Tick . . tock . . tick . . tock . . 

It looks like Virgin kicked a goal at the 'pointy end' today but fumbled the ball for economy. I have no problems with buy on board, it makes sense on most domestic flights, and while it would be nice to have a meal option on say east-west flights there's no reason this could not be built into some economy fares, eg a voucher for the BoB cart.

But if you are going to offering buy on board then give people food that's worth buying, food that they might want to have, instead of these third-rate snacks.

I can't see that anybody on SYD-MEL or flights up to say 2 hours will really want to buy chips or instant noodles. But I can see that people on longer flights of 3-5 hours, especially depending on departure/arrival times and doubly so if you are changing timezones like east-west, would ot be satisfied with those same chips and noodles, if they want to eat they'll want something much more like a proper meal or even a light healthy meal, and that's what is missing from this menu. So Virgin seems to have hit a middle ground which doesn't actually work for most people?

"Today's customers are more conscious about what they consume than ever before," Hrdlicka reasons.

"We like to choose what we eat and what we drink throughout the day – we are simply extending that choice onboard as well."

....so long as your diet is predicated around process food.  This menu looks as bad as what you get on domestic U.S. flights, no fresh food in sight.  Very underwhelming in my view.

It appears as though they've gone with a line up of food items that doesn't require much refrigeration (except cheese) or heating. This is a poor line up of items, particularly for the longer flights mostly devoid of anything cooked or fresh (No fruit or veg). 

They should at least have plans for people being able to order a proper meal ahead of time, but they haven't even indicated they are working on it. I think Rex is in a good spot now to capitalise on Virgin's failings. 

I travelled to Perth with Virgin last Wednesday and was surprised to be offered a sweet biscuit with an option of water or juice. This was lunchtime flight from Melbourne.

As a long time Platinum status flyer with Virgin I asked the lounge for a sandwich to take on the return flight and was told I could not as they do not cater for that and that I could buy one in the terminal.

I think that Virgin has completely lost the plot and an attitude as experienced is enough for any traveller to question their loyalty.

Yikes - not even a sandwich or wrap on that new menu.   

The economy "menu" is all based around dry stores with a long best before date. It is totally lacking in imagination and I shudder to think how many meetings had to be held to produce a list so unimaginative. Jayne needs to do a few trans-continental flights in a middle seat in economy to gain some cognisance of what the paying public need. 

Virgin have made no secrets about lowering cost and so keeping costs down this menu is working as designed, a few (largely non perishable) options to tied you over if you’re feeling peckish, but not a full meal service. It may not be perfect but it will get the job done, and no one is going to stop flying Virgin because you can’t buy a salad roll on board, get real. 

A bit underwhelming. 

So I was in Virgin's Sydney lounge yesterday afternoon and noticed they have sandwiches on offer, boxed up, along with little snack packs of cheese and biscuits. So if you have lounge access and you're setting out on a longer flight like east-west, I suggest you simply grab a few packs of sandwiches and snacks, and anything else that is wrapped rather than served 'open', then stow that in your carry-on bag, pick up a can of drink from one of the airport shops on the way to the departure gate, and you're all set!

Hey regularflyer your comment "think Joyce's job is on the line. Think Jane is much smarter than alan." Has to be one of the dumbest on here. Jayne got the boot from Qantas and then A2 Milk and all of her decisions were based on an expensive US consulting company which she used to work for. She is ruthless and cares about financial return, not people. She will do anything she can to get Virgin to a level of profit where Bain can chop it up and sell it off. If their plan is to offer cut-price fares then they have to strip cost from everywhere else so get ready for more surprises! I don't trust this new team and won't be sending my family to fly with them again.

I feel sorry for the people flying domestic economy long-haul, such as SYD - PER or similar flights.   Virgin's buy on board menu looks to be just snacks.   Nothing substantial.    Similar to what Westjet in Canada have on their flights from Toronto to ports in the Caribbean.   Their sandwiches were not fresh at all.    I would rather pay the extra and get full service with Qantas.     The real competition will no longer be between Qantas and Virgin, but more like Rex and Virgin.    The airline offering the better product will survive.

Many people seemed to be happy with the switch to BOB “at least I buy exactly what I want and get” but somehow expects the VA Y fares will drop noticeably to compensate for the loss.

I wonder if VA y fare prices does not drop to as low as JQ fares, what reasons are going to be mooted to explain away the difference (and accepting the compromise): better FA service with a smile, VA FF program benefits, better seats than JQ, better planes 

I love how we always complain about the food in Australia. Other airlines give you nothing much. .

It’s what virgin was before the free food. I like the free coffee tea water. Food wise those workers who aren’t paying for it will buy. Families with kids will buy some stuff (kid pressure). 

Owner of business may on occasion. Prices are cheaper than airport prices. 

Why doesn’t virgin team up with a decent take away pre order the meal they keep warm virgin make a % 

Just give me more flights. SYD-MEL flights are packed virgin need more flights but don’t have the planes. Qantas have a monopoly on early flights. 

Anyone notice Qantas and the rental car companies are price gauging 

The problem with BoB is it is too slow to serve on these short flights. Anyone in the back may miss out due to time or wait to get served until the end of the flight. More options to sift through and then time for payment. Virgin Blue's previous BoB retail menu had much better options. Now very limited, unhealthy and not cheap.

I went to check out the menu out of interest and it's even worse than say either a school canteen(before the food police took over from 2008 onwards in regards to the food)or for that matter the disability enterprise I work at.I would be happy at say $10 with a curry pasty and a couple of salads if it was a lunch or dinner flight I ended up on or even roast beef and veggies to use examples.nothing remotely healthy about this new food at all.my friend's sister whose a doctor wouldn't even if they flew virgin would not even buy those rubbish on the menu for the kids of their household or the hubby.in fact it would be buy something healthy in the airport or get it the day before from a nearby food court,refridgerate for the night and take in hand luggage for meal on plane next day.

It never ceases to amaze me that people need to use the toilet as soon as the fasten seatbelt is off. FFF on a one-hour flight this shouldn't be necessary; nor should the recline of seatbacks. BOB should be able to be offered to all pax using 2 trolleys on a 1-hour flight. In Ansett days (remember them?) flight attendants could serve and clear a tray service meal as well as provide tea and coffee to all classes. Admittedly the sardines weren't packed anywhere near as tight, but it can be done.

Looking at the PDF, very much a case of nibbles, wont do much to provide any sustenance say from Perth to Sydney.  Will have to have a good feed prior to boarding!

What's all the fuss about food on a one and a half hour flight? I take a train from Brisbane to Nambour. It takes about that amount of time (on the proviso Queensland rail doesn't  muck up timetables and trains waiting on a siding for another to pass, as most of the distance is single line. Then the journey's a little longer). No one offers me a snack, a bottle of water or a cup of tea or coffee. Do I starve? No. Do I need a snack? No. If I did, I'd pack a little picnic - a filled bread roll, some fruit, my own bottle of water - from home. I ask again, why the fuss about food or the lack of it on a short plane ride? This feeding of passengers goes back to the time of prop planes and longer times in the air. A time when flying was expensive. All that's part of the past. Let's just fly in some degree of comfort, and a large degree of safety.

By the way, why does Virgin insist in calling passengers "guests"? It's not semantics. A guest goes free. A passenger pays. Virgin, let's not pretend we're all chums and we love you. We love your money, in the form of fares in whichever class you travel.