Virgin Australia plates up new business class menu

Chicken noodle salad with nuoc nam dressing, beef quesadilla with charred corn salsa and ‘southern-style’ chicken with potato wedges are just a few of the highlight dishes in Virgin Australia’s newly-refreshed business class menu for summer.

Taking flight from Wednesday November 20, these business class mains are complemented by indulgent treats such as a passionfruit & mango pancake stack, white chocolate and macadamia cake, and salted caramel slice.

Some of Virgin Australia's new business class spread for summer 2024.

Nothing on Virgin’s latest “globally-inspired” business class menu would look out of place in a trendy cafe, and that’s exactly the vibe Virgin wants; the airline even promises there’ll be a vegetarian option and “protein selection” on every flight.

“We’ve curated a diverse selection of meals and snacks that highlight premium Australian produce and cater to a variety of tastes,” explains Ali Dunn, Virgin Australia’s General Manager for Product and Customer Strategy, adding that both the business and economy menus offer “something for everyone.”

Some of Virgin Australia's new business class spread for summer 2024.

Of course, economy passengers have to pay for their meals and drinks (except for complimentary Grinders coffee, Madame Flavour tea, and water).

But even that buy-on-board menu sees an uplift from today, with new additions including

• spinach and ricotta cannelloni
• honey chicken fried rice
• hot Belgian chocolate waffles
• grapefruit margaritas and gin palomas

Chocolate waffles and cocktails: who said flying in economy can't be fun?

Click here to browse Virgin’s new economy menu for summer 2024; Virgin has also introduced digital receipts for onboard purchases, offering passengers an easier way to track their transactions.

As for business class, here’s the full menu which you’ll see on flights starting November 20.

Breakfast (menu items available on a rotating basis)

• Mixed berry and coconut chia
• Banana bread with hazelnut spread, mascarpone, fruit and coconut
• Spiced oats with coconut and fruit compote
• Breakfast quesadilla
• Scrambled egg with potato and mushroom with optional chorizo
• Greek Yoghurt with summer fruits
• Bircher muesli with fruit
• Passionfruit & mango pancake stack
• Sausage & frittata with beans
• Waffle with rhubarb mascarpone, strawberries and maple syrup
• Fruit salad
• Fresh fruit chia pudding with summer compote
• Apple loaf with custard and berry compote
• Bacon, scrambled eggs, beans and potato
• Vegetable frittata with bean ragout and vegetables

Passionfruit & mango pancake stack.

Lunch/Dinner (menu items available on a rotating basis)

• Spiced chicken mezze with pitta
• Creamy pasta salad with optional chicken
• Spiced chicken with rice and salsa
• Tomato pesto macaroni with vegetables and optional chicken
• Beef rendang with aged rice and vegetables
• Mac and cheese with ratatouille and optional chorizo
• Chicken noodle salad with nuoc nam dressing
• Summer potato salad with salsa and optional sliced chicken breast
• Singaporean-style chicken curry with rice and vegetables
• Pasta Napolitana with ratatouille and optional chorizo
• Pork in sticky lemon sauce with aged rice and vegetables
• Creamy pasta with mushroom sauce and optional prosciutto
• Chicken pasta salad with tzatziki
• Roasted vegetable and couscous salad with optional prosciutto
• Beef quesadilla with charred corn salsa
• Vegetable and chickpea tagine with aged rice and optional sliced chicken breast
• Southern-style chicken with potato wedges, vegetables and boscaiola sauce
• Yellow vegetable curry with optional sliced chicken breast

Chicken noodle salad with nuoc nam dressing.

Dessert (items available on a rotating basis)

• Salted caramel slice
• Lemon cake
• White chocolate and macadamia cake

Follow your Pasta Napolitana with a salted caramel slice.

It’s been a busy few months for Virgin Australia – as we’ve previously reported, the airline’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program is moving to spend-based status earning with one status credit for every $12 spent on most fares, so that Velocity Gold will require a $6,000 spend and Velocity Platinum a $12,000 spend.

As part of that overhaul, there’ll also be lifetime Velocity status and a new Velocity Platinum Plus tier, a shake-up to points-based Velocity reward seats on Virgin and its international partners, and new American Express Velocity credit cards offering unlimited lounge access.

Meanwhile, Virgin also looks set to change its long-standing partnerships with Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways if Qatar Airways gets the go-ahead for a 25% stake in Virgin – a move which would see more Qatar Airways flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to Doha, and potentially even a return for Virgin Australia’s 777s.

Also read: Your fast-track to Gold grade perks on Virgin Australia, Star Alliance