Virgin Atlantic New Economy Meal Service

[Mr G]

Received email today re Virgins new meal service.

"Two years of thorough research, expert design and extensive onboard trialling have all lead up to 1 November, when we unveil the innovative, new Virgin Atlantic Economy meal experience. Our goal? To make sure that everything we came up with made your journey better.

The result is our best ever meal experience. An innovative, exciting, new take on dining that we're very proud of. You can look forward to something that feels much more like what you’d experience on the ground, with loads of those perfectly considered surprises you’ve come to expect from Virgin Atlantic.

When the plane takes off, you'll be handed our brand new menu. It's packed full of things to whet your appetite.

On most flights, it’s then time for our drinks service, including the new Welcome Cocktail. A refreshing mix of fruit juices with or without vodka, it’s served in our fabulous new purple glass with a stylish, quirky, new swizzle stick. You can also choose from our usual wide selection of beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks too.
When we start serving your meal, you'll not only notice that the tray is smaller, giving you more space on your tray table, but somehow we've managed to give you even more food. And it's tastier too, because we've enhanced our selection of produce.

There's another quite important difference. There's no longer a dessert on the tray. One of our most exciting improvements is the fact we've separated everything into courses. The entrée and main are served first. Then, after we've cleared your tray away, we serve a delicious dessert with coffee, tea, or, our new addition on night flights, hot chocolate. On our shorter night flights, you'll still find dessert on your tray so you can maximise your sleep time."

Hope anyone travelling on Virgin post 1st November will give details if any improvements re food/service.[msnwink]

[sammibabe]

Lets hope they have also sorted the food better for peeps with special dietary requirements. My daughter is gluten free and it is poor on the way out and breakfast is practically non existent on return. I think last time she had a fruit bag! The chief stewardess went and found her an individual box of frosties. Why can't they offer that as a matter of course? She knew she could have them as her Dad is coeliac but otherwise........

[freddiehollie]

I wouldn't worry about food on airlines (its all poor at best, in any class) take your own. We always do & have never had a complaint yet[msnwink]

Its great watching people opening airline food & pushing into a pile to be taken away[xx(], while we tuck in to something nice[msntongue]. I can never understand all the fuss its only a way to keep you in your seats.

[steph_goodrum]

Lets hope with the revamp on planes promised

"Over the coming year we’re investing £100 million to give you a sensational flying experience – you’ll find changes to our service and throughout our planes. Plus we’re sprucing up some of our Clubhouses and getting ready for more A330-300’s to join the fleet.

We’re spending £56 million on a fabulous makeover of our Gatwick Boeing 747 fleet. So if you’re travelling to/from Orlando, Las Vegas and the Caribbean, you’ll be treated to new seats, a revolutionary inflight entertainment system and gorgeous refreshed cabins.

the service gets back to what it used to be. No all we have to do is get them to reinstate the luggage allowance or at least match BA hand luggage allowance.

[Laurel Oak]

Flown in today on VS75 from Manchester in PE and the food by airlne standards was good. My daughter and her fiance were in Economy and said the food was good (again by airline standards).

[Katys Grandad]

Does anybody actually take the food service into account when they decide which airline they choose? I don't agree that it's all poor and can't criticise Virgin for trying to make it better but I'd never pay extra just because they gave me a free drink or a piece of fruit.

[erowlands]

We fly on the 16th on vs 75 so we can't wait!! (to get to the villa)
Eric

[steph_goodrum]

Does anybody actually take the food service into account when they decide which airline they choose? I don't agree that it's all poor and can't criticise Virgin for trying to make it better but I'd never pay extra just because they gave me a free drink or a piece of fruit.

It's all about the overall experience to me and over the last 10 years Virgin has degraded theirs down to the bare minimum so the only bonus was the extra luggage over a charter flight, now that has eroded as well (from 64kgs to 23kgs) and now BA has a more generous hand luggage allowance there is no benefit over a charter imo so price will be the deciding factor .

[Jill]

Does anybody actually take the food service into account when they decide which airline they choose? I don't agree that it's all poor and can't criticise Virgin for trying to make it better but I'd never pay extra just because they gave me a free drink or a piece of fruit.

As we do not fly first class where we would expect the food to be 'enjoyable' we never take the food service into account and base our choice on schedule, cost and baggage allowance

[Snapper]

I like the idea that the new food service will come as a set of courses rather than just one tray with everything tightly packed together.

If only they would just put an extra couple of inches between each seat ...