Virgin Atlantic - Reduced Meal Service VS200

[Stephen H]

Hi,

I have just returned from Hong Kong on VS200 travelling Upper Class. Although the seating / flat bed was excellent, the meal service left a lot to be desired.

The service leaves HKG at 7.20pm, so it is reasonable to assume that you will receive a full meal service before hunking down for a few hours kip. Well, NO, Virgin Atlantic have decided to run a minimal meal service, probably to cut costs & meet the needs of the LON/HKG/SYD passengers. The choices were a shrimp salad for an express meal or for a main meal Curry or Vegetarian Lasagne. Now I don't like curry at any time & I am not a vegetarian, so was faced with having nothing in a Upper Class flight.

In the end I was offered a soft bread roll with bacon from the breakfast menu. Well it was food, but hardly what one expects in Business / First class.

The last time we flew this service in January 2007, it was a full 3 course meal, so I was not happy to find that this reduced service had only been introduced 4 days before I flew.

I complained to the purser & requested him to file a formal customer complaint as part of his flight report. I have also written to VS Customer Service, but not had a reply yet.

I can understand a flight departing at 11pm having reduced meal service as most pax want sleep by then, but a flight leaving at 7.30pm should have both express catering for those pax continuing their flight & more substantial service for those joining the flight. Apparently VS have been trialling this reduced service on their Trans-Atlantic flights & now on the Australian service.

Has anyone else encountered this on other airlines?

Thanks,
Stephen

[Anthony T]

A couple of points :

You do not have to be vegetarian to eat a vegetarian meal, it won't kill you.

Did you enquire if you could have the Shrimp salad and the lasagne, i'm sure it would have been provided, if you asked.

How was the breakfast on this flight?

Anthony T

[Andrew P]

My CX flight HKG-SYD left HK at midnight (local) and arrived SYD at 11.45am (local), and I was in Business Class.

Meal after take –off was a salad starter, 3 types of bread, choice of 2 main courses (beef western style or chicken Asian style), cappuccino cheesecake, fresh fruit and cheeses, chocolates etc

A light meal was also offered, which I took, which was the same salad, hot pumpkin and crayfish soup, and cold salmon salad + cheesecake etc.

All meals were served within 55 minutes after take-off and then lights dimmed.

Breakfast started 2 hours out – again a full service, including fruit, cereal, yoghurt, number of bakery items and 2 types of hot dish

Banjo

[Michael Morrison]

I flew VS from HKG-SYD in UPPER in June and we still had a ful meal service offered to us, so must be a very recent change.

[James Smith]

We flew V Oz last Monday from LAX to BRI with a 22:30 departure. In economy we were given a main meal with a choice of three hot dishes with salad, roll and dessert in the first hour and a full breakfast prior to arrival. A much longer flight admittedly but still within the Virgin stable. We thoroughly enjoyed their flights, even though we had to transit Brisbane to Sydney but were on a rock bottom fare.

[Ash W]

V Australia has nothing to do with Virgin Atlantic. The are completely different airlines with different owners, so hardly comparable nor would I say from the same stable either.