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Virgin Australia Business Class Passenger Blasts Instant Noodle Meal

An instant noodle cup and a can of Coke was served as lunch to a customer who paid for a $2,500 ticket.

Passengers who paid up to $2,500 for a Virgin Australia business class seat have blasted the airline over the ‘simplified’ meals they were served on onboard.

One person shared a photo on Facebook which showed a soft drink and two-minute noodles cup.

“Two course-offering on VA today: Course 1 – Red Wine, Coke no sugar & Snack Bar. Course 2 – fantastic noodles,” they captioned the social media post.

Another passenger shared an image of a similar in-flight experience, with the same instant noodles cup along with a red wine and some water.

“So this is Virgin’s version of business class fare..... good flight, but????” they wrote next to the photo.

Passengers who paid up to $2,500 for a Virgin Australia business class seat have blasted the airline over the ‘simplified’ meals they were served on onboard.
Facebook
Passengers who paid up to $2,500 for a Virgin Australia business class seat have blasted the airline over the ‘simplified’ meals they were served on onboard.

A customer who took a four-hour domestic business class flight from Perth to Brisbane branded his meal as “unacceptable”.

“On wed i flew with @VirginAustralia from Per to BME Business class. It was a lunch time flight. I was hungry and expected to have a reasonable lunch,” they wrote on Twitter.

“To my disappointment I got offered a Fantastic noodle cup. These are 80 cents in Coles. This is unacceptable for the price I paid.”

In a direct Twitter reply, the airline said it had “simplified” inflight catering amid the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the response didn’t sit well with the customer who claimed they had been served better meals on other economy class flights during the pandemic.

“Simplified! More like not bothering! I have flown with many airlines during Covid and I have still had either a fresh sandwich,fruit, or a hot pie,” they wrote. “This is in economy with other airlines. Not business class. It was a cant be bothered token gesture.Nothing would of been better.”

A customer who took a domestic business class flight from Perth to Brisbane branded his Virgin Australia meal as “unacceptable”.
Twitter
A customer who took a domestic business class flight from Perth to Brisbane branded his Virgin Australia meal as “unacceptable”.

Virgin Australia said in a separate statement that these meals are a way of limiting interactions between crew and passengers.

“The safety and wellbeing of our guests is always our top priority and we have a variety of safety measures throughout our customer journey to minimise risks associated with COVID-19, including a limited service onboard,” a spokesperson said.

“This service includes a snack and drink for all guests across both cabins, and is designed to minimise contact between guests and crew.

“As travel demand begins to increase we are exploring the possibilities for our onboard Business Class offering, whilst continuing to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew. We look forward to providing this limited Business Class offering to our guests soon.

“We are also re-imagining what our onboard catering offer will be longer-term, and are looking forward to developing a new experience to suit customer needs.”

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