Economy Class
Virgin Australia occupies a fascinating position in Australian aviationโforever the scrappy challenger to Qantas’s established dominance, constantly trying to prove it can deliver premium experiences without premium pricing.
When they launched their summer menu with 12 new economy items and 28 business-class dishes, I wondered whether this represented genuine innovation or just seasonal menu reshuffling.
With Melbourne to Sydney flights booked in both cabins, I decided to discover whether Virgin’s latest culinary efforts could justify its “different kind of airline” positioning or if it’s still playing catch up in the galley.
First, let’s address the elephant in the cabin: Virgin Australia doesn’t offer complimentary meals in economy, joining most airlines worldwide in the race toward unbundled services.
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You get free water, coffee, or tea; everything else comes from their buy-on-board menu.
The summer refresh introduced 12 new items, and I conducted a sampling several options to understand the full range.
The Grapefruit Margarita Surprise
The crew’s enthusiastic recommendation led me to try the Salted Grapefruit Margarita (AUD 13), and honestly, they deserve credit for their salesmanship.
This wasn’t your typical aeroplane cocktailโit had genuine citrus brightness balanced with salt that enhanced rather than overwhelmed the grapefruit flavours.
For comparison, most airline cocktails taste like sugar water with alcohol. This tasted like a cocktail.
The Waffle That Works
The waffle (AUD 8) arrived warm with a rich chocolate filling, it had proper texture, a crispy exterior, tender interiorโsuggesting they’ve figured out reheating techniques that preserve quality rather than just achieving serving temperature.
This wasn’t haute cuisine, but it was genuinely satisfying comfort food executed well.
Simple Done Right
Sometimes, the best airline food is the simplest. The chips and salsa (AUD 5) offered excellent value, quality corn chips with salsa with actual tomato flavour and appropriate spice levels. Nothing revolutionary, but properly executed.
The ham and cheese toastie from The Handmade Food Co deserves special recognition.
Served piping hot with crunchy bread and quality filling, it ranked among the best toasties I’ve experienced at altitude.
The bread maintained structural integrity without becoming soggy, and the cheese was melted correctly rather than just warmed.
The Verdict
Here’s where Virgin Australia’s economy dining gets complicated: my sampling cost AUD 38.
That’s significant money for airline snacks, though airport pricing offers little relief as an alternative.
Still, the value proposition becomes questionable when a basic meal costs what you’d pay for a meal in a restaurant.
What struck me most was the absence of fresh optionsโno pre-order salads, sandwiches made to order, or fruit selections.
Virgin Australia prioritises shelf-stable items that reduce waste and operational complexity, significantly limiting passenger choice.
Compare this to European carriers like Lufthansa or Swiss, where pre-ordering fresh meals (even at an additional cost) provides options for passengers wanting something beyond processed snacks.
It’s a missed opportunity for differentiation.
Business Class
Virgin Australia’s Melbourne Lounge offered a pleasant pre-flight experienceโspacious, well-designed, and not overcrowded.
The food selection was adequate, though I avoided eating to save my appetite for the main event.
Inflight
Once aboard, the welcome juice service set appropriate expectations, but what followed exceeded them significantly.
The breakfast presentation offered spinach frittata or waffles, and I selected the frittata.
The meal arrived plated beautifully and served piping hot.
The portion was substantial for a short domestic flight, leaving me genuinely satisfied rather than just no longer hungry.
That said, the tray presentation felt minimal. Traditional breakfast accompaniments like bread, yogurt, fresh fruit, butter, or jam were absent.
While the frittata was excellent, these missing elements would have elevated it from a good airline meal to a complete breakfast experience.
It’s the difference between adequate and thoughtful, small touches that separate premium service from premium pricing.
Still, I’ll survive without the butter and jam. Life goes on.
More impressive was the service attention to detail..
When I mentioned wanting to see the waffle option, Joshua graciously helped me snap a quick photo of another passenger’s dishโthey looked equally fantastic and showed the same careful plating as my frittata.
It was a beautiful day for flying and the views of Sydney were incredible.
Conclusion
Here’s Virgin Australia’s secret weapon: their business class tickets cost roughly one-third of Qantas pricing while delivering comparable service quality.
The spinach frittata wasn’t just adequateโit was genuinely good food served with professional attention that rivalled much more expensive competitors.
Virgin Australia’s positioning makes sense; they’re the perpetual challenger brand trying to offer premium experiences at accessible pricing while competing against Qantas’s entrenched market position and brand loyalty.
Virgin Australia demonstrates that airline food quality depends more on execution than budget.
While their economy offerings are expensive, they show genuine attention to flavour and presentation that many carriers ignore.
The business class experience delivers remarkable value through professional service and food preparation.
The missing fresh options in economy represent a real limitation, but Virgin Australia succeeds where it matters most: making airline food taste like food rather than just airline sustenance.
