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Virgin Australia blasted for serving 2-minute noodles to business class guests

Customers who forked out as much as $2500 for a business class ticket on Virgin Australia flights have blasted the airline over the ‘budget’ meals they received onboard.

The travellers were offered two-minute noodles and soft drink, as well as a glass of wine and a granola bar.

One man took aim at Virgin on Twitter, saying the meal was “unacceptable”, especially for his business class trip from Perth to Brisbane.

“I was hungry and expected to have a reasonable lunch. To my disappointment I got offered a Fantastic noodle cup. These are 80 cents in Coles. This is unacceptable for the price I paid,” he said.

Virgin responded apologetically, explaining that their inflight catering has been “simplified”.

Noodles. Source: Facebook
Noodles. Source: Facebook

But their response only triggered further backlash.

“Simplified! More like not bothering!” he wrote.

Another Virgin passenger received the same meal on a Brisbane to Adelaide flight, and posted a photo to Facebook with a tongue-in-cheek post.

“Two course offering on VA today: Course 1 - Red Wine, Coke no sugar & Snack Bar, Course 2 - fantastic noodles.”

Other Facebook users were in disbelief.

“Oh dear I didn’t actually believe this was real, thought it was a joke. Shocking,” one man commented in response.

“Omg that’s appalling,” another said. “I know it’s “first world problems” but if you are paying for a premium product then you should receive a premium product.”

Another joked that the snack was identical to their “studying for final exams” meal pack.

A Virgin Australia spokesperson said the “limited service” was designed to limit contact between staff and guests.

“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,” the 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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