Virgin Australia Takes in-Flight Dining to New Heights

Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia has unveiled new in-flight menus designed by the airline's internationally acclaimed chef, Luke Mangan.

Business Class guests travelling on Virgin Australia's direct Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi services will be the first to experience the new menus, which feature fresh and locally sourced ingredients, with flavours inspired by Luke's travels around the world.

Virgin Australia Chief Customer Officer, Mark Hassell said: “From the priority services, mood-lighting, lie-flat beds through to our in-flight menus, we pay close attention to every detail of the international Business Class experience.

“These menus will continue to be complemented by the best service in the sky. Our dedicated cabin crew undergo high-end hospitality training to ensure our guests enjoy world-class dining experiences in-flight”, Mr Hassell said.

“Over the past few months, we have been testing a series of new menu creations, drawing inspiration from travel trends around the world, along with the feedback we receive from our cabin crew and guests”, said Luke Mangan.

“I am delighted to unveil these new menus, which showcase all-new ingredients and techniques including fresh herb garnishes and a range of salsas that will be used to enhance the meals, while still offering our most popular dishes such as zucchini soup with pesto and lamb rack with dill crushed potato, semi-dried tomato, caper and eschalot salsa.

“We are passionate about creating restaurant-quality experiences at 40,000 feet and as part of this, we hold regular master class sessions with our cabin crew, providing them with advanced preparation and presentation skills and in-depth knowledge of the ingredients behind each dish”.

Virgin Australia's international menus include a range of on board options to help customers make the most of their flight including 'dine on demand', 'express dining', 'room service breakfast' and the 'sky bar'. Virgin Australia's wine panel hand-picks fine wines locally and from around the world that express exceptional regional and varietal characteristics.

Los Angeles menu highlights:

• Moroccan spiced braised lamb with couscous, preserved lemon, almond and mint.
• Toffee, banana and chestnut pudding, with pecans and maple syrup.

Abu Dhabi menu highlights:

• Horseradish and dill potato salad with smoked trout and salmon caviar.
• Provencal chicken with lyonnaise potatoes, olives and green beans

Virgin Australia's award-winning Airbus A330 transcontinental flights also feature Luke Mangan's signature menus, which change weekly and include three course meals.