Gluten free provisions on Virgin

Hello everyone!

This is my virgin post on the Virgin forum (how many times has that pun been made here, I wonder?):

I'm a Gold Flying Club member, and regularly travel in all three cabin classes. The Clubhouses I use the most are LHR, LGW, JFK, EWR, IAD, JNB.

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease a year ago, thus I can no longer eat gluten (wheat, barley, rye etc). Since then I have always requested gluten free meals on my flights.

I've tried several channels to try and communicate my disappointment with the provision for gluten free food on Virgin (several e-mails, hard copy letter, speaking with the generally excellent staff), and have not received a single response from anyone official.

The issues I'd like to raise are the following:
1) Every single gluten free meal I've ever eaten, in any class of travel (i.e. over 20 in the last year) has been...CHICKEN!

2) As far as I can tell, there is no difference between the meal provisions in the different classes, as there is for the 'normal' meals.

3) The menus in the Clubhouses, on the whole (JFK is an exception), have no provision at all for gluten free diets. The staff are brilliant, but it wastes so much of everyone's time having to check whether each item I'm interested in eating contains wheat.

Does anyone have any ideas on how do I get anyone at Virgin to response? Just from personal observation, I can see that a lot of people request the gluten free option on the flights, so I can't be the only one noticing the Virgin's seeming chicken obsession!

Thanks for your help.

NYLON

Welcome to V-Flyer
Interesting topic. Surely VS could do better than just chicken.
How about gluten free pasta's? Braised beef ?

Welcome NYLON

1. That's not so good!
2. Yes, I have noticed this too. I don't know whether it is always, or just sometimes, the case. Either way, it is surprising and it means you get quite a good deal in economy!
3. I know several people with gluten intolerance, and part of my job involves events and hospitality, so I am sympathetic. In these times one would expect the Clubhouses to have gluten-free options, or at least be very switched on about the issue.

It is poor (very poor, in fact) that you cannot get a response from VS. v( n( I am not sure what to suggest -- some people recommend facebook in these situations... ii)

Hello NYLON and welcome aboard (that pun has been made many times before as well )

1) My first port of call would be special assistance. I am not sure if they can modify the meals and you may be unlucky in that gluten free in any set period is chicken ... Has it been exactly the same dish each time?

When speaking to them ask if they can give you something else, they can only say no.

2) In UC your meal will be served on proper plates and you will have the three courses staggered like anyone else in the cabin... aside from that my understanding is that special meals are the same throughout the plane - jury is out as to whether or not that appears fair though

Unfortunately this is no 5 star restaurant, it is a plane, although I have always wondered if it would be possible for VS to have a menu available ahead of time for things that could be cooked to order on the ground. SQ have a 'book the cook' for some of their travel classes. Perhaps a tad more difficult to organise, but it could be worth it in terms of service offering and general CS.

3) Errrrr, ok.. this may sound like a silly response, but as opposed to picking through the menu asking if various items are gluten free have you tried telling them that you cannot eat wheat and asking what is on offer? or what they can rustle up? - the CH have a kitchen staff, who knows they may like a challenge away from their usual duties

I have experience with the CH staff of all but one on your list (JNB) and they have been good at accommodating requests that deviate from the norm on many occasions (just don't ask for a mojito in IAD - tastes like toothpaste :$ )

As for getting VS to reply to you, the procedure I usually follow is email CS, wait a week, call them up and follow through ii) ... it tends to work and if not speak to a supervisor on the AU line and they should be able to help.

Hope I have been of assistance 8D

I totally agree with joeyc
I would email CS and follow that up.
Regarding the 'book the cook' I think that is a great idea and surely it's not that much to organise because they could give a few choices of menu and also wouldn't that mean less wastage and no dissatisfied pax who couldn't get the apple crumble, AGAIN Etc

The special meals are the special meals and basically you get what you are given - twas ever thus. With special meals they really have to go for the simplest option there is to try and accommodate as may people as possible. Allied to this are the caterers who really won't want to be preparing several options. I bet that whatever airlines use the same caterers as VS their special meals will be the same.

But surely most of the normal menu - on board and in the CH - is gluten free so a case of just choosing wisely from the menu ? The deli items are very unlikely to contain gluten for example. Ditto salads.

A few years ago there was another poster on here (which some of the old hands will remember!) who was also intolerant but she still managed to eat from the normal UC menu in the CH and on board.

We have previously discussed 'book the cook' scenarios on VS. It is not as easy to organise as people think.

Great responses everyone, thanks so much for your time.

@joeyc: I'll try your advice for following up my requests, thanks.

The meal is almost exactly the same: chicken breast (either whole, or cut up) with ginger seasoning, potatoes, spinich and/or carrots. I've been served it around - I think - 22 times in 11 months. It's a perfectly good meal, for sure, but it's getting a bit Groundhog Day.

I tend to eat light in UC, because I prefer to dine in the CH before my flight. But even if don't take the main meal (i.e. the chicken), many of the other provisions contain wheat (crisps with wheat flower, pretzels, crackers etc etc).

Yes, I've asked the kitchen to make a gluten free meal of their choosing, and they've done this brilliantly at JFK on occasion. LHR et al is a different matter, partly because the kitchen staff just don't know. Take something obviously gluten free like potatoes: chips should be fine, then, right? Well, no, because it depends whether they're using the same oil to fry fish (battered with bread crumbs). How about the burger without the bun? The kitchen don't always know whether the burger is thickened with bread crumbs. Same with the sausage. I understand their concern. I'm not a litigious person, but I'm sure they're nervous about saying something is gluten free, then it turns out it isn't, and the customer gets really ill and starts threatening legal action etc.

@tontybear Thanks! No, the normal menu is definitely not gluten free. All the sauces are thickened with wheat. Of course, what you imply would make great sense: to make at least one of the 'normal' menu items gluten free.

Yes, it's easy enough to find gluten free items in the CH, but these will be the non-cooked items (i.e. from the deli: cheeses, meats etc).

I occasionally use the No 1 Lounges in LGW/LHR when flying non-VS, and recently I've noticed they've started marking which dishes are gluten free. I think that would be a great, first interim step. Even if it's just one dish out of ten.

Anyway, thanks for your help. I'll let you know if I get anywhere with VS customer service.

Cheers,

NYLON

You should try getting a dairy free meal !

They offer every other "freefrom", religious, medical, vegi & even low fat but no DAIRY ?|

You should see some of the rubbish (would sooo love to use a different word v( ) she has been served over the years.

Year before last even the the CC took one look at the meal and said " I don't think you will want to eat this, it was some kind of spicy chick pea curry, she's only a child :0 the snack was a piece of bread with lettuce&onion and a bread roll n(

[honey lamb]

Please don't think that "Book the Cook" is the answer to your prayers. OK, you know in advance what is on offer and can select accordingly but there's no guarantee that the dishes would be gluten-free. From my experience on SQ I know that, should I be flying them in the future, I doubt if I will take that option again.