V-Flyer

Hi,

My partner and I are flying with Virgin for the first time in December from LHR to SFO and back. On Virgins website in the Upper Class meal service sample food menu it states "Choose from three main courses, including a vegetarian option".

In the past on other airlines if I've ordered a vegetarian meal 9 times out of 10 it turns out to be a Vegan meal instead.

My question is for those of you in the know, is there always a vegetarian option available on board as the website suggests or in reality is it better to pre-book a vegetarian meal to be sure and just hope it doesn't turn out to be a vegan meal instead?

Many thanks.

AlphaEcho.

The UC in-flight menu always has a vegetarian option - usually pasta. On my two most recent flights it definitely wasn't vegan - dolcelatte cheese & butternut squash tortellini and rolled lasagne.

If you pre-order a vegetarian meal in UC it will probably be exactly the same as the meal you get if you pre-order in economy and PE - just served better. And yes it may well be vegan as I imagine, to save money, they produce the same meal for anyone who orders vegeterian, vegan or any number of other special diets.

Ordering the meal on the in-flight menu will guarantee you get something that's unique to UC (so hopefully better quality). However, there is always a chance they'll run out before they get to you: to avoid that chance sit as far front as you can as they serve from front to back.

Yes there is always a vegetarian option available on VS flights.

It does depend on what sort of vegetarian you are though as to whether that is acceptable. If for example you don't eat eggs or fish then best order a special meal that caters for that for example.

When you say you've 'ordered' in the past do you mean as a special meal? In those circumstances the airlines involved have probably done a meal that meets several criteria so a vegan meal is also the vege meal.

and there is the special meals page from the VS website.

If it's not pasta then the meal is something like a tart of some sort. Have a look at some recent TRs as people often list the meal options and it will give you some ideas of what is available.

We used to have a dedicated thread with the menus on but that has fallen out of use.

As to ensuring you get one - have a word with the member of CC who comes and serves you your pre-boarding drink. They will probably be grateful as it makes the job of allocating the meals a little easier.

On last nights flight to EWR, in UC the vegetarian option was Thai green vegetable curry with jasmine rice and coriander.

Thank you all for your replies.

I was planning on getting us as close as possible to the front as soon as the seating allocation opens.

Will definitely have a word with one of the CC during the pre-boarding drink round. Thanks for the suggestion.

When I said "ordered" on previous flights I should have been a bit more precise - and said "requested during the booking process". The majority of times in the past have been with United and they definitely don't seem to know the difference between Vegan & Vegetarian - when I mentioned it once to a member of CC all I got was a blank stare!

Thanks.

As the others have said, it's a 'no meat or fish' option rather than vegan. I've opted for it a few times and never had cause for regret.

AlphaEcho wrote:When I said "ordered" on previous flights I should have been a bit more precise - and said "requested during the booking process". The majority of times in the past have been with United and they definitely don't seem to know the difference between Vegan & Vegetarian.

It's important to note there is a difference between the vegetarian option most airlines offer as part of the standard in-flight menu and the vegetarian option you can order in advance, usually from a big list of "special" meals for various diets.

The former are heated and served en masse along with the standard meat options, and like the meat options are first come first served. They won't normally be suitable for vegans or non-dairy eaters.

The latter are heated and served separately and will be allocated to specific passengers. There are many "special" diets catered for, including many different religions and food intolerances. But of course the airlines want to save money so they'll produce one meal that suits many different diets. So a vegan meal won't just be suitable for vegans but for vegetarians, lactose intolerant, no eggs etc etc.

That, I suspect, is why you normally get a vegan meal when you pre-order with United. Have you tried not pre-ordering and taking your chances with the vegetarian option on the main menu?

gumshoe wrote:Have you tried not pre-ordering and taking your chances with the vegetarian option on the main menu?

Previous experiences have only been with United and Air New Zealand on this route (LHR-SFO) it was our experience in the past with United that they didn't always have a vegetarian suitable offering in the choices they offered as part of their on board menu. Hence the reason we always pre-requested a "special meal" which should have been a Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian but always turned out to be Vegan. United have more or less burned their bridges with us now anyway.

Air New Zealand have a fantastic Business Premier product but this time around we thought we would give Virgin a go not only because they fly to SFO whereas ANZ don't from LHR but we have heard good reports of their UC service.

As this will be our first time on VS I just wanted to confirm if there would definitely be a Vegetarian option on the on board menu rather than requesting a "special meal" prior to departure and getting a "fits all type" of meal. UC is meant to be an excellent product and we just want to get the best out of it - including decent meals. So as far as I can tell from what everyone has said here is not to book a "special meal" but go with what is offered on board, but get in early to make sure.

Many thanks.

AlphaEcho.

The option on Saturday when we flew UC Man to Mco was chestnut mushroom and garlic fusili with a rocket and sun dried tomato salad.

Thanks AlecK - we're not fussy as to what it is as long as it doesn't have meat or fish. So that sounds really nice.

I would personally order a veg meal. Virgin do not always have a veg option on the menu. The London to Lagos route do not for instance and the menu could change or be amended on the day to two meat and a fish. So just in case if you have a special diet I'd order a special meal. You could always ask the crew for the food off the menu on the day. Just have your order to fall back on.