You don’t hear as many jokes these days about airplane food as you did years ago when airlines served a hot meal – to all passengers – on just about every flight lasting more than 1.5 hours.

But airline food remains a popular topic and I’ve been assigned the task to come up with a “top 10” list of the world’s best airline meals for my CNBC blog, and I’m looking for your help.

I certainly have my own favorites, as shown below, but my palate isn’t quite as refined as many foodies out there (I avoid seafood and anything with mushrooms).

Have you been amazed by an airline meal? If so, I’d love to hear from you. Either leave a comment below or email me at darren@frequentlyflying.com. And if you have pictures, I’d love to see them, too. Which airlines excel at in-flight cuisine?

Here are the top 5 airline meals I’ve enjoyed to date:

• Pan-fried chicken in green peppercorn sauce with mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley from Singapore Airlines’ “Book the Cook” menu on my JFK-Frankfurt flight:

Singapore Airlines Pan-Fried Chicken

• Pan-fried fillet of beef in three peppercorn sauce with russet potatoes and veggies from Singapore Airlines’ “Book the Cook” menu on my Frankfurt-JFK flight:

Singapore Airlines Pan-Fried Fillet of Beef

• Korean bibimbab (steamed rice, veggies and minced beef mixed with hot pepper paste and sesame oil) and soup on my Asiana Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Seoul:

Korean Bibimbab on Asiana Airlines

• Braised beef with pumpkin puree, snow peas, baby turnips and soy beans on my Virgin Australia flight from Perth to Sydney (and it wasn’t as purple as it appears below… the cabin lighting didn’t afford a decent pic):

Luke Mangan Inspired Braised Beef on Virgin Australia

• Tomato and saffron chicken with green olives, peas and cous cous on my Virgin Australia flight from Sydney to Perth:

Tomato and Saffron Chicken on Virgin Australia

– Follow Darren Booth on Twitter, @FrequentlyFlyin, for more airline, hotel and travel industry news, reviews and opinions.

Related posts:

Flight Review: Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class JFK-Frankfurt

Flight Review: Asiana Airlines 747 First Class Los Angeles-Seoul

Flight Review: Virgin Australia A330 Business Class Perth-Sydney

I posted the third annual TravelPlus Airline Amenity Bag Award winners over on my Road Warrior blog last week. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention them here, as many of you know I’m an amenity kit aficionado.

Not surprisingly, the top honors in each category went to non-U.S. carriers. United Airlines, however, did receive a readers’ choice nod for “collaborative initiative” for its Global First amenity kit. Here were the results:

First Class Female – Emirates Airways supplied by Harmony-gategroup
First Class Male – Etihad Airways supplied by Watermark
First Class Unisex – Singapore Airlines supplied by Harmony-gategroup

Business Class Female – Virgin Australia supplied by buzz
Business Class Male – Qantas supplied by buzz
Business Class Unisex - Turkish Airlines supplied by FORMIA

Premium Economy – Condor supplied by Skysupply
Economy – Virgin Atlantic supplied by Harmony- gategroup
In-flight Amenity Gift – Singapore Airlines supplied by Harmony- gategroup

Children’s under 6 – Qantas supplied by buzz
Children’s over 6 – Qatar Airways supplied by buzz

Ethically Sustainable – Finnair supplied by Skysupply with a Highly Commended Award going to Cathay Pacific supplied by Watermark

I’ve got a lot of work to do to build up my collection, as I only have one of the above – the Virgin Australia female business class kit. TravelPlus photographer David Jenner has a great photo collection of the winners here.

It’s an event I’ll be marking on my calendar to attend next year in Hamburg and it also coincides with the Aircraft Interiors Expo the same week.

Related posts:

Amenity Kit Reviews

The Cost and Allure of Airline Amenity Kits

Ranking the Top Amenity Kits Reviewed (as of June 2012)

Amenity Kit Review: United Airlines Global First Class

Reader Elizabeth emailed me the following question yesterday:

I am a 1k flier on United. I’m thinking of leaving them for Virgin Atlantic, as I moved from California to the UK in 2011 and have grown increasingly unhappy with their service. I fly back to the US from LHR 6-8 times a year. I have Elevate Gold status with Virgin America, good through April 2013.

My question is this: how will the benefits from my Virgin America status apply when I fly Virgin Atlantic? I plan to mostly fly VAtlantic, not VAmerica, so I’m sure sure that status with VAmerica really does anything for me, and I know they have separate FF programs. I’m not sure how the two relate/compare. If I’m better off sticking with United, I’ll just do so, but I want to explore all my options.

It sounds like Elizabeth, like many of us with top-tier status on United (or American), went for the status match Virgin America recently announced. It provides an outright match to Gold (or Silver for lower elites) through April 2013. The benefits when flying Virgin America’s partners aren’t spectacular.

When flying Virgin Atlantic, Elevate Gold status provides:

• Priority Check-In
• Priority Security
• Priority Boarding

On Virgin Australia, Gold elites get:

• Priority Check-In
• Priority Security
• Priority Boarding
• Priority Baggage Handling
• Complimentary access to eight Virgin Australia lounges in Australia

It’s too bad lounge access is excluded when flying Virgin Atlantic. And when you’re used to earning bonus miles as a 1K on United when flying partners on higher fare classes (though earning Premier Qualifying Miles recently changed), that’s not the case when flying Virgin America’s partners.

Also, the earn rates (in points) on both Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia are a percentage of miles flown (all less than 100%, even in Business and Upper Class) since Virgin America is a revenue-based frequent flyer program. I believe it would take much longer to earn an award trip flying Virgin Atlantic and crediting to Virgin America than sticking with United with its generous mileage-based program and bonuses as a 1K.

While I agree with Elizabeth that United is far inferior in service to either Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Australia, I emailed back that I’d stick with United for the better treatment as an elite and faster ability to redeem miles for worthwhile awards. Also, United doesn’t add surcharges to international award trips as Virgin America does. A roundtrip economy class reward ticket from Los Angeles to London on Virgin Atlantic using Virgin America points carries $650 in taxes and fees, according to their website.

Would you have recommended the same to Elizabeth?

• United Airlines had a major SHARES outage late this afternoon, bringing their website down and halting operations at some airports. United is apparently offering a travel waiver for impacted customers, but as of this posting, no link has been posted online. [Edited (thanks Kris): The waiver is now posted.]
• In other not-so-good United news, a Boeing 767 bound for Chicago returned to London’s Heathrow Airport after pilots reported an engine surge. Firefighters had to spray the smoking engine down upon landing.
• A gay couple is suing United Airlines for “severe emotional trauma” and “intentional harassment” after their bag made the rounds on the carousel with a rather large sex toy prominently displayed taped to the outside after the bag allegedly broke. My take on the lawsuit: really? First maybe consider leaving it at home and second, will the article with your picture prominently displayed on it not cause even more trauma? Get over it and move on. [Edited to add: Yes, I agree the baggage handlers were very wrong in their actions... more in the comments below.]
• Southwest Airlines is adding new routes. Beginning March 9, 2012, Southwest will add flights from Newark to Nashville, New Orleans and Austin. Also new will be Dayton to Orlando and Key West to New Orleans.
• Spirit Airlines also announced new routes. Service from Houston Intercontinental to Chicago O’Hare and Las Vegas begins in October. Service from Denver to Phoenix-Mesa Airport also begins in October, and flights between Portland and San Diego commence in November.
• JetBlue launched fixed-price “Go Packs,” where by September 6, you can buy blocks of 10 one-way tickets for a single price. Rates start at $899 plus $7 per flight for a “Pittsburgh to Boston and New York” pack to $2,499 plus $7 per flight for a “Boston or New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco” pack.
• Vienna’s first Ritz-Carlton hotel opened. The 202-room hotel includes 43 suites and a rooftop bar. And Malaysia’s first Grand Hyatt hotel opened in Kuala Lumpur, offering 412 rooms and 42 suites.
• The TSA fired six “officers” and suspended 14 others at Boston’s Logan Airport for inattention on the job. These agents all happened to work in the same checked bag screening room. Guess they missed the gay couple’s sex toy and can’t be blamed.
• Lufthansa flight attendants could strike beginning tomorrow after refusing the latest offer of a 3.5% pay raise from the airline. Flight attendants were looking for 5% after a three-year pay freeze.
• With business travel picking up and successful growth in overall market share, Virgin Australia enjoyed a AU$22.8 million net income for its recent fiscal year. Business travelers now make up 20% of the airline’s domestic revenue.

Previous news:

Monday, August 27, 2012

Friday, August 24, 2012

Thursday, August 23, 2012

• The FAA is beginning to review electronic devices and whether passengers can one day use them at all times during a flight. The agency is forming a committee to review the issue, even accepting input from the traveling public.
• American Airlines posted a net income of $135 million for July 2012, the second straight month of profitability. The carrier incurred $54 million of bankruptcy-related charges during July.
• American and Air Tahiti Nui officially launched their codeshare agreement today for travel September 10 and beyond. American added its code on Air Tahiti Nui’s Papeete flight out of LAX, and Air Tahiti Nui did the same on American’s flights out of LAX to 15 destinations.
• Coach passengers flying Virgin Australia will receive free meals beginning September 26 on flights from Perth to the East Coast of Australia, matching a service Qantas passengers currently enjoy.
• Hertz has agreed to buy Dollar Thrifty for $2.3 billion. Avis could still come in and outbid Hertz as the deal has a 30-day window during which time Dollar Thrifty can entertain and accept higher bids.
• A computer malfunction caused the JFK AirTrain system to shut down on Saturday, stranding 140 passengers heading to/from the terminals. Air conditioning broke down, communication failed and some passengers were stuck for a couple of hours and had to walk more than a mile to “freedom.”
• Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel will join the Autograph Collection of boutique Marriott properties next month. It opened in 1892 and is the second oldest hotel in operation in Denver.
• Ron Akana, United’s longest serving flight attendant, retired over the weekend. He worked for United for 64 years and flew his final flight as a crewmember on Sunday from Denver to Honolulu. Congrats on a wonderful career!

I flew to Perth on a Virgin Australia Airbus A330 sporting the old business class configuration, and I was excited to experience the new, more luxe layout on my return to Sydney.

If you didn’t read my outbound review, you should know that Qantas and Virgin Australia have really upped their game on this premium transcontinental route. Each offers international-style aircraft with upgraded seating and amenities, particularly in business class.

Before heading to the gate, I enjoyed a nosh and relaxed a bit in Virgin’s lounge. My inbound aircraft arrived from Melbourne right on-time and pulled into gate 25.

The crew on my return to Sydney was the same from the night before, and I again asked if I would be able to board early to snap some pictures. They happily obliged and cabin supervisor Adam warmly greeted me onboard.

The business cabin is impressive and features 24 angled lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration.

The bulkhead row offers a huge amount of legroom, whereas the pod-like nature of the seats does reduce overall legroom in rows further back – especially when compared to the older configuration A330 I flew from Sydney to Perth.

Bottled water, pillows, blankets and noise cancelling headsets await each passenger at their seats.

Pre-departure beverage selections consisted of water, orange juice or champagne, and amenity kits are distributed along with the menu. Be sure to check out my thorough review of the men’s amenity kit.

Before coach passengers boarded, I took a quick peek.

Settling into my assigned window seat of 3K, I discovered the two small storage compartments located just below the inflight entertainment screen. My travel wallet and video camera fit comfortably in each.

Boarding continued and business class ended up going out with only eight passengers, so each was comfortably seated in their own pair of seats without a neighbor. I got a great shot of Virgin’s inbound from Sydney landing while a Qantas A330 taxied:

The Red entertainment system is basically identical to what you find on Virgin America with a wide selection of movies, television programs and games. Power ports included a 110V socket (nice for we Americans and pretty standard nowadays) and a USB connection.

The headset plug is midway up the divider wall between seats, just underneath a funky light.

Extendable screen

Service began with a scented hot towel, beverage and warmed/lightly spiced nuts.

Once again, I was salivating over the Luke Mangan-inspired menu. The drink and beverage list was identical to my outbound flight, so I’m not reproducing it here.

I went with the celeriac soup with chives as my starter.

The salad was again small, but tasty, and presented with my main course of braised beef with pumpkin puree, snow peas, baby turnips and soy beans.

I kid you not when I say it was the most tender, delicious beef dish I’ve ever had onboard an airplane. It literally melted in my mouth and my only complaint is that there wasn’t enough of it. I could easily have had seconds or even thirds. The cheese selection was identical to the outbound flight and I skipped over it in anticipation of the cherry and apple crumble dessert with vanilla custard. It was sublime and served at a perfect, hot temperature.

As I mentioned earlier, the seats are angled lie-flat, which is more than sufficient for a domestic flight.

The lavatories have been upgraded with nicer fixtures on Virgin’s newer A330s and feature Grown hand wash and lotion.

After service, mood lighting was set and I enjoyed the video entertainment watching a selection of Aussie TV programs  – a nice change from “30 Rock” as is so frequently found on flights in the U.S. (it was also available on this flight, however).

Service was as spectacular as it was on my outbound flight. Anneleise was serving the opposite aisle on this flight, but I had equally friendly and professional Sharon on my side of the cabin.

We arrived in Sydney on-time and my bag with a priority tag (which I now realize wasn’t applied on my outbound flight), was the second bag coming off the belt. And as before, my sport coat was returned to me in a complimentary garment bag.

Virgin Australia’s business class service is truly impressive and I greatly look forward to flying them internationally in the future. And while I flew as a guest of Virgin Australia, this is indeed my honest opinion of their service. It would be hard to find something to fault them on if you had my experience.

Related posts:

Amenity Kit Review: Virgin Australia Business Class (Domestic)

Flight Review: Virgin Australia Business Class Sydney to Perth

Lounge Review: Virgin Australia, Perth Domestic Terminal

Lounge Review: Virgin Australia, Sydney Domestic Terminal

An amenity kit on a domestic flight? Yep… Virgin Australia offers amenity kits to business class passengers flying its premium A330s on transcontinental runs from both Melbourne and Sydney to Perth. Here’s a review of the men’s version for this installment of Amenity Kit Reviews. For a better description of each category and the 7-point scale for scoring, please review my introductory post.

Bag/Container: The rectangular zipper bag designed by Buzz Products sports a 100% nylon, battleship gray exterior with a leather patch sewn into the lower right corner embossed with the Virgin Australia logo. It zips open easily to reveal a 100% polyester interior vibrant in the Virgin Australia purple found on many inflight elements. Two small pockets are also found on one side of the interior. Reusability is high and while I wouldn’t call nylon and poly luxurious, it’s acceptable for business class. A handle of some sort or the ability to hang it on the lavatory door might have bumped this case up to 6. Score: 5

Skin Care: Virgin Australia partners with Australian organic alchemist Grown for its skin care products. The kit includes generous tubes of vanilla & orange peel hand cream and vanilla & watermelon lip balm housed in a nifty box. You need to puncture each tube with the reverse side of the cap and I had a devil of a time getting the lip balm to fully puncture. It, oddly, is gritty and not silky like its description (bad tube/batch?). I love the hand cream, however, as well as the additional Grown amenities of lotion and hand wash in the lavatories. Score: 5

Oral Care: A full-size toothbrush with very soft bristles (a welcome relief for dentists everywhere) and a tube of Colgate toothpaste are included with this kit. Standard fare and it gets the job done. Mints and/or mouthwash would have definitely bumped the score up. Score: 4

Comfort Items: The expected socks, eyeshades and earplugs are in the kit, but each are a caliber above standard. The socks are soft and made with a higher thread count than many other business class kits, and the Velcro-enabled eyeshades are oversized and equally soft. A comb and razor are included in the description of the men’s kit on Virgin Australia’s blog, though weren’t inside mine. Score: 5

Intangibles: The kit itself contains more than you could ask for on a simple transcontinental flight and for that simple reason, I’m giving it a top rating in this category. It’s definitely an exclusive amenity. I love the color matching to other brand elements, too. Score: 7

Total score & comments:

It’s a very good kit and also includes a pen and VIP invitation card from Grown for a complimentary facial serum valued at AU$59 with any purchase at Grown.com. Job well done, Virgin Australia, and an improvement from your last business class kit.

Related posts:

Amenity Kit Review: Virgin Australia Business Class (November 2011)

Flight Review: Virgin Australia Business Class Sydney to Perth

Amenity Kit Review: Virgin Australia Premium Economy (November 2011)

I previously reviewed Virgin Australia’s domestic lounge in Sydney, and here now is their offering at Perth’s domestic terminal.

The lounge entry is quite literally two paces straight ahead immediately after you clear security – you simply can’t miss it.

Passing through the glass doors, you enter a small lobby with a circular reception desk and a couple of chairs off to one side. My business class boarding pass was scanned and I was welcomed into the lounge without delay.

Directly past reception is the television seating area and a full-service coffee barista bar, which also offers a selection of complimentary wine and beer. Adjacent to the TV area are two “kiddie” tables (maybe as high as my knee cap) with power outlets where you sit on an ottoman-like cushion to plug in and rest your laptop on a communal table. I’m really not a fan of these tables and besides the business center, outlets are scarce in other areas of the lounge.

How's that for a mullet?!!

As Perth is a much smaller station for Virgin Australia, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of food. But they did have similar items as to what was found in Sydney, including sandwich fixings, soup (creamy Thai chicken), meatballs and pasta salad. Chips and other nibbles are also available at the bar.

The space itself is basically a huge rectangular room with multiple dining and casual seating areas, punctuated with columns throughout. Another set of kiddie/plug-in tables are also situated in the middle of the lounge.

A business center with eight computer workstations and a printer is in the far corner next to frosted windows running the length of one side of the lounge. Sadly, no tarmac views for this #avgeek.

Along that side of the lounge is a section of lounger sofas with coffee tables. One person was spread across one of the couches and while comfy looking, it was far too hot in that section for me, perhaps due to the additional layer of glass partitions separating it from the main area.

On one side of the barista bar, a very narrow hallway leads to two shower rooms and the restrooms. The other side of the barista bar leads to a children’s play area, as well as the entrance to two meeting rooms.

It’s a pleasant enough lounge, but nothing stellar. One thing I noted in particular was the floor. It felt thin, as if there is no layer between it and the concrete tarmac. I don’t know how to explain it better than that.

Boarding announcements for all flights are made and a nearby escalator outside of the lounge takes you up to the departures level. I left ahead of boarding to watch the inbound aircraft arrive and discovered to get back to the lounge, one needs to find a relatively hidden staircase that displays a sign “No Entry (except lounge guests).” There’s no down escalator and the only other exit when you’re upstairs is to baggage claim, which would require you to re-clear security to access the lounge.

Related posts:

Lounge Review: Virgin Australia, Sydney Domestic Terminal

Flight Review: Virgin Australia Business Class Sydney to Perth

Lounge Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt (Near B43)

As many of you know, I was in Australia for a couple of weeks last month and I gave you a sneak peek of my transcontinental Virgin Australia experience. Here, now, is a full review of my premium coast-to-coast flight from Sydney to Perth. In full disclosure, I flew compliments of Virgin Australia.

The route is akin to the premium transcon flights American, Delta and United operate from New York’s JFK to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Qantas and Virgin Australia are battling to attract as many business travelers on the route with both offering upgraded, international-style aircraft for most flights. Virgin Australia will soon exclusively fly Airbus A330s in this market.

Lounge access comes with the ticket and I spent quite a bit of time there before heading to the gate for my 8:00 p.m. departure.

A dedicated boarding lane is present for business class and elite members of Virgin’s Velocity frequent flier program and I boarded first. No, I wasn’t hovering there waiting (the term ‘gate lice’ is now prevalent amongst frequent fliers for those who do), but rather asked to board a bit early to take some uncluttered pictures.

This aircraft is the “ugly child” in Virgin Australia’s fleet, an ex-Emirates bird, with a business class configuration of 2-3-2. They actually have two in this layout, but I was told one was off for maintenance work. Their other A330s feature new lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration (I flew one back to Sydney, which you’ll see in a forthcoming review). This plane wasn’t ugly to me, though. What do you think?

Gorgeous, right? It turns out there were only two of us in business class that night, so it felt like a private jet in the cabin seating 27 passengers. Two separate passengers walking back to their seats in economy called the cabin “ostentatious” and “absurd.” Here’s the view from my seat:

The leather seats are very comfortable and offered 60 inches of pitch between rows, similar to the JFK-LAX/SFO flights. Here are the armrest controls and very snazzy embossed seatback:

In a total surprise, amenity kits are provided to business class passengers on this domestic route. I’ll have my uber-specific review of it in a future installment of Amenity Kit Reviews. A large pillow and comfy blanket are also supplied.

Pre-departure beverages were offered along with a selection of newspapers. Pushback was on-time and we were airborne within minutes. Something I love about non-U.S. airlines is that the seat belt sign comes off very shortly after takeoff. And it did on this flight, too. To begin, hot towel service along with warmed mixed nuts and a beverage of choice:

Virgin Australia partners with celebrity chef Luke Mangan and I heard a rumor that all business class meals are prepared within hours of the flight. The menu:

The video system is a bit dated on this aircraft and it offers 15 video channels playing on a loop. The coolest channels, though, were 16 and 17 offering the pilot’s view and a camera pointed directly down. Too bad this was a night flight! Channel 18 was the moving map. Noise cancelling headsets are provided.

Without further delay, on to the meal showcase. To begin, I went with the harissa spiced chicken with fattoush salad and lemon sumac dressing. Delicious!

For my entrée (err… main course), I selected the tomato and saffron chicken with green olives, peas and cous cous. It was packed with flavor, moist and left me longing for more. The small salad was fresh and was served with the main course.

I really need to bring up service because flight attendant Anneleise was so friendly, professional and exceedingly service-oriented from boarding up to this point. And then she did something I’ve never experienced before. She offered a second main course as they had extra as she was so pleased with my rave review of my first selection. I couldn’t refuse and had the massaman curry of pumpkin, potato, zucchini, French beans and Jasmine rice. It, too, was exceptional.

A fantastically plated selection of cheese with crispbread, dried apricots and walnuts followed.

And then toffee, banana and chestnut pudding with pecans and maple syrup. It was warmed perfectly and delicious.

Meal service concluded with a selection of coffee or tea, and in case you didn’t notice on the menu, they have an espresso machine onboard from which barista-style coffee is available. Just incredible.

I settled in for the rest of the flight and watched some of the programming. The seats are very comfortable and offer generous recline, equivalent to United’s premium service Boeing 757s. I’d give these seats a nudge up in ranking, though, as the seat cushion also reclines with you. One major downside: there are no power outlets – a situation corrected on new layout of this aircraft.

After landing, my sport coat was returned to me in a complimentary Virgin Australia garment bag. How about that for an amenity?

My flight was a marvelous affair and I wished it had continued even longer. Cabin supervisor Adam was a gem, too, and we had a fantastic chat about airlines and more. While I was a guest of Virgin Australia, I’m certain the level of service I received is the norm for all business class passengers. Richard Branson-envisioned airlines just have it goin’ on.

Related posts:

Incredible Experience on Virgin Australia: Sneak Peek

Virgin Australia’s Domestic Lounge at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport

Parmelia Hilton Perth Review (And My First Suite Upgrade)

I had the privilege of flying Virgin Australia in business class from Sydney to Perth a couple of weeks ago and gave you a sneak peek here. Prior to the flight, I spent a few hours in their domestic lounge in Terminal 2 – a benefit for business class ticketholders similar to what we enjoy here in the U.S. on American and United when flying on premium transcontinental LAX/SFO to JFK flights. But this isn’t your ordinary domestic lounge.

The lounge entry is a few short paces past security on the same level and I was told Ansett Australia (defunct for more than a decade now) was the former occupant.

I was greeted at reception by an enthusiastic agent who scanned my boarding pass and asked if I had been to the lounge before. After answering “no,” she happily provided a verbal tour of the lounge and wished me a pleasant visit. Already my experience was different (better) from that of any U.S. airline lounge.

Just past reception is the main service desk and a huge lobby area leading to various sections of the lounge.

I made my way through one hallway, past the main seating area, buffet, coffee barista station and settled into what I’d consider the “back” of the lounge. Nearby were conference rooms and I actually saw one in use! That never seems to happen in the U.S.

Barista bar

It was a funky little area with semi-comfortable chairs, tables and a couple of TVs playing local news. I didn’t stay in this section too long, actually, and decided to get a bite to eat and sit along the windows overlooking the tarmac and runway.

UA870 headed to SFO

The buffet offered a selection of cold cuts and fixings to make a sandwich, as well as pasta, meatballs, salad, fruit, cheese and two soup selections (tomato and something very green). Opposite the buffet is a hot tea and soft drink station.

The barista bar, previously pictured, offered full made-to-order coffee service akin to Starbucks… err… Gloria Jeans, and a selection of popcorn, nut mix, Dijon-honey crisps and sour cream cups. A huge selection of beer was also available from the baristas, as well as self-serve wine and champagne just to the right of that area.

After a while, hot dogs were brought out and I decided to give one of the rather fluorescent looking dogs a go. It ended up tasting mostly like a hot dog, but with an ever so slight seafood taste (tuna, perhaps?).

The business center has 10 computer stations complete with a printer hookup and a copier/fax machine. I had trouble with a couple of the stations, as did another passenger, but eventually found one that worked properly. Free Wi-Fi is available in the lounge, too. Beyond the business center, power outlets are scarce besides at the dedicated “kiddie” tables near the buffet. Here, you sit on an ottoman-like cushion to plug in and rest your laptop on a communal table that maybe came up as high as my kneecap. It was a bit too busy to capture a picture of this setup. Nearby the business center is another small seating section.

On my way to the restroom, I wandered past the exclusive Premium Entry area whereby business class, premium economy and elite member passengers with only carry-on bags check-in, have a dedicated security lane and enter straight into the lounge. It’s sort of like the Lufthansa First Class Terminal experience in Frankfurt from what I can tell. I had to check a bag, so I needed to use the main terminal and missed out.

Near the restrooms are four shower rooms (one of which was handicap accessible). I took a peek inside.

The sun had set and I helped myself to dessert. A lounge agent did come by a couple of times during my visit offering up meat pies and cream puffs, too.

Boarding announcements for all domestic flights were made throughout my stay and when it was time to head to the gate, they have a handy escalator down to the concourse level separate from the main entrance.

The lounge is very much a step ahead of any domestic offering in the U.S., particularly in the food and beverage department. I’ve been told it’s ready for a remodel and that Virgin Australia’s offerings in Melbourne and Brisbane are their current top-notch lounges. Still, though, any U.S. passenger traveling domestically will be impressed with this lounge.

Related posts:

Incredible Experience on Virgin Australia – Sneek Peek

Parmelia Hilton Perth Review (and My First Suite Upgrade)

Flight Review: United Airlines BusinessFirst Los Angeles to Sydney