Virgin Airlines Australia Competes With Qantas By Offering Free Meal And Checked Baggage

Virgin Airlines Australia is offering free food and beverages to passengers who are booked on any of its domestic flights. It will also allow checked baggage on board the aircraft.

According to its customer service head, the freebies complement its existing free in-flight wireless fidelity connection. Before this move however, only passengers to flights going to and from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne enjoy free meal.

Such undertaking is also the airlines’ approach in competing against Qantas Airlines, which is dominating the Australian market. The latter airlines has already integrated the checked luggage and meal as part of its marketing strategy. Mark Hassal from the customer service department said Virgin Airlines is gearing up to become a full-service carrier. At the present, it is Australia’s second largest airline.

The food to be served to its passengers are catered from Gate Gourmet while its inflight menu is conceived by Luke Manga, a celebrity chef. Of course, as part of its services to its valued customers, the airlines will continue to serve its regulars — juice, tea, water, coffee, soft drinks and even wine or beer — but only for flights between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm from Monday to Friday. Also, the staff on-board will serve other beverages or foods for certain price.

"We're delighted to announce that the Virgin Australia product offering now includes complimentary food and drink, checked baggage on all flights as well as entertainment across our domestic network," Hassal was quoted by Sydney Morning Herald, pointing out that the rollout of free food and checked luggage is a crucial component of the airlines’ ability to deliver a consistent, premium service across its network.

Last month, Virgin Australia introduced flights between Sydney and Tamworth beginning May 2015 using an ATR-72 Turboprop 68-seat aircraft, which shall serve six round trips weekly. John Borghetti, its chief executive officer, quipped the company took delight in offering a choice to residents in Tamworth and the New England Region for the first time since 2001.

Tamworth is considered a productive tourist destination and financial hub and the inclusion of such destination to Virgin’s flight is the latter’s express recognition of the former’s potential. Also earlier this year, Virgin Australia bought the remaining shares of Tigerair Australia that it did not yet acquire.

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