Rex outlines business class dining for Sydney-Melbourne (original) (raw)

Passengers travelling in business class aboard Rex’s Sydney-Melbourne flights will find a “specially crafted meal box” waiting for them from next week, with the airline now sharing the details of its inflight menu.

It's clear that Regional Express is positioning its catering well above the simple ‘snack boxes’ of Virgin Australia’s current business class offering, but without attempting to replicate the full plated meal service and presentation in Qantas business class.

On the short Sydney-Melbourne hop, Rex’s meals aim to “take in the flavour combinations of home-style country cooking with a weekly showcase of gourmet ingredients from some of our exceptional Australian producers.”

Depending on the time of day, early highlights include Tasmanian smoked salmon, Australian artisan cheeses from Bruny Island and Gippsland, and hand-made desserts.

Rex drops the china

Rather than rolling out reusable flatware and crockery, meals will be served on single-use cardboard trays, in single-use cardboard and paper containers, with single-use plastic or cardboard cups, and with single-use wooden cutlery.

Bottled water will also be provided.

Meals in Rex business class will be served via recyclable paper, cardboard and plastic.

Regional Express says the items are “100% recyclable”, and have “been carefully selected to minimise the environmental impact.”

Via its social media channels, the airline also claims to be “introducing a world first, single use full size airline meal tray,” pictured above.

However, Rex is far from the first to offer disposable meal trays and boxes, these being particularly popular in Europe: observed here, for example, on a quick KLM hop from London to Amsterdam in 2019.

Business class passengers on the shortest KLM flights have long enjoyed boxed meals served on cardboard trays.

On the refreshment front, tea, coffee, water, soft drinks, juice, beer, red wine, and white wine are all complimentary in Rex business class.

“Our wines (are) sourced from smaller boutique vineyards across Australia to give you a taste of what this beautiful country has to offer,” says Rex.

With Rex kicking off Sydney-Melbourne flights from March 1, many eyes will then be on Virgin Australia’s response when it relaunches its own domestic business class experience: a reboot that would ideally see its current snack boxes replaced with more substantial bites.

Also read: First photos: Rex Boeing 737 business class

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