Finally I got to try Australia’s newest challenger to the business domestic market – Rex Airlines Business Class. And I have to say not a bad challenge. The business class product was not too dissimilar to others in the domestic Australian market (on similar routes). While the main meal was served in cardboard boxes and paper bags (including disposal wooden cutlery), rather than on ceramic plates with real cutlery, the elements of the meal were similar. And the service deserves a mention – I thought it was a standout with the cabin crew providing incredibly cheery and helpful service.
Main Meal Service
It was nice to be greeted with a cool drink pre-takeoff with cabin crew offering sparkling water or orange juice once I took my seat.
After takeoff cabin crew came around offering the main meal service. There was a choice of two mains: a cold falafel salad or a hot egg and bacon pie. I chose the pie as I wanted to check out the hot option for this review to see if it was similar to other pies I have had on other airlines. I did think a bacon and egg pie for a late afternoon flight seemed a little odd (that seems to me more like a breakfast meal). The pie was served with a warm bread roll (which came in a paper bag), a sweet slice and a small chocolate. Unfortunately the pastry around the pie was soggy. There was a watery liquid in the base of the tray (which may have come from the vegetables) and this made the bottom of the pie quite soggy. The egg was a whole egg in the middle of the pie and it was very well cooked so the yolk was hard, dry and crumbly. There was quite a bit of bacon around the edges of the pie. The capsicum and the onion mixture was quite tasty. The dessert was a sweet slice which was fairly crumbly. I am not exactly sure what it was as there was no label on the box, however it seemed like it had a thin layer of jam in it and was quite sweet.
Nutrition comment
It was great to see vegetables (mushrooms, peppers and onions) served alongside this pie. Other pies I have had on other airlines have been served alongside either mashed potato (and a token colourful vegetable garnish) or mushy peas. This dish contained ~1.5 serves of colourful vegetables which gave the dish a nutrient boost. It is recommended we aim to have 5 serves per day of vegetables each day which can be difficult while travelling. So it is good to see a meal which helps get you a fair bit closer to the 5. The bread roll was brown, suggesting it was made from a wholemeal flour. Wholemeal bread is more nutritious than white bread as it contain the wholegrain ground up. This means it naturally contains more fibre, vitamins and minerals which come from the wholegrain (note some white breads may add fibre or vitamins/minerals to their breads). While the whole egg cracked in the middle of the pie was cooked very hard (not to my liking) it still needs to be acknowledged that eggs are a nutritious food which helps balance out the bacon and pastry (which aren’t very nutrient dense).
Final thoughts on Rex Airlines Business Class Food – Sydney to Melbourne
Not bad Rex Airlines Business Class, not bad at all. Your food was fairly inline with other airlines here in Australia. The presentation was lacking a little since it was served in paper and cardboard, but looking at the food itself, it didn’t differ too much from the pie mains served on Qantas and Virgin. For the price of a business class ticket this meal wasn’t too bad (comparable to others in the Australian domestic market). I look forward to flying again and trying other meals to see what the over standard of meals are like.
