Virgin Australia unveils $12 in-flight hot chips but travellers aren’t convinced
It’s a true Aussie staple, and now you can enjoy it 35,000 feet.
Virgin Australia is launching hot chips on all flights scheduled for longer than 90 minutes.
Virgin Australia is launching hot chips on flights. Virgin Australia
The airline insists the cooking process has been “tested and evolved over many months to ensure they arrive to guests hot and crispy.”
A bowl costs $12 and skips the classic tomato sauce in favour of a slightly posher aioli.
Virgin Australia chief customer officer Andrew Cleary said the carrier believes it is the first to achieve the culinary feat.
“We’re always looking for ways to bring the food people love on the ground into the air,” he said.
“Hot chips are a great example, with no Australian airline believed to have served them onboard before.
“It’s taken months of testing to get them hot and crispy in the air.”
However, Aussie fliers have doubts about just how crispy the chips will be.
“I already know they’re going to be so soggy and gross,” Maddi said.
“How do you make a good hot chip at 30,000ft? It’s just not possible.”
Amy also has doubts.
Virgin Australia is launching the hot chips alongside its ‘viral’ cheeseburger toastie. Virgin Australia
“There is hardly any plane food that is actually decent, let alone trying to make hot chips good, which even from great takeaway shops can be terrible,” she said.
“I would also not be buying them for $12 to take the risk to try them either.”
Kahla said the staple belongs back on solid ground.
“Leave the hot chippies to the pub and the pool kiosk,” she said.
Rosie fears the smell of chips cooking on board may be a bit unpleasant for other passengers.
“Would either make me hungry or put off,” she said.
April confessed she may be tempted.
Plane food can often be unappealing. iStock
“It would be nice to have a warm snack like that on evening flights,” she said.
And if some kind of air frier is involved, Mia said, “it could work.”
This is not the first time Virgin Australia has tried to shake up notoriously bad plane food.
It’s TikTok-inspired cheeseburger toastie, which costs $14, is also back.
The airline says it has sold more than 50,000 of the toasties which includes ground beef, cheese, pickles, sauce and mustard since the launch in May 2026.
Hip matcha lattes will also be on the menu.
Cans of BOSS Iced Latte Coffee and a Jose Cuervo Sparkling Margarita are also on offer.
And for those up front, the business class menu revamp has had a revamp.
Passengers can try egg and cheese breakfast quesadilla, seared beef with roasted vegetables, potato and rosemary jus and stir-fried beef in black bean sauce with rice and Asian greens.
