According to declansmith on the V-Flyer forums, Virgin has implemented some enhancements to the economy cabin recently that truly and fairly deserve to be classified as enhancements.

Specifically:

economy customers now getting water bottle on seat, hot towels after take off, small wine bottles, spirit minitures , cheese and crackers and a better afternoon tea on all flights.

And Leon confirms that, indeed, the new benefits are for real:

received all of the above except chocolates with tea but did also get a hot calzone (cheese or pepperoni) about an hour before tea.

Neil expresses what many travelers are surely feeling:

Only small enhancements but all positive additions, which is nice to hear after years of what seemed like reductions in the on board service.

As Neil says, these are relatively minor enhancements. Still, could it be that they are a sign of a turning point? Might some airlines be beginning to realize that there could be a market for low fares (although not the lowest) that come with a modicum of benefits?

And the discussion couldn’t help but remind me of this hilarious video:

Read the thread in its entirety: Economy travel just got better