Virgin Australia changed the misery factors in domestic travel today although that’s not how the press release puts it.

Large numbers of passengers flying interstate today on its more costly or flexible economy fares found themselves getting “free” meals, and “free” beer or wine after 4pm.

This ambush-by-trolley is the latest move by former Qantas executive general manager John Borghetti to turn former Virgin Blue into the Qantas he had in mind before being recruited as its new chief executive officer a year ago.

But to cut to the chase, this is what Virgin Australia has really done, minus the puffery.

It has gone to three fare levels only, “saver” or crammed and hungry, “flexi” or crammed but fed and plied with liquor from late afternoon, and “premium” or comfortable and conspicuous consumption.

Flying Melbourne-Sydney today, for example, the respective fare levels were $109, $199 and $425, with the last available in only eight large spacious seats seated in a glass box at the front of the cabin rather than hidden behind a curtain from the eyes of the those paying their own way or working for companies that ban business class.

The big question is what will Qantas do? There are no answers yet, but it is a fair bet that the handing out of a few biscuits or a slice of fruit cake in a wrap-your-own-garbage pack with a cup of tea or coffee to passengers also paying about $400 for the same trip in economy may be over, rather quickly.

The reality is that tight cabin seating has made economy-class flying miserable for most business-related travel done under the terms of corporate accounts that increasingly prohibit premium-fare flights on any airline.

Virgin Australia has made the misery more digestible. And female executives who are concerned about breaking through the glass ceiling in business can now look forward, literally, to breaking through the glass wall into business class.