Now Boarding ... Chicken or Beef?

[harvyk]

This is a little amusing, esp since some bottled water companies have admitted all their product is simply tap water with a very high mark up.
There may be a degree of testing prior to them slapping their branding all over it, but I doubt it (unless they store in in storage tanks for some reason). I strongly suspect they take it on the water companies own assurance that it is safe for drinking.

In regards to aircraft flying out from china, I have in the past drunk water from the aircraft, and would do so again. Since it is a well known fact that the local tap water in china is not considered safe for drinking, I highly doubt airlines use that water to fill up water tanks to be used for drinking. In any country where the water supply is suspect I would expect all airlines to have a contract with a clean water supplier / filtration company.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

This is a little amusing, esp since some bottled water companies have admitted all their product is simply tap water with a very high mark up.
There may be a degree of testing prior to them slapping their branding all over it, but I doubt it (unless they store in in storage tanks for some reason). I strongly suspect they take it on the water companies own assurance that it is safe for drinking.

In regards to aircraft flying out from china, I have in the past drunk water from the aircraft, and would do so again. Since it is a well known fact that the local tap water in china is not considered safe for drinking, I highly doubt airlines use that water to fill up water tanks to be used for drinking. In any country where the water supply is suspect I would expect all airlines to have a contract with a clean water supplier / filtration company.

indeed some companies do use tap water - but they filter it and its subjected to radiation treatment or whatever. I'm fine with that.

but my concern, particularly somewhere like China, is the quality control chain. If it was a tanker (and it may not be - the airport may have its own filtration system) then i would only trust the tanker provided it hadn't been out of sight of a Qantas employee. Easy to swap the contents of a tanker in the same way fox fat has been substituted for cooking oil, fake alcohol is substituted for real (including the bottles themselves), milk, or different meats and fruits substituted for those claimed to being sold. Not so easy (or worthwhile) to swap the contents of bottled water and to reseal individual bottles.

 

[anat0l]

but my concern, particularly somewhere like China, is the quality control chain. If it was a tanker (and it may not be - the airport may have its own filtration system) then i would only trust the tanker provided it hadn't been out of sight of a Qantas employee. Easy to swap the contents of a tanker in the same way fox fat has been substituted for cooking oil, fake alcohol is substituted for real (including the bottles themselves), milk, or different meats and fruits substituted for those claimed to being sold. Not so easy (or worthwhile) to swap the contents of bottled water and to reseal individual bottles.

Very true - although considering the number of international flights passing through China every day, it would quickly escalate an incident if it was shown that the water being supplied on the ground to aircraft was highly suspect, especially on the knowledge of how that water is used (assuming that all aircraft have a fairly standard water system). This would be especially blown out if it so happened to be suspect on even bottled water supplied to aircraft!

Yes, discretion is the better part of valour, so to speak (no one wants to be the fatal statistic that starts the investigation), but considering that a contamination scare in China resulted in the execution of two and jailing of a few more, coupled with the already hanging stigma that is held against China for such standards, I'd like to think that is enough for some sort of integrity in the supply chain at airports and airport operations, barring someone who may have malicious intents against specific airlines or the Chinese airport operations (which could occur in any country for that matter).

Anyway... this discussion has veered the thread off most of it's original intent. I think a split may be forthcoming. But thanks to the cabin crew who have responded to my initial question anyway, as well as their continuing to answer questions in this thread.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Very true - although considering the number of international flights passing through China every day, it would quickly escalate an incident if it was shown that the water being supplied on the ground to aircraft was highly suspect, especially on the knowledge of how that water is used (assuming that all aircraft have a fairly standard water system). This would be especially blown out if it so happened to be suspect on even bottled water supplied to aircraft!

the issue is that most airlines clearly mark the tap water in the bathroom as non-potable. And carry bottled water. so this issue doesn't arise.

 

[serfty]

the issue is that most airlines clearly mark the tap water in the bathroom as non-potable. And carry bottled water. so this issue doesn't arise.

That can vary even within an Airline

 

[anat0l]

the issue is that most airlines clearly mark the tap water in the bathroom as non-potable. And carry bottled water. so this issue doesn't arise.

It is interesting, however, as even if the water is marked as non-potable, people would still wash their hands in it, possibly wash their face using that water and rinse their mouths out after brushing their teeth using that water.

There are some places in the world where you would not even trust the water to rinse your mouth out, let alone when you shower, you try to avoid swallowing the water!

Point is, even if the water is marked as non-potable (for exact reasons I'm not sure, apart from "cover our butts"), it still can't be necessarily failing in acceptable water quality (even if, say, it isn't necessarily at a purified drinking water standard).

 

[dfcatch]

So I was having dinner with a friend who had been at the hairdresser and overhead someone talking about QF recycling. *** Apparently their cousin Margaret dogsits for the neighbor of a woman whose daughter once dated this guy who knew a guy who knew a QF FA.

*** intel source disguised to protect the shop steward.

Anywho - apparently as of today 12th December, QF is no longer recycling on domestic flights. Allegedly this has something to do with new procedures being rolled out inflight.

Of course I can not confirm not deny, but I am reliably informed that it accurately reflects the understanding of this particular FA.

In other news - my battery is now at 37%.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So I was having dinner with a friend who had been at the hairdresser and overhead someone talking about QF recycling. *** Apparently their cousin Margaret dogsits for the neighbor of a woman whose daughter once dated this guy who knew a guy who knew a QF FA.

*** intel source disguised to protect the shop steward.

Anywho - apparently as of today 12th December, QF is no longer recycling on domestic flights. Allegedly this has something to do with new procedures being rolled out inflight.

Of course I can not confirm not deny, but I am reliably informed that it accurately reflects the understanding of this particular FA.

In other news - my battery is now at 37%.

It always amazed me how the size of that bag we used to get to dispose of recycling rubbish was larger than the cookie wrapper we were supposed to be recycling!!

 

[milehighclub]

So I was having dinner with a friend who had been at the hairdresser and overhead someone talking about QF recycling. *** Apparently their cousin Margaret dogsits for the neighbor of a woman whose daughter once dated this guy who knew a guy who knew a QF FA.

*** intel source disguised to protect the shop steward.

Anywho - apparently as of today 12th December, QF is no longer recycling on domestic flights. Allegedly this has something to do with new procedures being rolled out inflight.

Of course I can not confirm not deny, but I am reliably informed that it accurately reflects the understanding of this particular FA.

In other news - my battery is now at 37%.

Recycling is still happening and just reading a memo dated 9/12 which still shows the recycling carts loaded for the collection of rubbish. Only empty cans, wine bottles, plastic cups, plastic bottles and paper cups are recycled.

 

[Bjet]

drink water from tap... I doubt it!!

I only know that we should not drink water from tap (in the toilet and water fountain at outside toilet) cos it's dirty (that's what virgin blue flight attendant told me...not sure about now under virgin Australia).

When we flew back to Australia by Qantas, I asked a flight attendant to give me a cup of water. I was hoping he would give me a water from the bottled water not the water fountain (outside the toilet). He gave me a cup of water and I looked at it. It has zillion of tidy bubbles inside the water (it was still and no move around) and maybe not clean. I suspect that it might be come from water fountain.

 

[milehighclub]

And those bubbles are exactly that - bubbles!!! It's just air. Its caused by the way water is pumped through the aircraft.

 

[harvyk]

drink water from tap... I doubt it!!

I only know that we should not drink water from tap (in the toilet and water fountain at outside toilet) cos it's dirty (that's what virgin blue flight attendant told me...not sure about now under virgin Australia).

When we flew back to Australia by Qantas, I asked a flight attendant to give me a cup of water. I was hoping he would give me a water from the bottled water not the water fountain (outside the toilet). He gave me a cup of water and I looked at it. It has zillion of tidy bubbles inside the water (it was still and no move around) and maybe not clean. I suspect that it might be come from water fountain.

You can not tell by simple visual inspection if water is safe to drink or not... The real nasty's which hide in water are too small to be seen by the naked eye.

 

[mannej]

And those bubbles are exactly that - bubbles!!! It's just air. Its caused by the way water is pumped through the aircraft.

Geez the suspicion of people these days...
Bjet, Shake or drop a bottle of water and see what happens - yes you get bubbles of air in the water (and unless you agitate them they do stay pretty still).
So the bubbles don't prove the source of water at all.

 

[Clivem]

Why so much 'waffle on water' .........surely they have sufficient Scotch on board to drink , rinse one hand and refresh ones face with .......

 

[flychrisfly]

Hi, I posted this question in Ask the Pilot... but it's probably better off here:

What happens to the catering if a flight is delayed or takes off and has to return? Are there tolerances for how long the food can be held on board before it has to be replaced? Does this explain why the bread roles can be really tough sometimes?

 

[TedE]

Something I've regularly wondered about QF, why has Coke Zero replaced Diet Coke as the default sugar free cola onboard?

 

[milehighclub]

Hi, I posted this question in Ask the Pilot... but it's probably better off here:

What happens to the catering if a flight is delayed or takes off and has to return? Are there tolerances for how long the food can be held on board before it has to be replaced? Does this explain why the bread roles can be really tough sometimes?

It depends on the aircraft. On all wide bodied aircraft it isn't an issue as the chillers keep everything cold. However during extended delays, as a precaution, caterers have those lazer temp readers that they point at the food to get an exact reading. Sometimes they will bring extra dry ice onboard too.

 

[Mattg]

I figure that this is probably the right place to ask this.
On some flights I have noticed the CSM/purser (depending on the airline) pull out a big folder during the cruise or towards the end of the flight which has the aircraft registration on it. On one airline I saw the purser retrieve it from the overhead locker above row 1. They then seem to stand in the forward galley reading/doing paperwork in this folder for 10-15 minutes. I have noticed this on a few different airlines, although not Qantas. (Not saying they don't do it, just that I haven't seen it.)

My question is: what are they actually doing?

 

[milehighclub]

I figure that this is probably the right place to ask this.
On some flights I have noticed the CSM/purser (depending on the airline) pull out a big folder during the cruise or towards the end of the flight which has the aircraft registration on it. On one airline I saw the purser retrieve it from the overhead locker above row 1. They then seem to stand in the forward galley reading/doing paperwork in this folder for 10-15 minutes. I have noticed this on a few different airlines, although not Qantas. (Not saying they don't do it, just that I haven't seen it.)

My question is: what are they actually doing?

That would probably be the cabin condition log. Other airlines may call it something different but it where crew log faulty things in the cabin, or IFE related issues. So perhaps a recline button is broken, or a oven won't work etc. On landing the engineers grab the book and begin fixing the issues. Depending on the turn around time of the aircraft, and provided all safety and minimum equipment lists are met, an item can be put on hold to be fixed later.

For example a part may be required for seat that won't recline, but the next flight is empty (so pax can be reseated) and has a longer downtime after the next flight so it will be put on hold as to not delay the aircraft and they can continue to fix other issues that may be more of a priority especially with only an hour or so turn around.

 

[x'tine]

Calling the Flight Attendant

Always wondered, do FA's prefer the call button vs a visit to the galley for service?