Enhancement [Decline] of Meals in Business (Dom and Int)

[DaveB]

My wife and I had a memorable QF82 experience in J last week.
For a 6:45pm boarding time, taking over two hours to serve supper is just downright poor given it all came on one tray. My wife settling for a chicken schnitzel sandwich reflected the food on offer.
Why the cabin was then lit up west of Broken Hill two hours from a 6:10am landing to serve a croissant and smoothy is plain pathetic.
Despite the flight getting us both to Silver, more than happy to have our next three flights booked with VA and SQ.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

I have been in Europe this past month and upon my return, starting with QF6 on 13 Jan, I have noticed an extreme decline in either the choices or portion sizes of meals aboard QF J.

For the late night SG departure (QF6), why not eat dinner in the lounge? The lounge is quite nice now, and then you can maximise the ~5 hours of sleeping time you get on the actual flight.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

In October 2013 I was in premium economy QF8 BNE-SYD and the cooked breakfast was huge. I was surprised. I cant stand cereals for breakfast or pastry for breakfast. I hardly ever eat pastry.

The breakfast on QF8 (like the defunct ADL-SYD leg of QF82) is an anomaly. I guess the timing is later, so hence the larger meal on offer.

However, all the early morning arrivals from SG (QF52, the old QF82 into ADL, QF6) have these tiny little breakfasts. I left sorry for the pax flying SIN-ADL on 82. I'd always just get as much sleep, and then have the proper meal on the ADL-SYD leg.

 

[eosphoros]

For the late night SG departure (QF6), why not eat dinner in the lounge? The lounge is quite nice now, and then you can maximise the ~5 hours of sleeping time you get on the actual flight.

This is exactly my gripe. I did eat in the lounge with a plan to sleep as soon as I got onboard. Given the later 9:15am arrival, I assumed (erroneously) that I would be fed breakfast.

However, all the early morning arrivals from SG (QF52, the old QF82 into ADL, QF6) ...

I do not consider 9:15am arrival as early. In fact, comparatively, it is quite late. The QF82 arrives at 6:25am, QF24 at 6:20am, QF22 at 7:25am and QF128 at 8:10am. The only later ex-Asia arrival is QF130.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

For the late night SG departure (QF6), why not eat dinner in the lounge? The lounge is quite nice now, and then you can maximise the ~5 hours of sleeping time you get on the actual flight.

that's a fair point - but then the flight should perhaps be marketed as such. BA and VS have sleeper services where the meal is provided in the lounge and not on board. It is a different product to their regular services.

We all know QF is incredibly slow at serving meals. There has never been an explanation of that unless it is over on the 'ask the FA' thread?

Top tier airlines have models that work for short overnight flights... SQ offers a supper or breakfast service served in a dark cabin, CX belts out meals in short time, BA has a dine before fly service. All of them seem to be more tailored to pax needs where the passenger and not the airline is the one making the decision as to how they can maximise their time?

 

[AnonymousCoward]

that's a fair point - but then the flight should perhaps be marketed as such. BA and VS have sleeper services where the meal is provided in the lounge and not on board. It is a different product to their regular services.

oh, I agree 100%. QF serving meals is slow, and the arrival breakfast is now a bit of a joke - if you're paying $4K or something for a J fare, then a decent breakfast should be an option. If it's too expensive to put on the plane, then serve it in the lounge. I guess it would be easier/cheaper to do there.

 

[N860CR]

I wouldn't even consider QF for Asia-Aus overnight flights anymore.

I believe I've mentioned it here before, however my last SIN-SYD on the 747 (that's the later one I think… can't remember the flight number) offered a "Supper" service and then the Cafe breakfast. The entire supper service consisted of a bowl of soup with one piece of bread. That's it. I managed two glasses of wine before the lights were out (this is 2 1/2 hours out of SIN). I didn't even bother waking for the breakfast.

From my point of view, to pay countless thousands to sit for an hour and a half with nothing happening, be offered a single bowl of soup with a glass of wine that was topped up once and then sent to bed on the Skybed 1 was just terrible. Add the Cafe breakfast and it's just an insult.

My better half had the right idea. Seatbelt sign off, PJ's on, try to sleep all the way home and not touch a thing off the menu. That way of thinking, however, makes the Air AsiaX sleeper seats seem like pretty good value.

 

[Flying mermaid]

We actually want to go to Singapore sometime in the next 6 months so have been looking up flights - I can get First with BA for a few hundred dollars more than J with Qantas - not kind of seeing why people are flying Qantas?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

We actually want to go to Singapore sometime in the next 6 months so have been looking up flights - I can get First with BA for a few hundred dollars more than J with Qantas - not kind of seeing why people are flying Qantas?

except for the qf global companion sale out now... fares are pretty low!! (for both business and premium economy)

 

[Dmac6345]

There is of course a reason it takes sooooo long to serve Supper. It is so they dont need to serve you a full breakfast.
3 hours into your flight ex Asia is breakfast time for most AEST.

 

[Flying mermaid]

except for the qf global companion sale out now... fares are pretty low!! (for both business and premium economy)

Yeah I will have to look at that - saw the email this morning but haven't checked it yet. I have to admit it is food first money second with us.....

 

[JohnK]

You don't like the cooked breakfast, and don't like cereal or pastry.

What would you like to see on the breakfast menu?

I flew QF8 BNE-SYD in J in December. The cooked breakfast was pretty awesome but certainly wasn't the healthy option

Apologies. The cooked breakfast was great. I wish every inflight breakfast is as good.

 

[zarzuela]

Does anyone know what the breakfast options are on the NRT-SYD flights? Is it more generous than on other shorter flights from Asia to Australia?

 

[woodborer]

You don't like the cooked breakfast, and don't like cereal or pastry. What would you like to see on the breakfast menu?

A nice chicken curry perhaps

 

[legroom]

Does anyone know what the breakfast options are on the NRT-SYD flights? Is it more generous than on other shorter flights from Asia to Australia?

see this post

2 weeks ago so it was very recent.

 

[Kieran2274]

We actually want to go to Singapore sometime in the next 6 months so have been looking up flights - I can get First with BA for a few hundred dollars more than J with Qantas - not kind of seeing why people are flying Qantas?

Yes, good BA deals on this sector.

 

[amaroo]

We actually want to go to Singapore sometime in the next 6 months so have been looking up flights - I can get First with BA for a few hundred dollars more than J with Qantas - not kind of seeing why people are flying Qantas?

Really easy to pick up classic award seats too:idea:

 

[Kieran2274]

Yeah I will have to look at that - saw the email this morning but haven't checked it yet. I have to admit it is food first money second with us.....

If on quality of food alone, I find SQ F hard to beat in Austral-Asia region.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Really easy to pick up classic award seats too:idea:

Really ? Now that is interesting!

 

[amaroo]

Really ? Now that is interesting!

You have to be prepared to book within a short period of flying.

We've re-deemed quite a few F flights on BA......particular when they flew SYD-BKK-SYD.