Economy Refresh

[blackcat20]

Judging from the last Snack on Q bag I got, I don't think they could put any less snacks in the bag as it is! (Perhaps I wasn't on a long enough sector)

I agree; on my flight to LAX on a 744 last week we got cookies, muesli bar and breath mints....glad my sister gave me a stash of lollies for the flight cos I got hungry! Last time I flew on the A380 hunger was definitely not a problem.

 

[oz_mark]

Not so sure if this is a hot move (no pun intended). How many people like rabbit food, much more Y rabbit food? Even if it were equivalent to a J quality salad, that'd still be a stretch. A warm salad might be an idea, but still... or even a Charcuterie selection with antipasto.... Can anyone else think of something more creative than salad which is 'cold' and constitutes a meal?

It's not a salad, it's a Cold Plate Still, there are a proportion of people that are quite happy with a cold meal, especially for a lunch meal.

 

[mannej]

Sometimes it is the cold meal that is the least upsetting on a travellers stomach. I do not know why some airlines insist on hot meals (i.e breakfast) and no other choice. I find this a positive move.

What type of changes will this bring to the PER-SIN/HKG and SIN/HKG-PER flights if any?

 

[serfty]

Actually, I have a philosophy that's it's the very rare cold meal that's overcooked.

 

[milehighclub]

What type of changes will this bring to the PER-SIN/HKG and SIN/HKG-PER flights if any?

On PER-SIN/AUS-HKG/SYD-NRT and return, the service will remain the same. The service offered remains appropriate for the length of these flights.

The refresh is about offering the right service on the right route a opposed to a "one model suits all" approach. The biggest changes are for long day light sectors (QF7/18/63/11/25/93/15/107/17/32 and 29 ex HKG)

Long overnight flights will be as they are today. Short day/night sectors will have some very small changes.

Don't forget there will now also be Bodum tea and coffee in economy. As I said in an earlier post, you may see the tray size reduced on some flights, however NOTHING has been removed from them (more has been added!). They are simply smaller in order to load more and better refreshments.

 

[lsmi4126]

If Y is getting bodum coffee, does that mean Y+ and J will get Espresso (queue the installation nespresso machines.....)???

 

[milehighclub]

If Y is getting bodum coffee, does that mean Y+ and J will get Espresso (queue the installation nespresso machines.....)???

No, for various reasons including cost, but there would also be no where to put it. In order to install something like that, you would have to rip out the entire galley, rebuild it, and all the plumbing that goes with it. A costly exercise, and would take the aircraft out of service for days.

Don't forget J on the A380 has espresso machines.

I know Virgin has them, but they also got an aircraft that had the same machine as Qantas, so simply replaced it with a Nespresso one - no major reconfiguration required.

 

[JohnK]

When I did LAX-BNE a few months later that was the most hungry I've ever felt on a plane. On a 14 hour flight, 2 meals and a snack on Q bag oftan left me a little wanting.

I know it is only a small sample but I have done SYD-LAX twice now and I have been starving when I got to the destination each time. The second time they did not even have enough Q snack bags for those in economy sitting in premium economy.

 

[lsmi4126]

Don't forget J on the A380 has espresso machines.

Really? I've never been offered and just assumed there wasn't any - will definately make amends for that starting on my trip next fortnight!

 

[milehighclub]

Really? I've never been offered and just assumed there wasn't any - will definately make amends for that starting on my trip next fortnight!

Correct - you wouldn't have been. It's not printed on the menu either.

Initially there were Nespresso machines planed for the A380. They ended up with the same machine as on the 747, which allows us to use our own choice of coffee, as the times change. Due to the massive amount of time it takes to make one coffee and our crew ratio - it isn't offered in business on the menu. However if you ask for one, the crew will be more than happy to make it.

 

[anat0l]

Correct - you wouldn't have been. It's not printed on the menu either.

Initially there were Nespresso machines planed for the A380. They ended up with the same machine as on the 747, which allows us to use our own choice of coffee, as the times change. Due to the massive amount of time it takes to make one coffee and our crew ratio - it isn't offered in business on the menu. However if you ask for one, the crew will be more than happy to make it.

Hopefully when lsmi4126 does request one the FA who attends them will not say, "Sorry, we don't do espresso coffee in Business class." I know that it would be waaaay too easy to do that and get away with it.

Incidentally, how long would it take to make a coffee using the espresso machine? From the sound of your response, it seems disproportionate compared to achieving the same thing on the ground (give or take some lengthier time in the air due to the boiling point of water in a pressurised cabin).

 

[suey]

-On long day sectors, passengers who have a special meal, will now get their own refresh bag with snacks appropriate to their dietary requirement

Oh no I already get shafted with special meals because I simply don't eat meat... Not only do a get a disgraceful vego meal - and its been the same dodgy selection since I started flying frequently a few years ago, I don't get any cheese and biccies or deserts, choccies etc, just a dodgy piece of fruit, a "salad" that more times than not consists of just lettuce leaves and a small cold rock, which I am guessing is intended on being a bread roll... For some reason the qantas catering people think that no meat, means no food and I have to watch passengers next to me with their cheese, chocolates and desserts... Although sometimes I am lucky to get an attrocious wheat free, gluten free, dairy free, flavour free defrosted quinoa rhubarb "cake", lucky me

At least if I can't eat the "food" I have the snack on q bag to fall back on (although the contents have declined a lot since I started flying), so I hate to imagine what a 'vegetarian' snack bag will look like... Will they just lump all special meals in the same category like they lump all special meal trays and fill it with carrot sticks and wheat, gluten, salt, dairy, fat and flavour free hummos or something equally delicious? Looks like BYO snacks for me...

 

[milehighclub]

Incidentally, how long would it take to make a coffee using the espresso machine? From the sound of your response, it seems disproportionate compared to achieving the same thing on the ground (give or take some lengthier time in the air due to the boiling point of water in a pressurised cabin).

As with everything on the aircraft it takes a thousand times longer on a machine a million times more expensive to do the same thing on the ground.

Eggs take at least 20 minutes to cook

Coffee - I will conduct a scientific test next time I am at work compared to the one I get before work from a proper machine. The more you make though, the better the machine works. If your using it after it hasn't been used for a bit, it can be at least a minute (which isn't long per se, but your not warming much milk either). Some machines work better than others too.

Toaster (A380) can take at least 10 minutes just to warm up.

 

[milehighclub]

Oh no I already get shafted with special meals because I simply don't eat meat... Not only do a get a disgraceful vego meal - and its been the same dodgy selection since I started flying frequently a few years ago, I don't get any cheese and biccies or deserts, choccies etc, just a dodgy piece of fruit, a "salad" that more times than not consists of just lettuce leaves and a small cold rock, which I am guessing is intended on being a bread roll... For some reason the qantas catering people think that no meat, means no food and I have to watch passengers next to me with their cheese, chocolates and desserts... Although sometimes I am lucky to get an attrocious wheat free, gluten free, dairy free, flavour free defrosted quinoa rhubarb "cake", lucky me

At least if I can't eat the "food" I have the snack on q bag to fall back on (although the contents have declined a lot since I started flying), so I hate to imagine what a 'vegetarian' snack bag will look like... Will they just lump all special meals in the same category like they lump all special meal trays and fill it with carrot sticks and wheat, gluten, salt, dairy, fat and flavour free hummos or something equally delicious? Looks like BYO snacks for me...

The mid flight snack for special meals was a suitable sandwich and sweet item. However even if you do order a VLML, the pizza will be suitable for you as well. The pizza is loaded 100% so if you see the crew coming through, just take one when it is being offered.

Other snacks offered during the flight like cheese, caramel slice etc you will also be able to have (if your allowed too) as the crew will just come through and offer them from a bowl/tray - simply take one.

On flights where all passengers get a snack bag (long night sectors) you will get the same one.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Incidentally, how long would it take to make a coffee using the espresso machine? From the sound of your response, it seems disproportionate compared to achieving the same thing on the ground (give or take some lengthier time in the air due to the boiling point of water in a pressurised cabin).

Probably the same as in F - a couple of minutes usually. My last trip (on Wed on the A380) it was about 2-3 minutes, plus another few minutes to get a croissant.

 

[NM]

The mid flight snack for special meals was a suitable sandwich and sweet item. However even if you do order a VLML, the pizza will be suitable for you as well. The pizza is loaded 100% so if you see the crew coming through, just take one when it is being offered.

the box in which the Pizza is heated and delivered actually has VLML printed on it. The pizza was quite acceptable in my opinion . Was described as Mozzarella, Tomato and Rocket Pizza.

 

[rechoboam]

As with everything on the aircraft it takes a thousand times longer on a machine a million times more expensive to do the same thing on the ground.

Eggs take at least 20 minutes to cook

Coffee - I will conduct a scientific test next time I am at work compared to the one I get before work from a proper machine. The more you make though, the better the machine works. If your using it after it hasn't been used for a bit, it can be at least a minute (which isn't long per se, but your not warming much milk either). Some machines work better than others too.

Toaster (A380) can take at least 10 minutes just to warm up.

Why not use a pod system? The water shouldn't have to boil. And seriously do Y pax get a muesli bar all the way across the Pacific? Or did I misunderstand?

 

[Rebekkap]

... give or take some lengthier time in the air due to the boiling point of water in a pressurised cabin...

Surely water boils at a *lower* temperature in a pressurised cabin?

As I understand it (it's admittedly a while since I did physics), the boiling point of water at one atmosphere of pressure (i.e. sea level) is 100 degrees C, and boils at a lower temperature as you rise above sea level.

Cabin altitude, according to wikipedia, is set to be the same as around 2,400 m above sea level

Cabin pressurization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Water will therefore boil at around 92 degrees celcius - faster than on the ground, not slower!

Which does explain why as milehighclub said it takes longer to cook eggs -but it should be faster to make a coffee and I can see no reason why toast should take longer.

 

[loobloke]

Whilst you are right about pressure, I believe power output is quite limited on an aircraft.

 

[nlagalle]

Surely water boils at a *lower* temperature in a pressurised cabin?

As I understand it (it's admittedly a while since I did physics), the boiling point of water at one atmosphere of pressure (i.e. sea level) is 100 degrees C, and boils at a lower temperature as you rise above sea level.

Cabin altitude, according to wikipedia, is set to be the same as around 2,400 m above sea level

Cabin pressurization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Water will therefore boil at around 92 degrees celcius - faster than on the ground, not slower!

Which does explain why as milehighclub said it takes longer to cook eggs -but it should be faster to make a coffee and I can see no reason why toast should take longer.

You are correct about the boiling point being lower, however the time it takes to boil the water is longer.

I couldn't find the exact wording but this is pretty close:

The boiling point of water is typically considered to be 100 °C or 212 °F. Pressure and a change in composition of the liquid may alter the boiling point of the liquid. For this reason, high elevation cooking generally takes longer since boiling point is a function of atmospheric pressure. In Denver, Colorado, which is at an elevation of about one mile, water boils at approximately 95 °C.[SUP][2][/SUP] Depending on the type of food and the elevation, the boiling water may not be hot enough to cook the food properly. Similarly, increasing the pressure as in a pressure cooker raises the temperature of the contents above the open air boiling point.

Boiling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also if you look up high altitude climbing there are stories where the water would boil at 65 odd degrees but take a long time to get there. Also there is the power output as mentioned above.