Jetstar I do not want breakfast at 2.45am

[Stephen65]

Flew back on JQ *class from SIN last weekend. Flight left SIN at 9pm local time/11pm Australian time and was due to arrive at 4.45am SIN time/6.45 am MEL time.

After the evening meal I settled off to sleep at about 11pm/1am. I was asked to pull my window shade down on the basis that "otherwise the sun will wake people up" - I didnt have the energy to point out that we would be landing before dawn.

As it turned out the sun was moot as something else woke us all up long before dawn - at 2.45am/4.45am all the cabin lights went on throughout the aircraft and JQ cabin staff started serving a breakfast consisting of soggy cereal and half-stale bun. I inquired whether we were about to land and was told that landing was still two hours away. I informed her that I didn't eat breakfast at 2.45am or 4.45am and tried to get back to sleep. What the Y passengers, most of whom wouldn't have even paid for breakfast, thought of this I can only guess. My attempts at sleep were soon terminated by JQ playing a stupid jingoistic Highlights of Victoria video at full volume over the cabin loudspeakers a little later.

I can understand that on a long flight crossing many timezones it makes sense to serve meals by reference to the destination timezone regardless of the departure timezone time (but even then 4.45am is a bit too much) but on a 8 hour MEL-SIN flight I really really would rather have extra sleep than breakfast at 2.45/4.45am, particularly if its JQ breakfast. Also, if you must play a video at least have the decency to put the sound through the headphones.

 

[Mal]

It's not unusual for JQ, Qantas or even other airlines to start meal service 2 hours before landing due to the work involved. I've had meal service started (in J for example) 3 hours before landing sometimes.

Agree it's annoying when you want to sleep, but unfortunately that's how it works.

 

[harvyk]

This is pretty standard stuff... Most long haul flights I've been on where breaky has been served it's always been served at some "interesting" hour of the day with little relation to either the departure or destination timezone (or current time zone for that matter). It's always been a case of "well if we're landing in the early morning and we're going to serve breakfast, we'll do it when we're ready".

I agree, eating breakfast at 3am is not normally the done thing, but neither is totally confusing your body clock by flying over multiple time zones...

As a side note I do find the insistance of some cabin crews on having the window shades down very irritating, especially if they insist on it soon after take off (even though it'll be hours before any real sleeping will be done, and the sun will be down by then anyway). It negates any benefit in having a window seat.

 

[Stephen65]

I think it is much more justifiable if you are crossing many timezones so that your body clock is going to be hopelessly confused anyway. But SIN-MEL is only two hours difference so it seems unnecessary to serve a 2.45am/4.45am meal for the sake of ticking the box to say that a breakfast was offered - especially after people have only gone to sleep a few hours earlier.

 

[anat0l]

As many people have said, it is almost stock standard what they do.

I flew a couple of Korean red-eyes recently. For each one, the timezone difference was 1 hour for a flight of about 5 hours. We had a supper and/or breakfast served, but either way a meal was served about 90 minutes before landing, which translated essentially to something like 2.30-3.30am in the morning.

The first time I did it the crew served two meals and I barely got a wink until I woke up for breakfast (the sounds and smells give it away) - admittedly they skipped me since I was asleep, but when they noticed me awaken I was served.

For the second time, it was only supper being served (and a shorter flight!), so before take off I asked the FA to serve my supper before landing rather than after take off. She woke me up gently (after I somehow regained mental consciousness) with an hour to spare.

In both cases, the lights were on when I awoke.

In an unusual difference, when I flew QF10 SIN-MEL (which arrives at about 0500h), the lights were not turned on when the light breakfast was served. I especially noticed this as I was chatting with the F crew and looking into the F cabin, but I also looked into Y and IIRC the lights were also not turned on (but I could be wrong here...). OTOH I've flown a couple of Australian trans-con red-eyes and in both cases when breakfast (or the landing refreshment, as it were) was served, the lights were switched on (preceded with a PA announcement of "I trust you managed to get some rest" - yeah, right...)

Most airlines serve this breakfast even at this time because some people do want to eat and hit the ground running. To be more cynical, if you did not offer a meal of sorts, some people would be mighty annoyed in expecting a second meal for a 'long haul' flight but not getting one. Perhaps you should be more vocal about your complaint to JQ - after all, if they can get away with not serving this breakfast, they could save so much money = you'd be doing them a favour....

As for the videos over the PA system (e.g. tourist videos, arrival information, the Welcome to Quarantine Country video, etc.), the main reason they screen them over the PA is much like the safety video - everyone can hear it and there is no escape. Additionally for JQ, not everyone in Y will have purchased / utilised head sets. Now why would you force everyone to listen to a tourist information video is beyond me. Then again, I flew MH BNE-KUL and early in the morning just before touchdown we were "treated" to a loud rendition of a cheesy Tourism Malaysia jingle-istic song declaring how wonderful a place Malaysia is to visit. That 5 minute ++ video preceded the real important information - how to get through KUL. Priorities, priorities....

The best you can do in these situations are:

• Use an eye-shade to block out light.
• If you have ear plugs or a noise cancelling headset, you can use these to block noise.
• Try and advise the cabin manager or a FA to not wake you up until the cabin must be prepared for landing, including skipping you for breakfast. They might not listen to you, but you can try.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I think it is much more justifiable if you are crossing many timezones so that your body clock is going to be hopelessly confused anyway. But SIN-MEL is only two hours difference so it seems unnecessary to serve a 2.45am/4.45am meal for the sake of ticking the box to say that a breakfast was offered - especially after people have only gone to sleep a few hours earlier.

Reminds of that hospital joke where nurse says to patient "wake up it's time for your sleeping tablet". :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[Awesom Andy]

Not sure what changed, but 4 months ago (also in *C), breakfast on that same flight was served with the lights off. They served in the order of when pax woke up, until about 90mins before landing when they would wake up everyone else in the cabin.

 

[dajop]

Most airlines serve this breakfast even at this time because some people do want to eat and hit the ground running. To be more cynical, if you did not offer a meal of sorts, some people would be mighty annoyed in expecting a second meal for a 'long haul' flight but not getting one. Perhaps you should be more vocal about your complaint to JQ - after all, if they can get away with not serving this breakfast, they could save so much money = you'd be doing them a favour....

SQ & QF both offer a very light breakfast on this particular route/departure, so light that if I have the good fortune of travelling in J I am more than happy to miss the breakfast and put the "do not disturb" light on (SQ) or use other mechanism to let FA know my desire not to be woken. The later SQ flight SIN-MEL only has one meal - choice of supper or breakfast and many skip both in the interests of sleep. But there are as you some people who get annoyed at this.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I like the QF premium approach, they do ask if you want to be woken.Singaporeans are officious about breakfast in my experience. Forcing it done your throats as if you were locked up at Changi still.

 

[Awesom Andy]

I like the QF premium approach, they do ask if you want to be woken.Singaporeans are officious about breakfast in my experience. Forcing it done your throats as if you were locked up at Changi still.

It's the same in Y. QF generally doesn't wake you up when you are flying in the back cabins, while SQ always give you a tap on your shoulder to wake you up to check that you actually want to sleep without any disturbance.

 

[drron]

Reminds of that hospital joke where nurse says to patient "wake up it's time for your sleeping tablet". :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

That's actually from real life.Happens most nights.

 

[justin23]

I wish I could actually sleep on the plane. I fail to sleep in Y, Y+ or J. I'm thinking of sleeping tablets for next time!
I completley agree with the meal times being strange, but they don't have a lot of options really.

As a non-sleeper, breakfast breaks up the long journey if only for 30 minutes....

 

[aquadream]

My issue is usually not with the timing of the breakfast, but with the content.

Breakfast on Qantas LON to SIN in first class (QFF points) was the usual cereal, fruit (melon, no doubt) and heavy stuff. I ended up with a croissant so small I almost needed tweezers to pick up. Had to keep requesting more (they were given one by one) and felt like a pig doing so.

But at least it wasn't curry. Has anyone else noticed an unusually high number of curry options on Qantas flights?

 

[mannej]

Nothing wrong with a Curry- Much more tastier than the pork (?) served of late.

 

[timster]

My issue is usually not with the timing of the breakfast, but with the content.

I also don't mind when I get my breakfast, as long as it's hot.

There should be a law against cold breakfasts on long haul in economy. I seem to recall that Qantas and BA breakfasts were always hot at some point in the past. I haven't quite figured out the pattern now, but they still serve decent hot breakfasts (omelette etc) in economy into some ports (which ? London ?), but horrible, horrible cold breakfasts into others (Melbourne, Sydney, others ?). You're woken at an ungodly hour when you feel like death, you're often cold, and a hot breakfast has the potential to cheer you up immensely (no exaggeration) ... and a cold one has you swearing that you'll never fly with this bloody airline again.

 

[JohnK]

I would not want to be woken at any time of the day/night for cereal.

Now if it was bacon & eggs, even in economy, it is a different story....

 

[harriaj]

Why don't airlines just employ the approach of QR and EK with the stickers you put on the top of your seat outlining whether you (1) do not want to be disturbed, (2) would like to be woken for food or (3) would like to woken for duty free. Although I never quite know which seat they mean - mine, or the seat in front of me...

 

[drewbles]

What gets me more annoyed is the type of meal being served.

On a QF30 flight a few months back, leaving LHR in the evening, we were served dinner. Fair enough that's to be expected.

Upon approach into SIN, we were served Breakfast... and landed at around 7:30pm. What the hell is with that? I can appreciate it was around 12 hours of flying, but just because it's been 12 hours since I ate a full meal does not mean I want the next 'in sequence' meal; serve me something light on take off (call it supper or a snack if you like) and then dinner on landing.

I also despise it when an airline forces people to close window shades on a daytime flight. Flying from DOH to BRU earlier in the year I was forced to do so, despite it being only a 7 hour flight, and times being conducive to leaving blinds open for people to be in a 'normal day' time zone.

Perhaps they need a 'Sun or No Sun' zone on a plane (replace the no smoking sign with a no-window-shutters sign)

 

[ozmille]

Can't really remember the last time I was woken up for breakfast. Last couple of flights SWMBO woke me about 90 mins before landing to get some breaky. Usually when coming into SYD from o/s I like to sleep as long as possible and then go for breakfast at Coogee. Best way to get back in the rhytm

 

[Simo]

Coming back from HKG they served dinner at app 10am Aust but it was 8am HKG time.

Didn't eat it...

Too late for dinner as they served a snack at about 5ish and thought gee that dinner was a cough meal.

We landed in BNE at app midnight.

It was a CX flight