Qantas Business Class meals & menus

[FlyingKangaroo]

On this route in particular it is a known issue and to an extent beyond their control. They have to fly in the food for the flight back, so it won't be fresh and it will be pretty simple. So unless food starts getting offered by a third party provider in Apia what would you have them do? Cancel the route?

Is it not possible for Qantas to engage a third-party provider? Or do they choose not to because of cost, logistics, etc.? The answer to that question is important.

Regardless, at a bare minimum, Qantas should be upfront and proactive in advising customers on this route (and others similarly affected) that these meal services are heavily reduced and on what to expect so they can plan ahead.

Apia's airport isn't out of this world, but it has several eateries. Give affected pax a voucher to these to purchase grab-and-go items to bring on board.

There are many options between the current offering and "cancel the route".

 

[PERLHR]

On this route in particular it is a known issue and to an extent beyond their control. They have to fly in the food for the flight back, so it won't be fresh and it will be pretty simple. So unless food starts getting offered by a third party provider in Apia what would you have them do? Cancel the route?

I think this is far to defensive. They can think outside the box....wrapped croissants, jam, fruit, (not full of sugar), even omelettes to be warmed up would all fit the bill better. Long haul flights manage fine to provide a proper breakfast after 11 hours flying...I'm sure QF could also on a 737 after 5 hours plus two on the ground. They just can't be bothered being proactive.

Complain. I did last August and got 10,000 QFF points immediately. The standard form response they send tries to gaslight you into thinking it's a one-off, but it's not. This is the same meal they've been serving for years.

Good idea. I already have one in the system with faulty seats in biz (inoperative), might as well have another!!

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

I think this is far to defensive. They can think outside the box....wrapped croissants, jam, fruit, (not full of sugar), even omelettes to be warmed up would all fit the bill better. Long haul flights manage fine to provide a proper breakfast after 11 hours flying...I'm sure QF could also on a 737 after 5 hours plus two on the ground. They just can't be bothered being proactive.

Good idea. I already have one in the system with faulty seats on biz (inoperative), might as well have another!!

The limitation here I believe is a genuine inability to keep meals chilled overnight on the 737 without aircraft power, which prevents them from loading non-shelf stable food for the flight back, be it warm or cold. (How even bread or fresh fruit don't make the cut seems odd but I suspect that's regulated somewhere in their food safety rules.)

So I can certainly accept the limitation; what I don't accept is that there is no alternative. Rather, I suspect it is because the alternatives cost money and logistical time, neither of which QF wants to spend.

It's been pointed out that Apia doesn't have a dedicated airport caterer. Can no offsite third-parties provide meals? Can the airport not provide access to a refrigerator overnight?

Even if the answer to both those questions is no, I highly doubt Qantas could not provide vouchers to airport eateries and - again - simply warn pax in advance so they can prepare, a warning that would cost them precisely nothing.

But yes - agree on the complaint. It's the only way to send the message, even if it goes nowhere.

 

[Mr_Orange]

keep meals chilled overnight on the 737 without aircraft power,

Does the aircraft have to sit over night? Maybe they could reschedule the flights to avoid that apparent restriction on food types.

 

[PERLHR]

Does the aircraft have to sit over night? Maybe they could reschedule the flights to avoid that apparent restriction on food types.

The aircraft lands from Brisbane around 5am and departs back to Brisbane at 07.40am.

 

[HMcM]

There are many options between the current offering and "cancel the route".

Is it not possible for Qantas to engage a third-party provider? Or do they choose not to because of cost, logistics? The answer to that question is important.

I mean from a commercial point of view the cost and logistics can decide whether or not it is worth them running that route vs other routes the planes could be on. If the cost to properly cater this flight is going to be prohibitive then the choices are to do this or cancel the route.

Regardless, at a bare minimum, Qantas should be upfront and proactive in advising customers on this route (and others similarly affected) that these meal services are heavily reduced and on what to expect so they can plan ahead.

I'm perfectly find with the notification.

Apia's airport isn't out of this world, but it has several eateries. Give affected pax a voucher to these to purchase grab-and-go items to bring on board.

Once again. This will affect whether or not this route is worthwhile to fly vs reallocating the jets elsewhere. It may be worth it, it may not be. If it was just $30 / person on the flight they'd be spending just shy of $5k every flight which can eat into their margin decently.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Does the aircraft have to sit over night? Maybe they could reschedule the flights to avoid that apparent restriction on food types.

Retiming the BNE-APW run would certainly be nicer for pax I suspect as that short red-eye from BNE-APW is pretty killer and when on holiday, a 7am departure out of APW isn't ideal either.

However, I know they have the same catering problem with their Tonga flight from Sydney and looking at the schedule, that one doesn't even sit overnight. If the lack of a proper meal on the Tonga-Sydney flight is also because they genuinely can't double cater properly for both outbound and inbound out of SYD, then it means there's more to it, like a space constraint issue for meals on the 737.

But then you'd think they could use some of the galley space for economy to store 12 J-class meals for the return...

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

I mean from a commercial point of view the cost and logistics can decide whether or not it is worth them running that route vs other routes the planes could be on. If the cost to properly cater this flight is going to be prohibitive then the choices are to do this or cancel the route.

I'm perfectly find with the notification.

Once again. This will affect whether or not this route is worthwhile to fly vs reallocating the jets elsewhere. It may be worth it, it may not be. If it was just $30 / person on the flight they'd be spending just shy of $5k every flight which can eat into their margin decently.

It's reasonable to expect the standard Qantas sets and advertises for a 6-hour flight, so yes, a notification is a bare minimum. I wonder why it's not provided.

Also I believe the issue here is primarily about J-class given the far higher cost and expectations Qantas sets. Per your hypothetical, $30 * 12 = $360.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Curious to know what Y pax get for meal/breakfast service then?

 

[Mr_Orange]

The aircraft lands from Brisbane around 5am and departs back to Brisbane at 07.40am.

That's not what is implied by the linked article:



Edit: I have conflated two different flights. The article was talking about Kolor, not Apia.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Curious to know what Y pax get for meal/breakfast service then?

Y gets an assortment of pre-packaged snacks, think 3-4 items you might individually get in Y on golden triangle routes.

J gets the same plus granola, long-life milk, and some dried fruit/nuts.

 

[PERLHR]

J class on both flights were full. The rest of the cabin was also rammed. The cost is not cheap in biz for a return of a 4 dollar breakfast and a 10 dollar dinner. Interestingly the crew who flew the flight overnight on Friday 5th June were same crew today on the 9th. Not a bad layover....however one of the crew mentioned to me that crew layover is being reduced. . something to do with APW to AKL on the 737.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

That's now what is implied by the linked article:

View attachment 509397

Apologies, I was incorrect --- I was mindlessly thinking of Brisbane to Palau which does sit overnight in Palau. PERLHR is correct that the BNE-APW flight turns around immediately back to Brisbane and doesn't sit overnight, and that reflects my own experience.

So for Samoa, the issue is not power to keep meals at a specified temperature; it must be space constraints, which makes it seem even weirder. Does QF really cater every business class flight in the system at its origin on the 737?

(And yes, the crew get a nice break in Samoa for a few days at a nice hotel... we made good friends with the purser on our flight who also was on our flight back a few days later.)

 

[Mr_Orange]

Apologies, I was incorrect --- I was mindlessly thinking of Brisbane to Palau which does sit overnight in Palau. PERLHR is correct that the BNE-APW flight turns around immediately back to Brisbane and doesn't sit overnight, and that reflects my own experience.

So for Samoa, the issue is not power to keep meals at a specified temperature; it must be space constraints, which makes it seem even weirder. Does QF really cater every business class flight in the system at its origin on the 737?

(And yes, the crew get a nice break in Samoa for a few days at a nice hotel... we made good friends with the purser on our flight who also was on our flight back a few days later.)

All good. I realised that I had not soaked in the details of which flight the OP was talking about and which flight the article was discussing. I have edited my post to reflect this.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

All good. I realised that I had not soaked in the details of which flight the OP was talking about and which flight the article was discussing. I have edited my post to reflect this.

No worries. The article talking about this notes both the lack of power facilities on extended layovers and space constraints, both of which may be legitimate issues.

However, I'd never really thought about this long enough to realise that if simple storage capacity is the issue, wouldn't it mean QF can't double cater any 737 flight in J? Unless there's a quirk here with temperature-controlled storage that only makes this an issue for longer flights, wouldn't space constraints mean no airline anywhere could double cater full J-class meals on the 737? But there must be heaps of 737-served cities around the world without catering facilities, so wouldn't this kind of problem be very common?

Someone pull me out of the rabbit hole I'm going down!

 

[stm1sydney]

The aircraft lands from Brisbane around 5am and departs back to Brisbane at 07.40am.

There you go then. No excuse (like "lack of overnight refrigeration") for not properly catering the return sector. But if they are giving crew a four day layover/holiday then that is wildly costly and no wonder they are trying to cut costs wherever else they can.

 

[PERLHR]

No worries. The article talking about this notes both the lack of power facilities on extended layovers and space constraints, both of which may be legitimate issues.

However, I'd never really thought about this long enough to realise that if simple storage capacity is the issue, wouldn't it mean QF can't double cater any 737 flight in J? Unless there's a quirk here with temperature-controlled storage that only makes this an issue for longer flights, wouldn't space constraints mean no airline anywhere could double cater full J-class meals on the 737? But there must be heaps of 737-served cities around the world without catering facilities, so wouldn't this kind of problem be very common?

Someone pull me out of the rabbit hole I'm going down!

Been on plenty 737s around europe where never had catering probs on relatively longer flights....but again who knows, perhaps most actually have airport contracts in place when using overseas airports. Again interesting to see perhaps what WestJet do as an example when flying Canada inbound Europe with relatively tight turn around on the MAX. Probably do however uplift at Euro airport.

Qantas do disappoint me when I do fly them especially when I consider the bottom line price. . Just, if you please excuse the pun, not my cuppa T. Infact it actually backs up my favouritism for Virgin Australia in biz after recent flights.

Now it's on another flight and 737 back to Perth. The wider seat version with no screens and old but fancy seat control buttons. Let's see what they "dish" up on this one!

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

There you go then. No excuse (like "lack of overnight refrigeration") for not properly catering the return sector. But if they are giving crew a four day layover/holiday then that is wildly costly and no wonder they are trying to cut costs wherever else they can.

QF has also added AKL-APW on alternative days to the BNE flight; however, if that flight leverages Jetconnect crews out of NZ, presumably they can't interchange crews to shorten the layovers and the BNE-based crew will presumably continue to enjoy their extended sojourns. Unsurprisingly, the purser I mentioned above said she loves the Apia route for precisely that reason.

The AKL-APW flight does overnight in Apia, and presumably the APW-AKL has the same problem as the BNE flight.

Incidentally, I just checked my cupboard as I wondered if I still had some of the snacks they'd served on APW-BNE that I never ate last year... Look familiar? (I should clean out this cupboard...)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

No worries. The article talking about this notes both the lack of power facilities on extended layovers and space constraints, both of which may be legitimate issues.

However, I'd never really thought about this long enough to realise that if simple storage capacity is the issue, wouldn't it mean QF can't double cater any 737 flight in J? Unless there's a quirk here with temperature-controlled storage that only makes this an issue for longer flights, wouldn't space constraints mean no airline anywhere could double cater full J-class meals on the 737? But there must be heaps of 737-served cities around the world without catering facilities, so wouldn't this kind of problem be very common?

Someone pull me out of the rabbit hole I'm going down!

It’s not so much an issue of considering space for double catering… some European business cabins can run in to 30-40 pax, or more on an a321. Every pax is catered for, and on longer flights those can be substantial meals with starters and dessert.

So if you can cater for 40 pax, you should be able to cater for 2 x 12 pax. Space shouldn’t really be an issue. (Indeed in thr early days when we had both first and business class domestically in australia, with variable cabin sizes, we often exceeded 12 pax… more like 24-36. And there was space for all of those.)