Qantas removes bottled drinking water for business/premium economy

[MEL_Traveller]

Per Crikey Plane Talking - as of today, no more large bottles of water to be carried on QF services for business and premium economy. Instead, local water supplies will be used and filtered.

Small bottle(s) will continue to be available.

Qantas takes bottled water out of biz class | Plane Talking

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

Per Crikey Plane Talking - as of today, no more large bottles of water to be carried on QF services for business and premium economy. Instead, local water supplies will be used and filtered.

Small bottle(s) will continue to be available.

Qantas takes bottled water out of biz class | Plane Talking

Further devaluation of an already wavering and inconsistent business product. Great.

 

[JohnM]

Sounds completely sensible to me. Bottled water, unless sparkling is wanted, is BS.

 

[Timba-Jet]

Abetter coast saving would be to let passengers bring their own 1.5L bottles of water onboard. Oh wait, thats a security issues..... blah blah blah

 

[Happy Trails]

....................

 

[Austman]

The "current procedure in economy" (international) is to initially hand out a bottle of water to each pax and then to do refreshment runs offering water from a jug. In Y, you can always go and ask for another bottle of water. I'd image you could do that too in J and PE.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

The worst aspect of this is the totally ridiculous claim that it is motivated by a desire to reduce Qantas' contribution to landfill waste.
The plastic bottles are recyclable. They don't need to go to landfill.
If they're cost cutting they should just admit it.

I agree that bottled water isn't automatically superior to tap water.
Indeed a lot of bottled water is filtered tap water. The Al Ain water served on EY (and EK?) springs to mind (pardon the pun).
However the alternative onboard isn't tap water, it's from a tank onboard.
I don't necessarily have any concerns about that but apparently some have been raised.

 

[Austman]

The worst aspect of this is the totally ridiculous claim that it is motivated by a desire to reduce Qantas' contribution to landfill waste. The plastic bottles are recyclable. They don't need to go to landfill. If they're cost cutting they should just admit it.

Yes. But you will note how waste is disposed of on planes.

It's not separated AFAIK - it goes into one bin and is compacted. Well, that's what I saw happening.

The water bottles you get on flights from the USA seem almost to be made from Gladwrap! Perhaps they should expand that source of supply.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Sounds completely sensible to me. Bottled water, unless sparkling is wanted, is BS.

Clearly you're a frequent traveler to Asian countries.

 

[Daver6]

This, in my opinion, is pathetic. I don't care if the water in my bottle is just tap water. However, I don't want to have to press the call button and play the waiting game every time I feel like some water or to get another small bottle. Seriously, this is just going to put more load on the hosties. As others have said, cost cutting. Plastic gets recycled.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I guess the obvious solution in J is to always ask for sparkling water.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

This, in my opinion, is pathetic. I don't care if the water in my bottle is just tap water. However, I don't want to have to press the call button and play the waiting game every time I feel like some water or to get another small bottle. Seriously, this is just going to put more load on the hosties. As others have said, cost cutting. Plastic gets recycled.

I'd agree with your sentiments for water loaded in Australia and New Zealand. But some international destinations such as Jakarta? Manila? Shanghai? Perhaps the tank water comes from a filtered source to start with... but quality control could be an issue.

Even then - if the tank is contaminated somewhere along the line, refilling with Aussie or NZ water may not help.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Personally I prefer club soda or sparkling water.
Maybe they'll introduce SodaStreams into the galley

Actually jokes aside, I'm not really impressed by this at all and I will continue to request sparkling.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Never drink it myself. Water that is. They was dogs in it you know. Just stick to wine or beer. It's mostly water, just anyway with antibacterial components.

 

[QFflyermelbourne]

This, in my opinion, is pathetic. I don't care if the water in my bottle is just tap water. However, I don't want to have to press the call button and play the waiting game every time I feel like some water or to get another small bottle. Seriously, this is just going to put more load on the hosties. As others have said, cost cutting. Plastic gets recycled.

In the scenario here, it makes no difference. You obviously don't fly business. Current procedure is water is only served in proper glasses at the beginning of the flight, with the meal and whenever requested. So you do play the waiting game anyway. I actually b live the official story here that it's about reducing environmental impact. They would buy the current more unit Franklin in such quantities and would have negotiated such low rates that I would be surprised if filling a tank was that much cheaper in many ports. Most J customers won't even notice that it's now being poured from a pitcher instead on a mount Franklin bottle.

 

[opusman]

First they came for my hot towels, and I said nothing.

Then they came for my bottled water, and I said nothing.

Then...

 

[RooFlyer]

In the scenario here, it makes no difference. You obviously don't fly business. <snip>.

Oh, I don't know about that.

In the scenario here, it makes no difference. You obviously don't fly business. Current procedure is water is only served in proper glasses at the beginning of the flight, with the meal and whenever requested. So you do play the waiting game anyway. I actually b live the official story here that it's about reducing environmental impact. They would buy the current more unit Franklin in such quantities and would have negotiated such low rates that I would be surprised if filling a tank was that much cheaper in many ports. Most J customers won't even notice that it's now being poured from a pitcher instead on a mount Franklin bottle.

People can't tell if something is poured from a pitcher rather than from a bottle? Obviously taken TheRealTMA's advice beforehand

I suppose you also believe that hotel's reduction in laundry services is to protect the environment as well .

Edit: Interesting that Denpasar services are excepted!!

 

[Comoman]

More penny pinching with the weak excuse of environmental reasons.

Really poor really. Interesting DPS is excluded.....

 

[JohnM]

Clearly you're a frequent traveler to Asian countries.

Ignoring your uncalled-for sarcasm - put this in context, please.

QF hardly swoops an A380 into a village in the back-blocks of Rajasthan to fill up the potable water from an coughnic-laden standpipe or hovers it over the lower Ganges with a straw to gather a load of E. coli-laden sludge.

They fill up with chlorinated and HEPA-filtered water in first-world quality locations. If they can't do that, do you seriously think they will just hook up the nearest garden hose and hope for the best?

I'd rather have chlorinated and filtered water than stuff from a PET bottle that went down the production line and came out loaded with potentially carcinogenic plasticiser eluate. And... anyone remember the (several) Evian scandals?

I travel a lot in Latin America and Africa. In many places there (and illogically, IMO, in many parts of Europe), people habitually use bottled water in cities and towns with modern reticulated water supplies - with all the attendant garbage that flows from all those bottles. Funny how the back label invariably mentions the name of a company starting with 'C' - and that the water is filtered.

Of course I use bottled water - when necessary.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

They fill up with chlorinated and HEPA-filtered water in first-world quality locations.

Indonesia, Philippines, China?

Even the UK I don't drink the tap water or treated water available in London.