"Catering Issue" today MEL-PER, Management wanted plane to depart with nothing!

[Bugalugz]

Hey Guys,

Flew on QF769 MEL-PER today. Something interesting occurred. While waiting to board we were told catering was late and was just loading the aircraft and several departure times came and went until eventually we departed an hour late (thought this story was a bit weird as I had seen the A/C pull up from the J lounge a solid couple of hrs prior to departure)

Once we got on board the Captain explained that catering had stuffed up and loaded the wrong aircraft with the catering and therefore we were left with nothing. QF Management wanted us to depart with absolutely no catering what so ever and were happy for that to happen. However the Captain said that he wasn't happy and that the aircraft was to be loaded with catering.

I spoke to a crew member during flight and she said that they were told to depart with no food/drinks and there wasn't even a bottle of water on board, however for a 4+hr flight management decided that there was no issue not to have water or food on board!

I'm glad it didn't happen as I would have been mighty peeved not only because I paid for J but I couldn't even get a seat in PER QF Club due to "Overcrowding" today let alone food/drink for my connecting flight.

Is this something that happens often? I'm just glad the crew stood up and said no.....would of been pretty shocking not to even have water on board except the domestic water in the toilets :shock:

On a positive note, Jetconnect crew were excellent today AKL-MEL! Light load would have helped but crew were very attentive and couldn't have done enough for me. Loved the Sparking at 6am too

 

[jetlagger]

Imagine the resulting effect of potential violence & cannibalism in the Y &/or J class if the minimal H2o & other related F&B items were not loaded.. :shock: Not a good call... Obviously fortunately rectified though. +1 for the Captain braving up to 'idiotic" Mgmt.

 

[qantas21]

Imagine the resulting effect of potential violence & canalbalism in the Y class if the minimal H2o & other related F&B items were not loaded.. :shock: Not a good call... Obviously fortunately rectified though. +1 for the Captain braving up to 'idiotic" Mgmt.

Or maybe the Captain couldn't live without his coffee and cake?

 

[yohy?!]

Or maybe the Captain couldn't live without his coffee and cake?

QF Management lurker?

 

[qantas21]

QF Management lurker?

...? Nope!

 

[anat0l]

It just begs the "obvious" tag that the management were obviously more concerned about getting people away (meeting on-time targets, not putting aircraft out of place) and less about the actual well-being or dynamics on board.

But for a 4+ hour flight, an idiotic thing to consider there will be no catering.

Moreover, I would be seriously looking at who really stuffed up on the ground with the "wrong catering", and hanging them out to dry.

It begs for some comprehensible explanation, "How in the heck do you load the wrong plane with catering?"


Good to see that the crew stood their ground on sensibility, unlike the QF management.


Note that the water in the toilets is not potable (i.e. not intended to be consumed). It isn't poisonous, but you shouldn't drink it. If that aircraft took off without potable water and someone got sick from having to be forced to drink the water in the toilets, then I'd like to see the QF management who sent off that aircraft as-is pay for that mistake with their lives.


So much for "Spirit of Safety".

 

[AVC]

I guess better than refulleing the wrong aircraft.

And you remember what happened in Flying High when the announcement was made "oh, and we're out of coffee".

What would the FAs be doing all flight? Most likely hiding behind the reinforced flight deck door...

 

[Leumas]

It's easy to 'blame management'. I want my people to solve problems and not just pass the buck. Yes, I can believe catering stuffed up, but I don't believe the captain or the crew can't do more.

It wouldn't surprise me this captain was happy to wear certain uniforms or make certain announcements last year that 'management' didn't approve either.

 

[JohnPhelan]

It's a bit of a broad brush to blame "QF management". It would actually have been someone in the QF Ops Centre. Those people are very equipment-focussed, so from their perspective, all about sticking to schedule and getting the aircraft where it needed to be for the rest of the day. Passenger welfare and comfort is not on their radar!

Of course the Captain made the right call and I'm certain EVERY QF captain would have done the same thing. And the real "QF management" would agree!

 

[MarkD]

Imagine the resulting effect of potential violence & cannibalism in the Y class if the minimal H2o & other related F&B items were not loaded.. :shock: Not a good call... Obviously fortunately rectified though. +1 for the Captain braving up to 'idiotic" Mgmt.

Why do you single out y class? Are you j class lot more civilized and restrained than us beggars leppers and feral coughs in economy. Fair dinkum this forum is getting so bloody snobby lately


Excuse the typos, this was sent from my iPhone using Fat fingers

 

[burrco]

Perhaps they should have offloaded the passengers and sent the plane out empty - one way to guarantee the on time departure/arrival stat. Sort of like Sir Humphrey praising the efficiency of the hospital with no patients!

 

[DC3]

Or maybe the Captain couldn't live without his coffee and cake?

The Captain can have all the coffee and cake that he likes, if it means that I could get a feed as well.

 

[Taezar]

Would I rather get to my destination reasonably on time or do I want to be delayed for an hour or so for a some food?
Easy answer... for me at least.

 

[anat0l]

Would I rather get to my destination reasonably on time or do I want to be delayed for an hour or so for a some food?
Easy answer... for me at least.

The food is probably not so important if for the sake of having potable water on board.

Also, given that a meal is provided on that flight and QF market this heavily, it is unlikely they would get away with such an action without compensation (and then it becomes a weigh-up of which scenario - fix prior or fix after - is the better one).

 

[Flying Fox]

I think that 'no catering' for a flight of that duration was the wrong call. Some people can get very ill without F&B for that length of time. (I'm not one of them and could miss a few meals here and there!). I'm sure that others also factor their flight meals into their daily schedule so when I'm in PTH and flying home, I generally don't eat too much in the lounge as I'm expecting to be fed on the flight home.

I think that this puts the FAs in an extremely difficult position with nothing to do, nothing to offer and probably death stares for the entire length of the flight.

For a flight such as ADL-MEL (1hr) I don't think its such a big deal.

 

[harvyk]

Having had the displeasure of being on a 4+ hour flight with no food, the cap't made the absolute right call, no doubt about it...

 

[Bugalugz]

Don't want to get anyone into trouble but according to the crew member I spoke to, it was definitely management that wanted this aircraft to continue as it was escalated from the Operations Centre, so not sure whats above that but those people wanted the aircraft to get moving.

Like others the food doesn't worry me as much its more having water and wine!! I would of been happy if they just had of loaded wine personally but yeah was very happy the crew stood their ground and put themselves on the line for the 1hr delay and the best thing was we actually made up the entire hour and a bit and landed on time! Must of been full throttle all the way to Perth!

 

[jetlagger]

Why do you single out y class? Are you j class lot more civilized and restrained than us beggars leppers and feral coughs in economy. Fair dinkum this forum is getting so bloody snobby lately


Excuse the typos, this was sent from my iPhone using Fat fingers

MarkD.. I wasn't being 'elitist" or implying any snob value in any sense.. I failed in omitting the J class as well... I was merely looking at the ratio of pax numbers.. I shall amend the thread so as not to offend any sensitivities.. As I for the record also spend much of my self funded flying in Y class.
cheers jl

 

[mannej]

MarkD.. I wasn't being 'elitist" or implying any snob value in any sense.. I failed in omitting the J class as well... I was merely looking at the ratio of pax numbers.. I shall amend the thread so as not to offend any sensitivities.. As I for the record also spend much of my self funded flying in Y class.
cheers jl

TBH first thought was power in numbers more than any elitist J Class over Y etc.

 

[NM]

Having had the displeasure of being on a 4+ hour flight with no food, the cap't made the absolute right call, no doubt about it...

Ahh, you have flown in the USA too