Business Class Catering Mess Up Compensation- Help?!

[JessicaTam]

JessT will be onto this in a flash.

Are you allergic to animal protein if it made you ill? Or was it the thought that you had eaten animal products?

From the sounds of it QF handled the mislabelling problem much more professionally.

 

[Mattg]

$20 worth of Air New Zealand vouchers (not even cash!) in compensation - really?! That's pathetic.

This is a serious issue and the airline needs to realise this.

 

[jackthomas]

One week on and still no reply from Air NZ apart from saying it was being "redirected"

 

[opusman]

One week on and still no reply from Air NZ apart from saying it was being "redirected"

Into the circular file.

 

[Esther Clerehan]

That is disgraceful. I'd be going after them for more than a voucher. Escalate your complaint to someone higher up. It is not only about the compensation, but about inadequate health and safety checks in their food service.

This is an issue that shows that their catering operation is flawed and needs better quality control.

Definitely escalate on that principle.

 

[Altair]

If no NZ response I would send something to the media in NZ they have been given NZ a hard time, although JQ seems to get more attention because it is Australian. The incident is not OK and others have indicated it could be a systemic issue that may have life threatening consequences.
I can understand how you got sick after being a vegetarian for several years myself when I was given any meat products I suffered from it eg. pork based stock in a vegetarian soup, immediately knew something was not right due to the fatty nature and the waitress denied it was not vegetarian but later apologised after talking to the chef who said the soup had the pork stock.
Regards to the 3 vegetarians in the cabin, I am not surprised due to the size of the cabin and the fact the other two could have been a couple in a relationship that would have the same dietary requirements.

 

[coco50]

I have refused to fly Air NZ since September 2001. I have no sympathy for those who patronise this airline and suffer poor service. One way you can get Kiwis to operate a small airline is to give them a big one and let them run it into the ground.

 

[samh004]

I'd echo the calls to get the media involved if Air NZ doesn't want to even reply. Sure, in your case you're not allergic (other than your guts), but there are many that are, or who have dietary requirements for religious reasons. While I really don't agree with religions, if the airline offers to not serve a particular item/an option to meet your religious requirements, can you imagine the uproar if they'd screwed up there. Hence I'd see this in exactly the same light!

It's quite poor they only offered $20 compensation. Very LCC!

if there is NO MEDICAL/LIFE THREATHENING reason....then I have NO sympathy for you...im sure you didn't starve to death!!! GET OVER IT

Would you say the same thing for a religious reason not to eat a particular type of food? Would you express the view in DXB please

Yes, you may be right there as on a plane there is little difference btw the texture of tofu and chook!

Having had many tofu dishes, and many chicken dishes, I've always been able to tell the difference between the two. If a caterer has made it so you can't, they're doing something wrong and I wouldn't be eating anything from that airline ever again!

 

[Allan R]

I've just completed a quick AKL-MEL hop in business on Air NZ and as a vegetarian, was served an omelette with a nice big chicken filling... Only to be discovered half way through (resulting in a very ill end of the flight)
There were 2 other Pax in the business cabin with the same issue, as the meals were all labelled vegetarian by catering.
Crew were all very apologetic although obviously there was no other food on board we could have, and I received two $10 Air NZ vouchers in compensation...
I've never really had anything like this before so not sure whether its worth chasing any compensation. I don't expect anything huge or significant however $20 seems pretty dismal..

I was on a works deluxe fare with a successful one up bid upgrade, as a Gold Airpoints member.

Jack, I feel sorry for you, but surely there was other food on-board, even a bread roll and an apple would have been better than nothing. I was on a 15 hour QF flight from Singapore to London and was told by the attendant that they had run out of meals. I was the only one that missed out. The flight manager came to my seat and apologised, then returned about 30 minutes later with a meal from business or first class and an $80 duty free voucher.

As for your compensation, a $20 food voucher is pretty poor, maybe another free upgrade would be better.

 

[RAM]

3 Vegetarians in J ... would that not be unique

Sounds like the beginning of a joke:

There were three vegetarians sitting in business when one after the other they all screamed "Chicken"....

Prize (kudos!) for best punchline....

 

[JessicaTam]

Jack, I feel sorry for you, but surely there was other food on-board, even a bread roll and an apple would have been better than nothing. I was on a 15 hour QF flight from Singapore to London and was told by the attendant that they had run out of meals. I was the only one that missed out. The flight manager came to my seat and apologised, then returned about 30 minutes later with a meal from business or first class and an $80 duty free voucher.

As for your compensation, a $20 food voucher is pretty poor, maybe another free upgrade would be better.

I believe the issue is not that there was nothing to eat, but that the meal served was mislabelled.

 

[Hvr]

Sounds like the beginning of a joke:

There were three vegetarians sitting in business when one after the other they all screamed "Chicken"....

Prize (kudos!) for best punchline....

One of them was a plant so they could begin a foul joke.

 

[Deena]

I am not going to joke or show lack of sympathy for you. As a fellow vegetarian I am sure I to would have been physically ill if I had eaten meat. The mere smell of it these days does that to me, let alone eating it. People just don't get it.

Appaling thier idea idea of compensation. I would be following it up further.

 

[hotanddusty]

never mind! I had the same with Qantas on a flight from Per-Sin bus/class managed to get outside the airport and was violently ill all over the loverly flowers out front. All I got from Qantas was that was impossible and would not happen on there planes, so $20 was acknowledgement, where I only got denial

 

[maia200]

If someone is a vegetarian and requests vegetarian meals that is what they should receive. Religion, allergies etc does not come into it. He has been given a meal which seems to be against his values and that is a no no. Should be treated the same as a life threatening allergy and it did make him sick. Compensation should be more than $20 and apologies are not enough in this instance.

 

[jackthomas]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the responses since this thread was last edited. Didn't expect for it to hit the newsletter and the conversation to begin again!
I was in contact with Air New Zealand last week, finally.. A lovely customer service manager called me and discussed the issue, including a range of repercussions and new steps they are enforcing with their catering contractor. Plus some extra compensation ( of course in the kind of Airpoints...) but it was certainly an acceptable and much improved figure.. Won't go into the exact details but I can confidently say I think the issue was fixed and will hopefully not affect anyone.

It should be pointed out that the issues I took to Air NZ were not solely about my diet but the fact any allergen could have made its way into meals if they were not going through the correct quality control.

 

[Deena]

Glad it's been satisfactorily resolved

 

[ethernet]

Quality Control - Failed.
If I am Kosher, and I get a pork meal - very unhappy. paid for business - oh ....
I enjoy the story of Japanese MSG manufacturers selling pork derived MSG to the Middle East.
But it is kosher to take Heperin derived from pig if lifesaving.

Tough luck if you thought a British Gelatin chocolate may not be riddled with Mad cow prions.

But I have NEVER seen Emirates mess up - my fave airline.