Peanuts off the menu at Qantas!!!!!

[Yada Yada]

Just found this breaking news on Google...

Qantas passengers will now have to survive on pretzels, rice crackers and cashews with their drinks with the airline withdrawing peanuts from its flights

OMG!!!!

http://news.google.com.au/news?hl=en&ned=&ie=UTF-8&q=qantas

This link will show you the item on Google news (you might have to scroll down), but the link on Google to the source at the Radio 2GB website results in a "You must login to view this..." message, and I can't see where I should register so I can't bring you any more on this incredibly important story.

Whats next???? I bet they remove the cheese cubes from the QP!!!

 

[JohnK]

They are using the peanuts to pay their workers instead. :shock:

 

[Soundguy]

Qantas passengers will now have to survive on pretzels, rice crackers and cashews with their drinks with the airline withdrawing peanuts from its flights

Bummer - I like peanuts! And don't like pretzels and rice crackers at all.... cashews are just OK.


John - one problem with Qantas is the heavily entrenched union mentality in their workforce; meaning amongst other things that they certainly are NOT paid peanuts. You and I pay for it.... bring on the AWA's (not that their wages would be lower, but extra flexibility will always be a more productive outcome at least)

 

[NM]

See what happens when we allow competition to drive down airfares to the point where they have to cut costs and services to compete.

While we ask for more competition we will see more and more cost/service cutting required to support the competitive nature of low fares.

If we want bus fares we will get bus services.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

There is a good reason for ditching peanuts, and that is unrelated to cost cutting. There seems to be a growing number of people with severe nut allergies.

 

[oz_mark]

Is it possible that peanuts have been removed due to issues of some people having allergies to them. An article in the SMH says that they are being removed from train services due to this:

Dishes containing peanuts will no longer be provided on NSW trains after a menu offering a satay dish caused a highly allergic woman to fear for her life.
A complaint by the woman meant catering cars on the State's XPT trains would no longer serve any dish containing peanuts, a RailCorp spokesman said today.

[...]

Following the complaint, RailCorp had decided to follow the line of Qantas and schools in taking peanut dishes off its menus, the spokesman said.

Reference: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/trains-ban-peanuts-after-allergy-scare/2006/07/07/1152240480269.html

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

SQ still has nuts (and also satay) but more and more often I hear the announcement prior to departure that a pax onboard has a nut allergy and please do not open any nuts you may have brought.

 

[Mal]

http://qantas.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/qantas.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=467

"Peanuts onboard Qantas flights
Question
Does Qantas serve peanuts onboard?
Answer
Qantas does not serve peanut snacks on board our aircraft, however, some products may contact traces of peanuts. Other nuts such as cashews are served in all cabins.

Note: Qantas cannot prevent other customers from bringing their own peanuts or peanut snacks onto the aircraft and cannot guarantee there will be no trace of peanuts inside an aircraft cabin."


Seeing that question/answer was last updated 8th May, I think this new policy must have been around for a while.

I can't remember the last time I was given peanuts by Qantas with my beer, but hazard a guess it was a few months ago.

 

[jakeseven7]

They are using the peanuts to pay their workers instead. :shock:

No, Virgin and Jetstar have sourced all available peanuts in Australia to pay their staff so there are none left for Qantas customers

QF staff get paid more.

 

[Soundguy]

There seems to be a growing number of people with severe nut allergies.

Yeah, I guess that is it. All the food manufacturers are out to cover their butts with the "may contain traces of...." message. There are so many 'possible' trace ingredients listed they might as well say 'we can't guarantee what is in this product - eat at your own risk'. Or 'may contain traces of food'.

Nothing beats Southwest Airlines - they hand out small packets of peanuts, on the rear of which it says "may contain nuts". :shock:

 

[kpc]

Unfortunately, a small number of people get life-threatening anaphylactic reactions to nuts...apparently, all some need is a whiff of the nuts for the reaction to be set off...these individuals would be carrying life saving adrenalin injections on them. So QF is playing safe from a medico-legal viewpoint as opposed to cost cutting here.
How about the peanuts at the QP? I often stash a few extra in a napkin to bring aboard my flight to munch on...:mrgreen:

 

[Commuter]

It does save them costs. Adrenalin shots usually only last for something like 20 min (don't quote me, it's been a while I did this sort of stuff) and so the 'sufferer' is supposed to be taken to hospital afterwards.

Therefore, anyone having an anaphylactic shock = diversion in many cases. Diversion = very expensive.

Not being cynical here, mind you

 

[aus_flyer]

There is a good reason for ditching peanuts, and that is unrelated to cost cutting. There seems to be a growing number of people with severe nut allergies.

I'm all for it - for this very reason.

 

[Mal]

How about the peanuts at the QP? I often stash a few extra in a napkin to bring aboard my flight to munch on...:mrgreen:

I'm sure they will also disappear. Never been a huge fan of peanuts, other types of fruit nuts are much nicer.

 

[JohnK]

Seeing that question/answer was last updated 8th May, I think this new policy must have been around for a while.

I can't remember the last time I was given peanuts by Qantas with my beer, but hazard a guess it was a few months ago.

I don't remember being served peanuts in the last year or so, at least. It has been pretzels and rice crackers.

 

[oz_mark]

I have definitely had cashew nuts served in the last few months, but I don't recall whether I got peanuts or not.

 

[kyle]

I can't recall having any peanuts on recent flights.

But I love peanuts!

Sometimes I do wonder how those nut allergy sufferers feel. Whether they feel apologetic or not.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Sometimes I do wonder how those nut allergy sufferers feel. Whether they feel apologetic or not.

Why should they feel apologetic that they've stopped others from killing them?

 

[kyle]

Why should they feel apologetic that they've stopped others from killing them?

While death surely takes precedence over inconvenience for other passengers insistent on having peanuts, but they are the cause of the inconvenience in the first place?

BTW, I don't particularly care if they serve peanuts or not now. I just want the plane to land quickly and safely.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

I'll take the "inconvenience" of not being allowed to have nuts any day over the alternative of an emergency diversion.