Qantas Business Class meals & menus

[JessicaTam]

Not to doubt the definition of AVML (and this is O/T), but I'd be surprised that an Asian meal is guaranteed to have no nuts in it, considering there are a fair few dishes in Asia (even vegetarian) that can be finished with nuts. (Keep in mind that Asians usually have very few food allergies, except possibly lactose, but almost certainly not nuts). Hope there are no vegetarian peanut curries with rice on the menu any time soon.

Anyway, all jokes aside, this is certainly not good.

I had a very long conversation* with the QF manager of domestic catering last year when I was served a meal with nuts clearly indicated on the ingredients. (I think it was muesli). He was extremely apologetic and he confirmed that AVML is the only nut free meal type. I had selected AVML on my profile maybe two years ago after another long conversion with a telephone agent who told me this was the one to choose.

Whilst I know you were not questioning the definition, I thought it best to make it absolutely clear to avoid any doubt.

*At least half an hour

 

[Cat207]

I realise it's off-topic but in a similar vein... My flight QF1941 from ASP to AYQ today clearly states a 'lunch' meal. We got a small bottle of water. Liquid lunch?

 

[anat0l]

I realise it's off-topic but in a similar vein... My flight QF1941 from ASP to AYQ today clearly states a 'lunch' meal. We got a small bottle of water. Liquid lunch?

Rich in minerals?

Someone obviously forgot to load the biscuits. Maybe the last cartage (I was going to say shipment) to the red centre was late......

 

[boomy]

BNE-MEL "afternoon tea"
Hokkien chicken noodles. Good dish!

 

[anat0l]

BNE-MEL "afternoon tea"
Hokkien chicken noodles. Good dish!
...

Hope it tastes better than it looks. Reminds me of some of those lame noodle salads you find on some lounge buffets.

 

[boomy]

Hope it tastes better than it looks. Reminds me of some of those lame noodle salads you find on some lounge buffets.

One thing I learned about Asian food, or Asian inspired food in this case, never judge it by the way it looks

 

[anat0l]

One thing I learned about Asian food, or Asian inspired food in this case, never judge it by the way it looks

Indeed, and I am one not to necessarily write off food (any) straight away just because it looks absolutely unappealing.

So I wouldn't probably say it unless it was "saying something". Maybe if it were presented in a bowl I might have looked at it differently.

But good to hear it tasted good. These kinds of dishes (even on the ground) can turn out to be quite horrid at times.

 

[boomy]

But good to hear it tasted good. These kinds of dishes (even on the ground) can turn out to be quite horrid at times.

It was much better then other noodle dishes sometimes served in the J lounge covered in a sloppy "one fits all" sauce.

 

[under the radar]

Hope it tastes better than it looks. Reminds me of some of those lame noodle salads you find on some lounge buffets.

I'm all about taste (and taking the plunge to try it) .. I've tried/ordered many 'fancy looking/sounding' dishes, on airlines and other establishments/restaurants, that in my opinion....tasted like s**t to me!! :shock:

 

[anat0l]

I'm all about taste (and taking the plunge to try it) .. I've tried/ordered many 'fancy looking/sounding' dishes, on airlines and other establishments/restaurants, that in my opinion....tasted like s**t to me!! :shock:

I think it's a conditioning that I have. I have an Asian background and sometimes you have that "thing" where you can spot a lame looking noodle dish a mile away. One reason why I approach noodle based salads with caution.

I agree with you about the fancy looking but **** tasting dishes! It will always be taste first and looks second, despite what people say. (And before we argue about it and draw a comparison with human beings, let's not.... )

 

[flyingfan]

BNE-MEL "afternoon tea"
Hokkien chicken noodles. Good dish!

I had this dish today at around noon on the same route. Served cold but not bad. It seemed very much Neil Perry inspired.

 

[marki]

Hope it tastes better than it looks. Reminds me of some of those lame noodle salads you find on some lounge buffets.

It looks lame


Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly

 

[JessicaTam]

An update on my contact with QF:

I had a call from Christine, who after discussing the details with me, said she would call catering and QFF and get back to me. In the interim she offered me 10,000 points as a gesture of goodwill.

A couple of hours later she rang back. (I was expecting a day or two, so points for that). She had spoken to QFF and checked that AVML was on my profile - which it was for domestic, and she updated my international from VGML to AVML. She spoke to catering and they apologised for missing the meal HBA-SYD as it should have been loaded. The other two flights were listed as 'refreshment' and apparently no special meals are loaded for them.

WTF? :shock:

I have travelled in J a fair bit over the last couple of years and have had a special meal loaded regardless of the time of day, even if it was only a roast vegetable sandwich. Does this now mean that if you have any sort of dietary requirement you go hungry outside of standard meal times?

Apparently the answer is "yes".

Enjoy watching everyone else in J tucking into their refreshments.

 

[aamslfc]

Does this now mean that if you have any sort of dietary requirement you go hungry outside of standard meal times?

Apparently the answer is "yes".

If it is, that's pathetic. Problem for QF is that it removes any point of differentiation it had with VA. A guaranteed complimentary food service is part of QF's product; if you're not going to provide the most basic items to a customer flying premium (award or cash), then why should the customer bother paying that premium? If it happens in J, it'll happen in Y - which makes one question why you'd bother flying QF any more.

I really hope QF aren't starting to punish people whose food choices differ from the stock standard.

 

[JessicaTam]

...
I really hope QF aren't starting to punish people whose food choices differ from the stock standard.

Looks like they have if my experience is anything to go by.

 

[Buzzard]

Maybe QF are becoming a BYO airline.

 

[anat0l]

It's not the first time I've said it, but people who have special dietary needs get the short straw on almost any airline in the world. There are only a few gems here and there, and almost no consistency.

It shouldn't happen, but it does. And if it's not that they are getting meals (as in this case), they're being fed something so unpalatable that nothing is probably less insulting.

 

[boomy]

An update on my contact with QF:

I had a call from Christine, who after discussing the details with me, said she would call catering and QFF and get back to me. In the interim she offered me 10,000 points as a gesture of goodwill.

A couple of hours later she rang back. (I was expecting a day or two, so points for that). She had spoken to QFF and checked that AVML was on my profile - which it was for domestic, and she updated my international from VGML to AVML. She spoke to catering and they apologised for missing the meal HBA-SYD as it should have been loaded. The other two flights were listed as 'refreshment' and apparently no special meals are loaded for them.

WTF? :shock:

I have travelled in J a fair bit over the last couple of years and have had a special meal loaded regardless of the time of day, even if it was only a roast vegetable sandwich. Does this now mean that if you have any sort of dietary requirement you go hungry outside of standard meal times?

Apparently the answer is "yes".

Enjoy watching everyone else in J tucking into their refreshments.

Same old same old... QF never changed it's approach to complaints. You weren't happy with our service? Here, take 10k points (how come it's always 10k?!) and suck it up.
I guess it's much easier then actually trying to do something about it...

 

[blackcat20]

An update on my contact with QF:

I had a call from Christine, who after discussing the details with me, said she would call catering and QFF and get back to me. In the interim she offered me 10,000 points as a gesture of goodwill.

A couple of hours later she rang back. (I was expecting a day or two, so points for that). She had spoken to QFF and checked that AVML was on my profile - which it was for domestic, and she updated my international from VGML to AVML. She spoke to catering and they apologised for missing the meal HBA-SYD as it should have been loaded. The other two flights were listed as 'refreshment' and apparently no special meals are loaded for them.

WTF? :shock:

I have travelled in J a fair bit over the last couple of years and have had a special meal loaded regardless of the time of day, even if it was only a roast vegetable sandwich. Does this now mean that if you have any sort of dietary requirement you go hungry outside of standard meal times?

Apparently the answer is "yes".

Enjoy watching everyone else in J tucking into their refreshments.

Given you had a meal on every flight when we did this run in January, sounds like bull cough. Yay for 10k points.

 

[JessicaTam]

Given you had a meal on every flight when we did this run in January, sounds like bull cough. Yay for 10k points.

Or special meals have been 'enhanced' to be simpler.