QF Understocking the Champers?

[zachary.august]

In the past 12 months I've flown to LHR and back maybe 15 times in F and LAX maybe 10(Personal trips post retirement) I have never encountered a shortage in champagne granted I'll have maybe two glasses at most. My wife has also never noticed this, she frequents the HKG run granted she'll only have one maybe two glasses as well. I do see the need for enough champagne to go around but I do think that excessive drinking, onboard or on the ground, shouldn't be condoned. Alcohol should always be consumed in moderation and to have a whole bottle of champagne at 30,000 feet isn't moderation

 

[Pushka]

In the past 12 months I've flown to LHR and back maybe 15 times in F and LAX maybe 10(Personal trips post retirement) I have never encountered a shortage in champagne granted I'll have maybe two glasses at most. My wife has also never noticed this, she frequents the HKG run granted she'll only have one maybe two glasses as well. I do see the need for enough champagne to go around but I do think that excessive drinking, onboard or on the ground, shouldn't be condoned. Alcohol should always be consumed in moderation and to have a whole bottle of champagne at 30,000 feet isn't moderation

I was quite amazed at the number of champers a well heeled woman, in her sixties, was putting down in the QP prior to an International flight Sin - Mel. If I'd had as many as she did, and then flew for 8 hours; I'd have a thumping migraine. I love my champers, but two glasses; plus copious water, is all I can tolerate. Such a shame.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

In the past 12 months I've flown to LHR and back maybe 15 times in F and LAX maybe 10(Personal trips post retirement) I have never encountered a shortage in champagne granted I'll have maybe two glasses at most. My wife has also never noticed this, she frequents the HKG run granted she'll only have one maybe two glasses as well. I do see the need for enough champagne to go around but I do think that excessive drinking, onboard or on the ground, shouldn't be condoned. Alcohol should always be consumed in moderation and to have a whole bottle of champagne at 30,000 feet isn't moderation

and champagne running out after one or two glasses per passenger is exactly the type of problem some of us have reported here.

i do not drink standard red or white wine. I rarely drink spirits on aircraft. but I do drink champagne.

there is nothing excessive about drinking a bottle of champagne on a nine-hour-plus flight. that's a glass before take off, a couple of glasses with lunch or dinner, and a couple of glasses with the pre-arrival snack.

if i am hosting a dinner party at home i will allow one bottle of wine per non-designated driver. that is not excessive.

i appreciate some people cannot handle alcohol as well as others. but those views should not be imposed on others.

 

[Flying mermaid]

I was quite amazed at the number of champers a well heeled woman, in her sixties, was putting down in the QP prior to an International flight Sin - Mel. If I'd had as many as she did, and then flew for 8 hours; I'd have a thumping migraine. I love my champers, but two glasses; plus copious water, is all I can tolerate. Such a shame.

With you there unfortunately - I do sometimes stretch it to 3 but always pay for it later with swollen ankles......

 

[pagingjoan]

and champagne running out after one or two glasses per passenger is exactly the type of problem some of us have reported here.

i do not drink standard red or white wine. I rarely drink spirits on aircraft. but I do drink champagne.

there is nothing excessive about drinking a bottle of champagne on a nine-hour-plus flight. that's a glass before take off, a couple of glasses with lunch or dinner, and a couple of glasses with the pre-arrival snack.

if i am hosting a dinner party at home i will allow one bottle of wine per non-designated driver. that is not excessive.

i appreciate some people cannot handle alcohol as well as others. but those views should not be imposed on others.

Agree entirely with this, and have had several instances of Champagne in F running out - in one case, even before take off, and that was with no significant delay on the tarmac.

Also one of those who prefers to stick with Champagne when flying, rather than changing to still wine. No spirits, coughtails or after dinner drinks for me, either.

And, in F, the specially selected Champagnes are one of the delights. So it's fine for those who don't want more than a glass or so of bubbles on a long flight. But please don't impose that preference on those of who us do. Perhaps we are not eating as much as some others. And certainly, we are not drinking the spirits stock dry.

 

[Pushka]

I didn't mean my post to infer that champers running dry wasn't an issue!

 

[pagingjoan]

I didn't mean my post to infer that champers running dry wasn't an issue!

Phew! Then we are in accord!

 

[Flying mermaid]

Phew! Then we are in accord!

Absolutely the fact that I have to limit my bubbly drinking is very sad and I am totally looking forward to my limited glasses when I fly to Hong Kong in a week - in fact I may even splurge and have a third glass - ankles will recover!

 

[pagingjoan]

Absolutely the fact that I have to limit my bubbly drinking is very sad and I am totally looking forward to my limited glasses when I fly to Hong Kong in a week - in fact I may even splurge and have a third glass - ankles will recover!

The better the quality of the Champagne, the less danger of headaches or swollen ankles.
Just hope that the stocks are sufficient on the HKG flight. Send a plea to Red Roo?

 

[Flying mermaid]

The better the quality of the Champagne, the less danger of headaches or swollen ankles.
Just hope that the stocks are sufficient on the HKG flight. Send a plea to Red Roo?

Hmm sounds good to me - I will have to experiment... Red Roo is hopefully personally monitoring the champers situation

 

[pagingjoan]

.... Red Roo is hopefully personally monitoring the champers situation

If he/she is not, he/she should be!

Forget the website being reduced to marginal functionality.
Forget that Premium Boarding is not working seamlessly.
Forget that mASAs can't be booked online.
Get the Champagne stocks sorted and all will be well in our world.

 

[Flying mermaid]

If he/she is not, he/she should be!

Forget the website being reduced to marginal functionality.
Forget that Premium Boarding is not working seamlessly.
Forget that mASAs can't be booked online.
Get the Champagne stocks sorted and all will be well in our world.

I always tell my kids not to let the small things get them upset, so your philosophy seems right to me. As long as the bubbly is there all is right in the world.

 

[RooFlyer]

Just to make everyone feel a bit better about even limited Champagne supplies on QF flights.

As I noted on another thread, in UA F they serve Champagne pre departure in plastic cups! We worked out that, while plastic isn't an FAA requirement (ie impacts US certified airlines), having all stuff given out taken away from the pax pre push back is, and plastic allows a little more time for the pax, as the cups can be grabbed and binned, as opposed to taken up and have to be stowed etc.

Still, I gotta say, Champagne in plastic cups just doesn't have the same cachet!

During the flight it was back to glass, but ...

 

[pagingjoan]

Just to make everyone feel a bit better about even limited Champagne supplies on QF flights.

As I noted on another thread, in UA F they serve Champagne pre departure in plastic cups! We worked out that, while plastic isn't an FAA requirement (ie impacts US certified airlines), having all stuff given out taken away from the pax pre push back is, and plastic allows a little more time for the pax, as the cups can be grabbed and binned, as opposed to taken up and have to be stowed etc.

Still, I gotta say, Champagne in plastic cups just doesn't have the same cachet!

During the flight it was back to glass, but ...

Trying to block this travesty from my mind!
But .... was it really Champagne?
Or just domestic muck?
If so, then so be it. Plastic is fine.
(You can probably tell I never travel UA?)

 

[RooFlyer]

Trying to block this travesty from my mind!
But .... was it really Champagne?
Or just domestic muck?
If so, then so be it. Plastic is fine.
(You can probably tell I never travel UA?)

It was Deutz Extra Aged brut 2000 according to the menu, but as I noted here it could have been sparking Cold Duck when served in the plastic.

For a freebie, this trip was fine .. but the cash cost of $20K is just bonkers.

 

[pagingjoan]

It was Deutz Extra Aged brut 2000 according to the menu, but as I noted here it could have been sparking Cold Duck when served in the plastic.

For a freebie, this trip was fine .. but the cash cost of $20K is just bonkers.

Sparkling Cold Duck! What an indelible memory!
Actually for Deutz, for my money, plastic would probably do. Must admit I've not tried the particular Extra Aged 2000 - but nor am I regretting that much.
Did it improve when served in a glass?

 

[Pushka]

Absolutely the fact that I have to limit my bubbly drinking is very sad and I am totally looking forward to my limited glasses when I fly to Hong Kong in a week - in fact I may even splurge and have a third glass - ankles will recover!

Yes. I'm sad too. I wish I could have more. I'd love it at the time. Perhaps five hours later I regret it. And feel quite unwell. Thankfully no such issues when I'm not in the air! So maybe I should ask for take-away!

 

[Flying mermaid]

Yes. I'm sad too. I wish I could have more. I'd love it at the time. Perhaps five hours later I regret it. And feel quite unwell. Thankfully no such issues when I'm not in the air! So maybe I should ask for take-away!

We did an AONE4 last year,with the last leg from LAX to SYD. I made a rather mournful comment to my lovely FA about going back to the real world and was presented with a bottle of Tattinger Comptes de Champagne - so take away does sometimes happen. .

 

[Flying mermaid]

I am happy to report no shortage of bubbly on QF127 today. A new bottle of the Comptes de Champagne was opened about an hour out of Hong Kong and I had my arm twisted to have another glass.......

 

[Katie]

I have never flown QF F, but may have been known to drink a full bottle of champagne in a night. Moet, as I recall (it was Mother's day, we'd arrived from DUS, had an overnight at an LHR hotel and were flying to SIN the next day).

I was fine.

If it's champagne, it agrees with me.


(Except that terribly yeasty Perrier Jouet, even if it has pretty bottles)