FTcadence

Earlier this year, Qantas trialled a revamped dinner service with positive results, so...

Starting next month, Qantas will be overhauling its domestic economy class meal offerings. Passengers will be given a dinner choice of a hot meal or a generous salad on both short and medium-range flights.

Serving sizes will see up to a 50% increase.

Boxes will replace meal trays.

http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-upgra...d-dinner-packs

I thought that there might be an existing thread about the trials, so I tried typing in every keyword that I could think of, but couldn't find anything other than: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/22211927-post7.html Apologies if my search failed.

og

Up to 50% increase could be zero increase or less. I'm not sure a box is an enhancement - I'm not getting excited about this. Me thinks throwing a box at someone on the window is quicker than passing a meal tray. And I think the spin doctors have enhanced this cut back. Is there any reference to which particular flights get the boxes?

ozziegumby

Yes the "Up to 50% more" does not mean much except for marketing/spin land. Much like a department store saying "Up to 75% off" and only having one item in the entire store actually marked this way. I guess some of the salads maybe larger - eg with more cheap lettuce.

The likely reason behind this are efficiency gains at catering depots - eg no cleaning and the empty boxes/packing goes straight into the rubbish. There is a recent trip report somewhere on the net where business class gets a 'Noodle Box' microwave reheat style stir fry as their second meal on Sydney - KL....no tray or anything else....looks like this trend is set to continue

expatboy

BA have been doing sandwich boxes in Y for all their short-haul flights I believe, presumably for the catering efficiencies mentioned by ozziegumby. The meal timings need to be looked at as well IMHO - on a recent a 2 hour flight from MEL to BNE departing at 5pm, the CC reluctantly informed me that a 5pm departure does not qualify for a dinner service in Y, which is pretty poor if you're not scheduled to land until after 7pm.

I have seen a separate thread somewhere on this board that mentioned the noodle box as the pre-arrival J class offering into the Asian ports.

Dave Noble

Isn't it only a few years ago that Qantas last ran with the idea of giving out boxes in economy

cavemanzk

Is an improvement compared on what you get on NZ, they don't give out free meals on flights up to 10hours.

PaulST

Surely not? Or are they LCC-equivalent extra-cheap tickets?

cavemanzk

Meals & Bags aren't included on any flights in the Tasman & Pacific which includes HNL/DPS/PER, you can buy an fully felxi fare on these flights and not get an free meal. To get a meal & bags on these flights, you have to add on 'the works' package during booking.

user29

I am sure they have been trialling this from per to Bne recently, it was quite nice!!!

ANstar

And how much have NZ made in profit vs QF recently? They must be doing something right.

serfty

It's 'easy' to become a virtual LCC when you are basically a monopoly and your main customers generally have no real alternative.

SeriouslyLost

They're channeling FJ then? That can't be good...

TPJ

My guess it that that might be QF response to VA complimentary food offering (on MEL-SYD-BNE triangle plus some other routes)...

Firemansam

They should think about offering something nicer on domestic J routes, I flew ADL-SYD last week and a very average corned beef on rye I thought was a bit on the lame side, considering this was my first ever flight in J and I am very easily pleased. If it had not been part of an international ticket and I had paid the $1200 return price tag I would have been very disappointed..
I took a 1hr TG J flight the next morning at only $200 return that had far better food than what was offered on QF.

RichardMEL

Comparing pricing between Aus domestic and TG (domestic or not) seems pointless given the average wages of the economies and who they are catering to IMHO (yes, pun on the word catering )

Yes the QF "snack" service in J leaves a little something to be desired... definitely akin, but in general, better to US domestic or euro-J (I had a recent BA flight HEL-LHR which basically was an omlete/sausage deal with a cup of tea and juice.. a 3 hour flight). QF mealtime meals aren't bad. Heck last month flew MEL-ADL and dinner on this 1 hour flight was a fairly sturdy lasagne, salad, tart a few glasses of wine etc.

I don't worry so much about domestic flights... you have the J lounge to usually get soup or somethings some decent food (I feel BNE J lounge has some of the best food in the system for what it is) and an hour or 2 flight you get a snack and so on. Sure many people's mileage varies but I don't mind so much. I would have thought the ADL-SYD route would have offered the soup option, which I found usually good with a few pieces of sourdough and some vino (depending on time of day )