Originally Posted by
Carfield
This is getting frustrated and the crews are doing or making up whatever rules now on this cheese or fruit or dessert thing. On my YVR-DUB flight on Monday, the crew told me that it was cheese and fruit or cake! We need to start writing Air Canada now. I have a feeling that the crews are saving the extra portions for themselves. if you want to charge extra for Signature service, it should be fruit and cheese and dessert!
Carfield
On AC 122 YVR-YYZ yesterday the SD said it's cheese or dessert or fruit, but I could have my second pick if there was extra after everyone was served. After reminding her a fair bit later, she brought a cheese plate. It's not great that way as it disrupts the flow of things (you're holding onto the empty plate and cuttlery after they've finished the main service and have retreated to the galley).
I asked a friend in AC management to clarify and he mentioned that they attempt to load enough of the cheese plates for all J pax and then load a quantity of dessert and fruit plates to mirror the expected ratio of demand for each. If there are no catering errors/shortages, everyone should be able to get a cheese plate and then their pick of dessert or fruit. He said they haven't reduced the offerring or the amounts loaded to cut costs. That said, there are a number of issues with GateGourmet lately for all carriers worldwide due to understaffing and supply chain, and there is also the (potential?) labor action.
He clarified that the cheese, fruit plate, and dessert item, plus the port (which previously was part of the cheese service) and the coffee/tea (previously part of the dessert/fruit service), are now offered on the same trolly to reduce contact points between crew/pax due to covid, not to discourage getting your cheese entitlement (
). Obviously crew re-entering the cabin to give you the cheese plate loaded for your seat is counterproductive to the aim of reducing contact points, but may be justified if there was a catering issue/shortage. But it may also be due to crew wanting the food or training issues, which are not so justified. Unfortunately you wouldn't really know.
Given that AC is already paying for the food, and this is their "signature class", it's really up to them to maintain their own standards -- whether to manage the catering vendor or ensure FAs/SDs know what the meal offering consists of. It would be nice to see more consistentcy... which might be a big ask, given the myriad of delays and cancelations these days 🙂