Originally Posted by
jwillett13
What should one ask to be compensated for if a special meal is ordered but not loaded on the aircraft.
On a flt JFK-HKG I requested a kosher meal (even though I am not Jewish) at the time of booking. As fate would have it, I ended up in the far end of coach. All of the first and biz class seats were either sold or upgraded by people with a higher standing than myself. So, no upgrade for me. Since I was deep in coach, by the time the food service cart arrived at my isle, all of the good meals had been taken. All that was left was some nasty chicken fat like meat and probably the worst rice ball I have ever tasted and IMHO it was not edible. I queried on of the f/as and of course I was informed they had no record of my request and had no more meals left.
So, what do you think I should ask for and what do you think I will really get?
I believe the airline is not liable for not fulfilling a meal request. So there is not much that can be done. You can file a complaint, but I am not sure whether anything will happen.
Side notes:
* JFK-HKG - Upgrades (mileage/op-ups) are very difficult to come by. Also, chance of upgrade on x-HKG is better than on x-JFK.
* Special meals should be requested at least 24 hours ahead.
* Special meals pretty much disqualify a passenger from an op-up.
It is hard to say whether the FAs will start serving from the front or the back. I often skip meals on airlines (because airline food is only so-so) and have snacks instead. Hope you have better luck next time.