Sean Peever

I did not know that. But then again, I don't know if there needs to be. Does the government really need to get involved with the cleaning of a transport vehicle? And you can't single out airlines - you would have to apply it to buses, trains, taxies, etc. Then you would have to have inspectors to verify it, I mean it's just not worth it in my mind.

It's just my opinion but I think it would be a waste of time and cost a lot to enforce. Like Tireman I too spent time in Retail. You learn one thing very quickly in Retail - If the product sucks and people don't like it (because of quality, or cleanliness or otherwise) then it stops selling and you go out of business. You need to provide a product people are willing to pay for or else you won't make a sale. This should in theory be enough to keep a reasonable standard.

Now, Re: the main topic in this thread.

I love the change! I am sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for it to come YVR - Asia.

theseatbelt

Looks awesome!!!

ChrisA330

Already answered up thread in post 27.

rehoult

Love the new look!

jsfrSE

This looks much better, the old menu presentation had not been changed for several years...

mromalley

Thanks Andrew and Ben, I look forward to trying out the new changes soon.
My only menu comment is about dessert. Not everyone like chocolate and the dessert choices seem to be chocolate something or fruit.

King Chung Huang

I flew AC 15 from Toronto to Hong Kong on October 3. Here's my impressions of the new meal service.


http://instagram.com/p/tuiHdIprZe/

Got to try the new meal offerings for International Business Class on @AirCanada 15 (YYZ-HKG) today, as announced on October 1.

Appetizer and salad are pretty much the same as before. Today’s appetizer was poached Nova Scotia lobster, marinated shrimp and sautéed scallop on tapenade with cucumber, mango salsa and yellow pepper sauce.


http://instagram.com/p/tuiMVgprZl/

For the main course, I chose the Grilled Alberta AAA tenderloin with Cabernet peppercorn sauce, served with Yukon Gold lobster mashed potato and sautéed asparagus.

Biggest difference here is that the the entrée is plated, sauced and garnished in the galley instead of being pre-plated and warmed. It’s definitely a much better presentation than before, and the sauce isn’t watery and/or dried to a crisp. However, I found the beef overdone. And, the plate itself was stone cold.


http://instagram.com/p/tuiQstprZp/

The cheese service is now offered tableside instead of pre-plated. I much prefer this over the former pre-plated service as I always just nibble on the Cantonnier, wasting the other cheeses. Now, I can get exactly what I want. The toothpick flags are a nice touch, too!


http://instagram.com/p/tuic1zprZ1/

Dessert is similarly served tableside instead of pre-plated. Today’s choices were marble cheesecake and fresh seasonal fruit. Again, being able to get exactly what I want (a half slice of the cheesecake with some fruit) and the much better presentation are big plusses.


http://instagram.com/p/tuikNMprZ-/

Brunch replaces breakfast on flights between Toronto and Asia. The previous breakfast offerings are still available, along with a new brunch option. I chose the new braised e-fu noodles with mushrooms, shrimp dim sum and pork siu mai.

Unfortunately, the dish suffered from the usual problems that plagued the pre-plated entrées. Some of the noodles were dried to a crisp, and the shimp dim sum had exploded somewhere in the excessive heating process.

Overall the changes are positive, and the crew seemed comfortable with the changes. I’m looking forward to try the new service again in the near future.

PLeblond

Thanks for the great pics and information.

Putting hot food on a cold plate is definitely an issue. Hopefully they can find a solution for this.

gcashin

Thanks for sharing the pictures. New international meal service looks like a great improvement. The eyes eat before the stomach, so nice to see a much better presentation vs. the casseroles. Hopefully they can find a way to warm the dinner plates for the mains. The ability to select exactly what you want for the cheese and dessert course is a great upgrade, as I typically don't want all of the cheeses either, and should help minimize waste as well.

Good to see AC working to improve onboard food. Hope that it gets extended to other international routes soon.

Orcair

The new menu looks awesome, however, I wonder if the cursive-esque font will be hard to read for some people? Still a great improvement though!

superangrypenguin

New menu theme also found on domestic J. Just noticed the updated menu. Same food, presentation, but new menu appearance

YOWandbeyond

Can I ask what the logic was to offer lobster mashed potatoes as a standard item on the YYZ-TLV run?

I mean, it definitely costs money, and for many of the customer on that route, lobster is a no-go even if they don't keep strictly kosher.

On my flight back to TLV at the end of July, everyone who wound up with the lobster mashed sent them back untouched. Even the GA commented on it.

kwflyer

Food safety is a growing concern in Canada with more published information on infections, pass/fail signs, and higher awareness of food borne illness. Asking AC to explain its food safety handling procedures is not something one should be chastised on, regardless of the known/perceived incidence rate.

AC's mission statement of safety first, 100% all the time (Value 1) extends to all of their operations (including food handling). Therefore such a question should be welcomed (Value 2: making every customer feel welcomed) and AC should not hesitate marketing/explaining its safety conscious culture, like the videos they publicize on the IFE (Value 3: working together with our customers, Value 4: acting with integrity, ).

Having worked with clients in the hospitality/restaurant industry, I am flabbergasted by how much more regulated local businesses are on food safety than ones regulated at a larger level.

The question is totally valid. With AC introducing new food deliveries (which I do think is positive), this would be an ideal opportunity for AC to better explain how it safely manages such execution. Providing an ambigous response, with a 'just trust us' theme when the AC brand has already been eroded (due to trust issues) is highly ineffective (Value 6: Drive for Excellence).

PLeblond

I agree with your comments. I do not, in any way, believe that people should not inquire about the hygiene, if that is an issue for them. What I am questioning in the timing of these inquires.

I have owned a bar and a few restaurants in the past and understand the constraints faced by this industry. I also know that the vast majority (I would guess 99%) of the food safety issues are the responsibility of the catering companies who prepare and pre-cook the food. Once in the air, insuring proper temperature and broader concepts of hygiene (for example: not picking up food off the ground and putting back into a plate) are the issue.

My point was that the new menu is simply changing the presentation aspect. I find it odd that this is making people question the integrity of AC's food delivery because of the added step. If one was not concerned about it before, I don't see how this new procedure should change their concerns.

Essentially, if it wasn't an issue before, why are people making an issue about it now?

PLeblond

I would agree with the question about the lobster. Apart from being able to boast that its a surf and turf, and cultural reasons aside; those who are allergic to seafood could always count on the meat option as a safe bet. No anymore, I gather.