FlyerAl

Thanks for sharing your photos. The meals and presentation are a positive change, IMO.

As for food handling issues, I don't think a company representative should be so dismissive of these concerns. This is something that needs to be addressed by all airlines. Think of who/what comes into contact with the galley - food catering trucks, pilots, passengers, paperwork, trash, etc. Flight attendants touch all sorts of contaminated surfaces like overhead bin latches, rearrange bags, seat recline buttons, tray tables, call buttons, garbage, credit card terminal, duty free, galley phone, cabin controls. Are they touching the dirty door handle after washing their hands in the lavatory? They hand out meals while collecting used drink glasses at the same time. They never wear latex gloves when handling food.

As the A380s and Dreamliners are connecting us to more disease-infested parts of the world, more attention should be given to aircraft cleanliness/sanitation and food handling.

YYCYYZ

Thanks for the pictures. Very much appreciated!

Andrew/Ben - question on food safety and dessert specifically. If I look at the picture as provided here on the dessert it appears as if the cheesecake and the fruit tray are side by side and the tongs are resting on the side/middle.

For someone such as myself with an anaphylactic allergy to tree nuts, I have to be extremely careful what I can eat on a plane. Especially with respect to intercontinental flights where in most cases I'd be dead before we could find a place to land.

I understand AC can't guarantee a tree nut free environment and can't guarantee any food might have not come with cross contamination at source. Such is my lot in life.

In the past when flying AC I skipped the nuts (obviously - and I'd suggest being much more aware about how these are served, in most cases the flight attendants are extremely careless with potential cross contamination here), the bread/muffins etc, most main dishes and all desserts. So basically I can't eat 90% of what is served.

The one thing I *could* eat with confidence was the fruit tray. Often I'd only be able to eat that for breakfast (with yogurt). But now, if I was presented with the food as in the picture I'd have to skip the fruit too. The risk of cross contamination between the cheesecake (which could easily contain nuts) and the fruit is much too high.

Is there a reason why this needs to be served like this? I'd think that a very small change to the service would provide a better experience for all (no dirty tongs touching both cake & fruit).

Also, since this is a food post, I'll toss in that often I ask if I can have a non-nut snack with my drink (i.e. bag of chips, pretzels, anything other than a warmed up plate of death), and I'm batting 2/8 on this request over 2014. Often the flight attendants just say no. Is there any reason why a non-nut snack with my pre-dinner drink couldn't be accommodated?

Thanks gentlemen. I appreciate you posting here on FT with threads such as this.

superangrypenguin

These posts about dietary restrictions are...rather pointless in my opinion. That's why they designed special meals. If they messed up a special meal, that's a totally different problem. Jeez, Air Canada and other airlines try to cater to our needs, but it is not one size fits all.

Stranger

To add to this. Seeing that they are working on improving service, this is not really a good time top bring up complaints or negative comments.

BTW, would be nice too if the wine selection offers something that suits those of us who favor balance over fruit.

YYCYYZ

Point me to the nut-free meal. Doesn't exist, thus my concerns are completely valid.

My point(s) were related to service and food hygiene.

superangrypenguin

The Campbell's instant soup noodle thing? That exists, or starve. I have a dairy allergy, if I didn't preorder a meal or was upgraded at the gate, too bad for me. Life moves on.

lespoir

My only pet peeves: those ice cold saucers! Each time they place a warm bread on the saucer, I move it over to the tray top immediately. I love warm breads and really hate my bread on ice.

After complaining years about the bread, I am very happy for the quality of breads currently served, generally for out-bound flights from Canada (the breads on returning flights are still not good).

Sean Peever

What bothers me (and when I say bother I am really nitpicking, so please take it lightly) is when I get ice cold frozen butter for the bread.

It's just so cold and frozen I can't spread it at all, and I have to warm it up first.

It's not all the time, just once in awhile it happens to me.

Transpacificflyer

Thanks. I thought I was the only one.
I only want the cheddar, and it's such a waste giving me 2 cheeses I won't eat.
Now if they can just remember to serve a glass of port so I can sleep, I'll be even more happy.

philelite

I'm excited about the new offers! Can't wait to try it.

rbphilip

I'm flying YYZ-IST and it's definitely a night flight. Not coming back that way so I won't be able to test the IST-YYZ for improvements.

rbphilip

Such is life. Thanks for the info.

Lllahim

Winnipegrev, I wanted to send you a PM on this statement but your site does not allow PM access. I am very interested in knowing how you arrived at this opinion. Validity of the broad statement apart, is one allowed to critize a product if h/she bought it once (as opposed to regularly) and was disappointed?

24left

lespoir and Sean Peever

+1

Had some or all of the above on my last few flights

Easy to warm butter quickly by holding it.
Put cutlery and napkin in my lap for a while.
Worst though are the frozen plates/saucer. They do not warm quickly and that nice dinner roll did not perform well on ice cold plate. Also moved it to tray.

winnipegrev

Re-reading that, I think it is too broad a statement as clearly there are things to criticize in J from those who frequent/pay for it.

But I didn't mean it as a knock to anyone here. It's no secret that some of AC's heaviest criticism on FT comes from people who have long ago defected to other airlines and based on scathing/sometimes unfair remarks on many threads, AC won't be winning them back regardless of changes. And being FT, group 2 are those in J by upgrading using eUps or AE rewards (I know Flex isn't cheap, but AC isn't designing their J product around Flex prices+eUps as evidenced by shrinking J cabins). Group 3 is full-fare J (the opinion AC should value highest when evaluating these changes) which is more rare on FT. That's my opinion based on reading many threads without much else to back it up. Just that it is futile for AC to lose sleep over much discussed about the J product on FT.

AC has been criticized (not on this thread) for only being on this site for "free research" and they should be thankful to us for providing it. But I wonder how true that is. Using this thread in particular, I don't see much feedback AC could consider useful.