Under Catering of late - trend?
 

Just curious if this is a new trend, or just some bad luck on recent flights?

YYZ-MCO - Y bulkhead - another passenger orders a pizza, and that was 'the last one', kids not impressed.

YYZ-MIA - Y bulkhead - in 12A, 12F orders sushi, it is the only one on board. 3 other main dishes not available.

YYZ-SLC - J - no bread, only 1 bottle of the non-riesling white boarded, gone shortly after takeoff. Riesling is ok, but warm.


All first-world problems, but seems like a trend to me, most flights from YYZ seem to have pretty bare cupboards.

Trend or bad luck?

I believe there were some disgruntled caterers 8 or so months ago, which led to flights missing items like tablecloths and even cutlery.

While you can easily make an argument for why they wouldn't want to cater wine in J, I can't imagine pizza/sushi/BOB is anything but profit for AC, so I'd suggest it's "bad luck", or the caterers want a raise.

I've noticed this once lately. AC537 ANC-YVR. The flight appears to be catered in YVR for the return. However after takeoff the flight attendants were scrambling to ask all passengers with pre-purchased food what they would like, because the BOB was not catered properly, and there were only a few sandwiches/pizza etc.

Haven't had major issues with this, but I have found that service consistency has waned after a few years where it seemed they put focus on improving and providing consistency in the in-flight product. I fly transcon at least a few times a month and I'm finding that water service and second service in Y has virtually disappeared at times. I had a second service last week for the first time in my last five YOW-YVR/YYZ-YVR flights. A few small bumps in the last 90 mins of flight and they down tools with more regularity it seems.

I've seen the j meal portions cut back over the last year

Breakfast used to have two sausages and a much larger accompaniment of potatoes. Now done to one sausage and 30% reduction in potatoes. Omelette looks smaller too.



Lunch/ Dinner - ravioli used to fill the plate now looks like the fa and I are inadvertently sharing it. Alberta AAA beef is getting smaller in some cases it's not being catered at all. Constantly out of whole wheat bread

The Italian red however, that somehow made its way onto PLH flights - hands down the best red I've had on AC. Although I still wish AC catered trius products (especially red) which are a phenomenal product (which hold up well in the air) at an exceptional (and similar) price point.

Oh and AC (despite Ben Smiths remarks) has given up on properly chilling the beer and the bubbly. I was told with a str8 face, that my Granville Island honey lager, was to be served with ice :eek:

Seems to me that there have been noticeable cutbacks on food this year. We see it in the lounges and in the air. And yet AC continues to tout its "enhanced" service. We can discuss this till the cows come home or until one of the AC fanboys shows up to insist that you are all ungrateful malcontents, or until you folks tell AC you are not flying them anymore. I flew Air France last night. I will fly again after that. It will not be on Air Canada.

How hard is it to chill beer?

Canary in the coal mine?

J-wine-wise, AC has managed to find the one undrinkable Argentine Malbec out there. It used to cater Vistalba, a $20/bottle very nice red; now it has some concoction sold in BC liquor stores for $8 a bottle (meaning it's worse than 2-buck-chuck in Argentina) that I wouldn't use to braise beef in. The Italian red is OK, but far from spectacular.

If I was a caterer, I'd charge the airlines $4 for a beer but $5 for a cold beer.

Certainly seems like a leading indicator.

Love to hear your thoughts on the Y wine lol

Even as some one who is satisfied from those $9.99 stuff in LCBO..I would actually say it's the worst alcohol I have ever had in my life so far.

I grow up out of a family who never waste food or drink. I had to force myself to finish it.

Not sure if this is a catering or a cost-saving issue: on my last YVR-YYZ flight AC1188 - which I've taken many times - no alcohol was served or even offered in J. This flight arrives in YYZ at ~4 pm, and my previous experience has been that drinks were served about 1-1.5 hrs before landing. The trolley never made an appearance.

I have not notice the size of the beef cut back at all. Must eat it min 5 x per month for 30 years. AC has always cut the beef on leisure-ish flights in July/Aug and Dec. A lot of leisure flights never have beef on them at all.

Took this flight on July 12. There was drink service around the MB/ON border in J.

Y wine is bad. Would have liked AC Y selection of premium wine to have been a lot better and charge $15 per bottle. You are not getting much of a premium for the extra $2 or so. Forcing yourself to finish something bad is crazy.