TT: Meal standards slipping
 

Has anyone else noticed that the standards of Economy meals on AKL-SYD-AKL has gone down hill scene the start of the year.

At the start of the year the meals where great & the quality had improved. Now we seem to be back to the Pie's. After 4 years of the pie it might be time to put it to rest. The salad was so awful last night the crew started to joking about no one eating it.

By the way the crew on NZ106 last night where great esp FA2.

The meals have changed format recently to allow double-catering out of AKL on the A320 aircraft, so they've been standardized across the fleet. (They're now a weird shape to allow fitting on the new A320 trays).

BTW, if you're referring to the Inflight Service Coordinator who ran the economy service, FA2 isn't their designation onboard. (On the 767 they're FA5!).

I highly encourage you to mention both the meals and the ISC to flightcomment or myvoice. With prices at the unsustainable level they are on the Tasman I just can't see the meals being enhanced, but comments are valuable nonetheless.

Send me a PM if you need the ISC's name. He's a great guy!

The Meals in TT Business Class can be a mixed bag too. The brekkys are always very good but the lunches and dinner can be very variable. I often resort to having the pie in lieu. I never bother complaining as catering on such a shortish sector is not that important to me

While the food isn't always up to scratch the service and the new IFE certainly makes up for it.

I have heard QF TT catering in J is abysmal and even the service can be very hit and miss.

Actually, the J catering and service on QF TT is generally quite reasonable. Far better than that generally on Oz domestic J.

On Sunday I flew economy on NZ to MEL, departing AKL 7:30pm. We were offered a choice between a piece of chicken or a savoury pastry along with a few chopped salad leaves. Later an small icecream cup was served.

On the equivalent QF service there's a slightly more substantial offering.

(Mind you, space+ seating with gateTOgate IFE more than made up for it.)

Thanks, NZ_Crew for your help.

I find the cold breakky to be the best meal on the tassie, its always the same & it seems to be big
than the other meals.

The crew & the ice cream make up for the bad meal;)

I thought the service and breakfast from WLG to SYD on Monday in J was pretty good.

Service was definitely an improvement from the last time I flew this sector.

Has anyone had the new Gluten Free meal on the Tasman yet?

Whats it like? do you still get ice cream.

Im thinking about ordering it for my next flight to avoid the damn pie!

I went AKL-SYD-AKL last week going business premier there and economy back.

The economy meal was a chicken and asparagus tart (the other choice was a beef salad), a small couscous salad and black doris plum flavoured Kapiti ice cream.

Flew AKL-SYD yesterday afternoon, the meal was a beef parcel/pie (more like a large sausage roll but beef) or a chicken condon bleu. Both have a small cold salad, and a small tub of ice-cream for dessert.

You get this meal tray where only half is used - very weird. I keep expecting them to fill it with some stuff.

With QF, you get a main, a salad, a small bread roll, a little piece of chocolate and ice-cream.

I had catering like that on a 7:30pm departure AKL to MEL.

It depends on the departure time I guess, as two days earlier, the 6:30pm flight MEL-AKL flight was more substantially catered (similar to that of Qantas).

These were the economy meal choices when I flew SYD-CHC 2 days ago (minus the ice cream though).

An FA did go through the cabin later on with what was obviously leftover desserts/cheeses from business class, and offered them to a list of names she was holding. (Not sure what the criteria were, but I was offered one, whereas no-one else in rows 4-6 was?)

I had some delicious cheese & crackers :)

The current LGML on the Tasman is salmon served with asparagus, tomatoes, capsicum, and new potatoes. The side salad has lettuce, pineapple, and carrot and the dessert is dried apricots and dates.

They are catering very tightly in the current economic climate, so it may not be possible to substitute an icecream.

Thanks,

My vote would be ditch the rest of the meal & increase the size of the ice cream on the late night flights.

In the current climate it might be better just to cut the meals & drop $5 of the fares. You don't really need a meal on a SYD-AKL flight that arrives at 11.35pm.

or perhaps they could charge you for something to eat (oh hang on that's been done already - Pacific Blue, JetStar etc)

I don't know about most people, but on a flight that departs around 6:30pm Sydney time I am ready for a meal and hour or so after take off.

I would rather grab a nice late lunch at Circular Quay at a restaurant before getting on the train to the airport. I think it depends if your body clock is still on NZ time, which if your on a short trip it most likely would.

If they improved the food at the lounge, they may get alot more people joining the KC.