What's going on with CX food in J?
Jan 9, 2015, 12:46 pm
#31
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: AMEX AC CX UA AA DL
Posts: 3,008
With these cooking methods, there is no (or lesser) concern of awful looking overcooked veggies or chewy meat.
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Jan 9, 2015, 7:41 pm
#32
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX DM
Posts: 1,140
Yes, but it's nice if the airline makes an effort to do better than serve just the bare minimum. It's part of the intangible warm and fuzziness that consumers like (but are unfortunately not always willing to pay for). Without that effort, one gets the results that you see on domestic US airlines.
Last edited by KACommuter; Jan 9, 2015 at 7:51 pm
Jan 10, 2015, 12:25 am
#34
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX DM
Posts: 1,140
However, all airlines are in a sandwich on this. If they serve good meals, will customers pay a little more for the better F&B?. If they serve obviously cheap meals will customers get turned off by the poor F&B?
My impression is that CX (and many other airlines) is trying to get close to the borderline on the latter as they know their seats, reliability and FFP are more important to customer choice than F&B.
Jan 10, 2015, 12:28 pm
#35
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 6,978
Yes. Their Y meals are even further ahead than CX's as well.
However, all airlines are in a sandwich on this. If they serve good meals, will customers pay a little more for the better F&B?. If they serve obviously cheap meals will customers get turned off by the poor F&B?
My impression is that CX (and many other airlines) is trying to get close to the borderline on the latter as they know their seats, reliability and FFP are more important to customer choice than F&B.
However, all airlines are in a sandwich on this. If they serve good meals, will customers pay a little more for the better F&B?. If they serve obviously cheap meals will customers get turned off by the poor F&B?
My impression is that CX (and many other airlines) is trying to get close to the borderline on the latter as they know their seats, reliability and FFP are more important to customer choice than F&B.
Jan 10, 2015, 4:03 pm
#36
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,632
Definition of double boiled : http://www.homemade-chinese-soups.co...e-boiling.html
With these cooking methods, there is no (or lesser) concern of awful looking overcooked veggies or chewy meat.
With these cooking methods, there is no (or lesser) concern of awful looking overcooked veggies or chewy meat.
Jan 12, 2015, 4:33 am
#37
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: London/ Hong Kong
Programs: CX SL, BAEC Gold, IHG, Hyatt, Starwood,Ritz Carlton Reward
Posts: 122
@jumbojet19920711
Supper service for a 1am departure makes sense and I can accept fewer choices & smaller portions. But that can't excuse the poor quality of what was offered. The appetizer was beyond lame, the Chicken Pot Pie tasted terrible and the cheese strangely tasteless.
I took HKG-SFO via a connecting flight from BKK and the poor quality food on the BKK-HKG sector meant that I was pretty hungry when I boarded for SFO. The BKK-HKG flight was delayed so I had no time to have a proper dinner in the lounge.
I've taken these exact sectors before and I don't remember the food being this bad.
Supper service for a 1am departure makes sense and I can accept fewer choices & smaller portions. But that can't excuse the poor quality of what was offered. The appetizer was beyond lame, the Chicken Pot Pie tasted terrible and the cheese strangely tasteless.
I took HKG-SFO via a connecting flight from BKK and the poor quality food on the BKK-HKG sector meant that I was pretty hungry when I boarded for SFO. The BKK-HKG flight was delayed so I had no time to have a proper dinner in the lounge.
I've taken these exact sectors before and I don't remember the food being this bad.
Jan 12, 2015, 7:48 am
#38
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: LA/NY/CHI
Programs: AA EXP, AS 100K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,876
Happy new year, everyone!
I've been a loyal CX J flyer averaging about 50-60k miles per year for the past several years. However, my recent travel on 3 sectors left me hugely disappointed with the quality, variety and quantity of on board food. I've flown these sectors every year and the decline was very noticeable compared with my last trip about 7 months ago.
Two of the sectors were regional and the other across the pacific. The food was stunningly and uniformly bad across all three. I'm not a fussy eater but I left most of my entree on all three flights. Appetizers were, well, not appetizing at all: 2 x small prawns on salad leaves on regional legs and pre-packaged crackers+spread on trans pacific leg. Other changes:
- no nuts served
- no proactive serving of cheese (it used to be served via a cart where you could pick and choose)
- dessert on tray vs. separate after dinner cart
It was glaringly obvious that cost-cutting was in full force.
I politely asked one of the lead flight attendants what was going on and she apologized and said "I agree and I'm embarrassed to serve you this food". Wow! She said there had been a noticeable decline in the food quality over the past few months.
I view CX as one of the best out there but this recent experience has shattered my confidence in them. Have you seen similar declines in catering quality?
I've been a loyal CX J flyer averaging about 50-60k miles per year for the past several years. However, my recent travel on 3 sectors left me hugely disappointed with the quality, variety and quantity of on board food. I've flown these sectors every year and the decline was very noticeable compared with my last trip about 7 months ago.
Two of the sectors were regional and the other across the pacific. The food was stunningly and uniformly bad across all three. I'm not a fussy eater but I left most of my entree on all three flights. Appetizers were, well, not appetizing at all: 2 x small prawns on salad leaves on regional legs and pre-packaged crackers+spread on trans pacific leg. Other changes:
- no nuts served
- no proactive serving of cheese (it used to be served via a cart where you could pick and choose)
- dessert on tray vs. separate after dinner cart
It was glaringly obvious that cost-cutting was in full force.
I politely asked one of the lead flight attendants what was going on and she apologized and said "I agree and I'm embarrassed to serve you this food". Wow! She said there had been a noticeable decline in the food quality over the past few months.
I view CX as one of the best out there but this recent experience has shattered my confidence in them. Have you seen similar declines in catering quality?
-although the appetizer was a shrimp dish, similar to the one you described, I found it to be acceptable.
-desert was ice cream served desperately with tea
-if I can recall correctly, they did serve the fruit and rolled out the cheese cart.
-I don't think I was offered nuts, but that's one side of service I found to be consistently inconsistent.
My only complaint is that I was given a virgin cloud nine rather than a standard one I asked for.
Maybe I looked too young?
Jan 12, 2015, 9:37 am
#39
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: HKG
Programs: CX Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 418
What I don't understand is, after changing the longhaul supper offerings multiple times in the past few years, CX still couldn't figure out what the passengers really need.
The principles are simple:
(1) You don't want to disturb the passengers who want to sleep all the way through, so you would minimize cart movement.
(2) There are passengers who want to eat a more substantial meal, so you offer an option with proper appetizer, hot main course, fruit / cheese / dessert.
(3) There are passengers who need a quicker and lighter meal before rest, so you also offer a light option and enough snack items.
But what CX is now doing:
- offering those pathetic 'savoury dips' which don't please passengers who want a more substantial meal.
- using carts to serve part of the supper, so passengers who sleep are still disturbed, while passengers who eat feel awkward to see some items being offered on a 'on request' basis. Serving the full meal by taking orders, as is done by BA, would be much better.
- not uplifting enough snacks so passengers need to fight for light meal options
Come on CX, your food quality is already disappointing. But is designing a supper menu and service flow that make most passengers happy really that difficult? Well, perhaps I shouldn't expect too much from the clever catering guys at CX who come up with the ideas of mid-flight meal on transpacific J services and 'paper box' Y meals on TPE flight, the latter of which is simply damaging the CX brand as a premium airline.
The principles are simple:
(1) You don't want to disturb the passengers who want to sleep all the way through, so you would minimize cart movement.
(2) There are passengers who want to eat a more substantial meal, so you offer an option with proper appetizer, hot main course, fruit / cheese / dessert.
(3) There are passengers who need a quicker and lighter meal before rest, so you also offer a light option and enough snack items.
But what CX is now doing:
- offering those pathetic 'savoury dips' which don't please passengers who want a more substantial meal.
- using carts to serve part of the supper, so passengers who sleep are still disturbed, while passengers who eat feel awkward to see some items being offered on a 'on request' basis. Serving the full meal by taking orders, as is done by BA, would be much better.
- not uplifting enough snacks so passengers need to fight for light meal options
Come on CX, your food quality is already disappointing. But is designing a supper menu and service flow that make most passengers happy really that difficult? Well, perhaps I shouldn't expect too much from the clever catering guys at CX who come up with the ideas of mid-flight meal on transpacific J services and 'paper box' Y meals on TPE flight, the latter of which is simply damaging the CX brand as a premium airline.
Jan 12, 2015, 9:47 am
#40
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX Diamond / SQ Gold / Bonvoy Platinum / Hyatt Globalist / Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,098
Can CX catering people go fly on QR (or SQ or NH) and see what competitors are doing with their food?
I've flown QR J four times in 2014. The food was really good - restaurant plating, decent portion size, good taste. The consistently do good soups and fabulous desserts - on two flights the cakes were by Laduree. Ice creams were served in a bowl with garnishing as opposed to a rock solid tub of Haagen Dazs.
CX appetizers are sad and dull, main courses are awful (sometimes inedible!) and desserts non-existent. Even the breads have gone downhill. Once upon a time (perhaps 10 years ago) the garlic bread in J was flavorful and delicious - and buttered on both sides. Nowadays the garlic bread is barely covered in butter and doesn't have much of a garlic smell to it ...
And I really don't feel a tub of rock solid ice cream really qualifies as a proper dessert. It's at most a midflight snack when you're watching a movie.
I've flown QR J four times in 2014. The food was really good - restaurant plating, decent portion size, good taste. The consistently do good soups and fabulous desserts - on two flights the cakes were by Laduree. Ice creams were served in a bowl with garnishing as opposed to a rock solid tub of Haagen Dazs.
CX appetizers are sad and dull, main courses are awful (sometimes inedible!) and desserts non-existent. Even the breads have gone downhill. Once upon a time (perhaps 10 years ago) the garlic bread in J was flavorful and delicious - and buttered on both sides. Nowadays the garlic bread is barely covered in butter and doesn't have much of a garlic smell to it ...
And I really don't feel a tub of rock solid ice cream really qualifies as a proper dessert. It's at most a midflight snack when you're watching a movie.
Jan 12, 2015, 10:16 am
#41
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Some hole
Posts: 2,783
CX should really change its plating for longhaul and longer regional routes like flights to Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, etc. The casserole is fine for flights to Manila, Bangkok, Taipei and Cebu but for much longer flights and longhaul flights, proper plating over a casserole is a must. I flew with SQ a few years ago on the A380 from HKG-SIN and I rate SQ's food above CX. I had the fish option and it was moist, properly presented and the portion was big. Even the appetizer was properly plated. CX jams everything in the small casserole hence the small portion. One thing CX ranks better than SQ in terms of the meal service are probably the nuts. CX serves them in a ramekin while SQ serves them in a bag. Seems cheap to me for Business Class. More like Economy Class to me.
CX also has to spruce up their breakfast options. Every time I fly, its always eggs, some meat of some sort and potatoes for the Western option. It's getting pretty boring. At least change the sides like beans or better yet, have some pancakes with syrup, waffles, at least something different!! The breads are pretty boring as well. Its always croissants and danishes. Why not some muffins or ordinary toast?!
CX also has to spruce up their breakfast options. Every time I fly, its always eggs, some meat of some sort and potatoes for the Western option. It's getting pretty boring. At least change the sides like beans or better yet, have some pancakes with syrup, waffles, at least something different!! The breads are pretty boring as well. Its always croissants and danishes. Why not some muffins or ordinary toast?!
Jan 12, 2015, 2:13 pm
#42
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: London/ Hong Kong
Programs: CX SL, BAEC Gold, IHG, Hyatt, Starwood,Ritz Carlton Reward
Posts: 122
What I don't understand is, after changing the longhaul supper offerings multiple times in the past few years, CX still couldn't figure out what the passengers really need.
The principles are simple:
(1) You don't want to disturb the passengers who want to sleep all the way through, so you would minimize cart movement.
(2) There are passengers who want to eat a more substantial meal, so you offer an option with proper appetizer, hot main course, fruit / cheese / dessert.
(3) There are passengers who need a quicker and lighter meal before rest, so you also offer a light option and enough snack items.
But what CX is now doing:
- offering those pathetic 'savoury dips' which don't please passengers who want a more substantial meal.
- using carts to serve part of the supper, so passengers who sleep are still disturbed, while passengers who eat feel awkward to see some items being offered on a 'on request' basis. Serving the full meal by taking orders, as is done by BA, would be much better.
- not uplifting enough snacks so passengers need to fight for light meal options
Come on CX, your food quality is already disappointing. But is designing a supper menu and service flow that make most passengers happy really that difficult? Well, perhaps I shouldn't expect too much from the clever catering guys at CX who come up with the ideas of mid-flight meal on transpacific J services and 'paper box' Y meals on TPE flight, the latter of which is simply damaging the CX brand as a premium airline.
The principles are simple:
(1) You don't want to disturb the passengers who want to sleep all the way through, so you would minimize cart movement.
(2) There are passengers who want to eat a more substantial meal, so you offer an option with proper appetizer, hot main course, fruit / cheese / dessert.
(3) There are passengers who need a quicker and lighter meal before rest, so you also offer a light option and enough snack items.
But what CX is now doing:
- offering those pathetic 'savoury dips' which don't please passengers who want a more substantial meal.
- using carts to serve part of the supper, so passengers who sleep are still disturbed, while passengers who eat feel awkward to see some items being offered on a 'on request' basis. Serving the full meal by taking orders, as is done by BA, would be much better.
- not uplifting enough snacks so passengers need to fight for light meal options
Come on CX, your food quality is already disappointing. But is designing a supper menu and service flow that make most passengers happy really that difficult? Well, perhaps I shouldn't expect too much from the clever catering guys at CX who come up with the ideas of mid-flight meal on transpacific J services and 'paper box' Y meals on TPE flight, the latter of which is simply damaging the CX brand as a premium airline.
As regards to snacks- once again- huge issues... On both of my legs to and from SYD recently, snacks were out by 5 hours into flight (both not red-eye sleeper flights) and the service bells were buzzing like no tomorrow- guess everyone was hungry- eventually they pulled out a huge bag of Y class peanuts to feed us hungry souls- NOT ACCEPTABLE
Jun 20, 2015, 11:58 pm
#43
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 6,978
Wow, I see what you guys mean about bad J food
Ever since I have switched to EWR I have not have a J upgrade for awhile (once in the last year of flying!), and I keep reading here that many of you are lamenting how bad J food has gone... well... I was upgraded and yeah, it's bad, really bad....
Dinner
1) First plate: in the past it was something great like slices of smoked salmon. Now, an empty plate, a choice of bread, and a bowl that used to be shrimp cocktail and now it's just a bowl with some sauce? That's it!
2) Entree: Beef Tenderloin or chicken curry with rice. Both offering looks exactly the same as what I'm used to in PEY. Seriously CX?
3) Gone: NO MORE fruit platter after entree, no more cheese and crackers.
Breakfast
1) Croissant, butter, that's it!
2) A bowl of beef congee
3) A fruit platter
Oh my goodness, goodness gracious. I would be very upset too if I've paid $5000-$6000 to fly their J and get these kind of food.....
Dinner
1) First plate: in the past it was something great like slices of smoked salmon. Now, an empty plate, a choice of bread, and a bowl that used to be shrimp cocktail and now it's just a bowl with some sauce? That's it!
2) Entree: Beef Tenderloin or chicken curry with rice. Both offering looks exactly the same as what I'm used to in PEY. Seriously CX?
3) Gone: NO MORE fruit platter after entree, no more cheese and crackers.
Breakfast
1) Croissant, butter, that's it!
2) A bowl of beef congee
3) A fruit platter
Oh my goodness, goodness gracious. I would be very upset too if I've paid $5000-$6000 to fly their J and get these kind of food.....
Jun 21, 2015, 4:05 am
#44
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
I had something similar ex. HKG to LHR. The starter was a packet of bread sticks and a dip. The main was ok but absolutely tiny. It was, frankly, awful.
In 2009 I remember getting a 'quick' tray with a cup of soup, lovely salad and small dessert. That was more substantial than my 'full' meal on my last flight.
In 2009 I remember getting a 'quick' tray with a cup of soup, lovely salad and small dessert. That was more substantial than my 'full' meal on my last flight.
Jun 21, 2015, 4:17 am
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: CX Green, QF Platinum, BAEC Silver, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 10,780
The breakfast sounds like typical J class breakfast. The only thing that seems missing is that they will offer yoghurt and cereal between the initial fruit platter and the main course. Was this offered?
Regarding the bread, was it brought in a basket for you to choose from? You can usually ask for more if you want it.
For the supper, you say it's the same entree as what you get in PE. This is what it should be - one of the benefits of PE is that they get the selection from the J menu for the entree. So if you are getting the same in J, it is confirmed to you that your PE meal is correct. Also it is a supper service so I think the cheese / fruit plate is on request - it should be noted in the menu.
Regarding the bread, was it brought in a basket for you to choose from? You can usually ask for more if you want it.
For the supper, you say it's the same entree as what you get in PE. This is what it should be - one of the benefits of PE is that they get the selection from the J menu for the entree. So if you are getting the same in J, it is confirmed to you that your PE meal is correct. Also it is a supper service so I think the cheese / fruit plate is on request - it should be noted in the menu.