El Boocho

Glad we got that out of the way. I was "just waiting" for someone to take an off topic swipe at other members of the FT community.

Expiration dates on frozen foods are really best before dates as frozen food is good indefinately. Might taste like crap though. How many days did the preparer of the meal give between production and expiry? If it was really the food, it would have to be related to handling before or after the freeze(s).

El Boocho

Agreed. Assuming everything is as it seems, $500 seems more reasonable to me.

brenig

Hi everyone. Luckily I'm still alive. I was sick for over 24 hours. The meal didn't taste bad at first sight (taste). Half way the meal I was getting a bad taste in my mouth which raised my suspicion. That's when I checked the expiry date and found out. Production date of the meal was in July 2008. I have contacted the caterer and they informed me they ship out their meals (frozen)within 2 weeks of production. The meals are then stored at the airport catering in a freezer. The label states that the meal is not to be server passed the expiration meal. It also states that once removed from the freezer, it is not to be frozen again (which might have happened).
I got a reply from Delta which I'm posting here:

Dear Mr. xxx,

Thank you for your e-mail describing your recent experience with Delta.
On behalf of Delta, please accept my apology for the discomfort you felt
during and after your flight.

I am truly sorry for your disappointment and concern with the quality of
your meal on Flight DL 0125 from Brussels to Atlanta on August 02, 2009.
Passenger comments like yours are critical in evaluating our food
service, as our future course of action is based on feedback like you
have provided. Please be assured your concerns will be shared with our
Food Service leadership team.

As a gesture of goodwill, I have issued an Electronic Transportation
Credit (e-TCV) in the amount of $150.00. Please note the voucher number
and associated Terms and Conditions will be arriving in a separate
e-mail. Please keep the Terms and Conditions, since the e-TCV number is
required for redemption. The e-TCV can be used online at www.delta.com
or when booking directly through one of our Reservations offices.

I hope I have been able to resolve any concerns you have about our
service. Mr. xxxxx, your business is important to us and given the
opportunity of serving you in the future, I am confident Delta will not
only meet but exceed your expectations.

Sincerely,

xxxx x. xxxxx
Coordinator
Customer Care

brenig

Dear xxxx x. xxxxxx,

I appreciate the speed at which you answered my previous email.
Although, I must admit that I am bit surprised by your response. In my original email I had presented several points which I believe deserved your attention.
To start off, I would like to understand how it is possible that a meal that was produced in early 2008 can be served on a July 2009 flight. Who is in charge of checking expiration dates on meals? Is there a procedure or guidelines in place that your airline uses to check meal expiration dates? Who is in charge of the catering in Brussels? I think that a direct apology from those in charge is due, rather than yourself. I cannot adequately express the turmoil that I experienced that day.
Secondly, I consider your compensation extremely minimal and very unexpected. I think a 150$ TCV is appropriate for a passenger who for example travelled on a broken seat or who was deprived of something. You are dealing with a passenger that paid 2267€ (equivalent of 3250$) to make his flight better and more comfortable, who in turn ended up having the worst flight of his life. I think a refund of half of the paid amount, or a TCV for the full amount would be much more appropriate. As a Platinum Elite Plus member in the Skyteam alliance, I allow myself to criticize the wrongdoing to me at the highest level. I think that a member of Customer Care could have picked up a phone and replied to my questions. A personal approach is completely appropriate and desirable.
Last but not least, you have not told me what will be done to ensure this will NEVER happen again to any future passenger on your airline. I would like a follow up on that, something I think I am entitled to.
On average, I annually travel 8-9 transatlantic roundtrips in Business Class and this was my first Delta experience. I am confident that in these economically difficult times, you would do anything in your ability to keep passengers like myself on your flights, rather than on the competing airlines.

I await your favorable response eagerly.
Yours,
xxx

kahuna613

July 2008 geeeeeeeez. Are all special meals like this, prepared, frozen, and held onto for a while? And how does that compare to regular meals?

I got violently ill on an Aer Lingus flight DUB-IAD last summer (and continued to be ill for the next three days), and they took my contact information down. I never heard anything, but no one else got sick on the plane. I think it was something I had in the Dublin Airport before leaving. It was awful though, after 8 months abroad and seeing my girlfriend only twice in that period, I was bedridden for several days.

brenig

It was definitely from the food. I hadn't eaten anything else that day. And even had I not become sick from the food, it still is a scandal I'm being served an expired meal...

PMMMDL

Shenanigans!!

Special meals in BizE are not served in containers with expirary dating. Special meals in Biz E are served plated without any of the packaging. I have been served special meals in Biz on several occasions. It does not come in an aluminum tin, or with anything that has printing.

This whole thread smells like a week old tuna to me.

El Boocho

Yikes! What was the expiration date? I'm curious how long they let these things sit frozen. I've never had a J meal served in a container. Always on a plate. Is that how all special meals are served? Was the date just on the bottom of the container?

formeraa

I was wondering the same as well???

jackplum

+1

I always have had a special meal and it has always been served just as any other B/E meal. Additionally, it is my understanding that special meals are produced near to flight time hence the need for a minimum of 12 hours notification.

Which meal type was it? Fish and chicken is an interesting combination.

I do believe with some bacteria, GI distress can appear at a later date and also be caused by an allergeric reaction, i.e. lactose intolerance.

fti

Not long

Dovster

That is not always true -- it is certainly never true in the case of kosher meals.

Indeed, the boxes the kosher meals come in are securely wrapped and there is a printed notice on them that they are not to be opened by anyone except the passenger. (This is to guarantee that some small particle of non-kosher food from the galley does not enter the package, making the entire meal non-kosher.)

The one exception to this is El Al, where all the food served is kosher.

brenig

It was a Kosher meal. Kosher meals come wrapped and have an expiry date. I have contacted the caterer and they promised to assist me in every possible way, and even apologized for something totally out of their control. And dear PMMMDL, I wish you should undergo the same on your next flight. We'll see how much week old tuna you can swallow.

brenig

Thanks for your advise. I have written to the DOT. Awaiting their response.

soitgoes

You will likely never hear from the DOT. You are a statistic/trend to them. However, they will forward your complaint to DL, and someone at DL will get back to you.