LH/LX/LO/OS/SN/OU economy class food
#61
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Capetown
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Plat, IHG and Hilton Diamond, LH SEN, BA Gold
Posts: 10,170
I was on MAN-MUC in Y on Tuesday night and was truly appalled at the "food" handed out on the flight. It was a two-part plastic container, the smaller part containing 9 (yes, I counted them) micro pretzels (they were too small to be called mini pretzels). The other part was a formless yellow lump of starchy goo and four odd looking little strips of grey rubbery meat covered in damp breadcrumbs. I asked and was told that the yellow goo was potato salad and the strips were Schnitzel-Wienerart.
I tried the Schnitzel first. This was truly nasty, rubbery rap that tasted of salt and nothing else. A knot of gristle did nothing to enhance the experience.
Then followed the potato salad, whose scooping severely strained the integrity of the plastic spoon supplied with it. It was disgusting from the moment it got within 10cm of my face. The odour was overpowering and when it went in my mouth it was clear that a huge number of artificial flavourings had been added to compensate for the lack of natural ones.
I ate the pretzels to take the flavour of the potato salad away, but sadly 9 of them was insufficient for that purpose.
I looked around to see that most of the passengers were in tacit agreement with my assessment and an awful lot of the meal service went in the bin. Seriously, what the hell do LH think they're doing serving this vile filth? I would much rather have nothing at all than this. I know it must be cheap to make, and therefore economical, but what about al those who know book with a budget airline (or tell their friends and family to) because the extra you pay for a flight with a meal included is simply a waste of money?
I tried the Schnitzel first. This was truly nasty, rubbery rap that tasted of salt and nothing else. A knot of gristle did nothing to enhance the experience.
Then followed the potato salad, whose scooping severely strained the integrity of the plastic spoon supplied with it. It was disgusting from the moment it got within 10cm of my face. The odour was overpowering and when it went in my mouth it was clear that a huge number of artificial flavourings had been added to compensate for the lack of natural ones.
I ate the pretzels to take the flavour of the potato salad away, but sadly 9 of them was insufficient for that purpose.
I looked around to see that most of the passengers were in tacit agreement with my assessment and an awful lot of the meal service went in the bin. Seriously, what the hell do LH think they're doing serving this vile filth? I would much rather have nothing at all than this. I know it must be cheap to make, and therefore economical, but what about al those who know book with a budget airline (or tell their friends and family to) because the extra you pay for a flight with a meal included is simply a waste of money?
#62
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: Airplanes!
Posts: 160
#63
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: UK
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite, UA 1K
Posts: 822
#65
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: hamburg
Posts: 1,390
period!
i mean, do you have gourmet style stuff in your car everytime you drive to a meeting??
i just pass when those "meals" are being offered, and i do it with a smile...
catering on longhaul is one thing, but in this case ?
give me a brake....
Last edited by sunseeker; Sep 27, 2013 at 7:09 pm
#66
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: hamburg
Posts: 1,390
wow...
i missed something here; the OP complaining is from the UK ;
now, that for sure makes him an expert .
the worst slub i ever had on any flight in my miserable life was way better than what i ever got when paying like 40 gbp in any british restaurant...
now, that for sure makes him an expert .
the worst slub i ever had on any flight in my miserable life was way better than what i ever got when paying like 40 gbp in any british restaurant...
#67
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: TK Elite Plus, SAS EBG, QR Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,297
I suppose the typical business traveler may have other priorities, but for a leisure traveler it might be nice to not be forced to spend €10 on a sandwich and cola.
#68
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: OSL/IAH/ZRH (time, not preference)
Programs: UA1K, LH GM, AA EXP->GM
Posts: 38,265
I had this too on VIE to MUC and had nothing to complain. Nothing special, nothing cruel. And certainly in the range of three to four Euro. The potatoe salad is Bavarian style without mayonnaise. Maybe they should shift to something else in the land of salt and vinegar crisps and fish & chips....
Go for real meat please - offend more people to satisfy more!
#69
Senior Moderator, Moderator: Community Buzz and Ambassador: Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 150km from MAN
Programs: LH SEN** HH Diamond
Posts: 29,517
The photo in post #17 may be a little misleading if you haven't been served a snack in one of those plastic containers. The portion is not as large as it might seem but what I had in July wasn't anything like "a formless yellow lump of starchy goo and four odd looking little strips of grey rubbery meat covered in damp breadcrumbs" that the OP has encountered.
I'm quite partial to Bavarian potato salad and it was very acceptable on a short flight. It was much better than potato salad and two strips of salmon I had a couple of months earlier. I prefer these snacks in plastic containers to sandwiches also served on flights between the UK and Germany.
Unfortunately you cannot order special meals in Y on flights shorter than 185 minutes or in C on flights less than 75 minutes.
I'm quite partial to Bavarian potato salad and it was very acceptable on a short flight. It was much better than potato salad and two strips of salmon I had a couple of months earlier. I prefer these snacks in plastic containers to sandwiches also served on flights between the UK and Germany.
Unfortunately you cannot order special meals in Y on flights shorter than 185 minutes or in C on flights less than 75 minutes.
#71
Well on the flipside, many people anticipate a meal onboard a plane. Bear in mind that the total travel time is far longer than the 1hr you spend in the air. In the days before the lounges, I would seldom buy any of the overpriced airport food. Instead I would chose to eat what food is on offer onboard, and most of the times a sandwich or two was good enough.
Most people also do seem to spend some money at the airport. Nobody seems to mind that much spending money on overpriced drinks like Starbuck's coffee but a sandwich is suddenly too big an expense. And please don't tell me everybody on those flights is suddenly hungry..... it's perfectly fine to go a few hours without eating something :-).
I still feel for most it's just a means to be busy with something instead of entertaining yourself on such a short flight. This is one of the things I feel the LCC's got right. Ever noticed how many feel the need for a snack when they have to pay for it? Not that much.
For me just having a drink on a shorthaul would be more than adequate. Spend the money on improving the longhaul service.
#72
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: TK Elite Plus, SAS EBG, QR Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,297
Most people also do seem to spend some money at the airport. Nobody seems to mind that much spending money on overpriced drinks like Starbuck's coffee but a sandwich is suddenly too big an expense. And please don't tell me everybody on those flights is suddenly hungry..... it's perfectly fine to go a few hours without eating something :-).
Seeing the fact that ARN has set such a bad example, I have always refrained from buying anything from the airport eateries. Most of the times I make sure to eat before heading to the airport, or eat at landside which is usually cheaper at ARN.
But I agree with you, nowadays I don't care that much about what's served onboard since I've most likely already eaten something in the lounge. A drink would be adequate enough on a short haul flight.
#73
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: South Yorkshire, UK
Programs: A3*G, LH FTL, VS Red, Avis Preferred, Hertz President's Circle, (RIP Diamond Club)
Posts: 2,364
Well, mine looked NOTHING like that! There was no sprig of parsley, the potatoes in mine didn't have much form like the ones in the picture, and the strips of schnitzel in mine looked like they'd been arranged in the tub by catapulting them off the wagging tail of a happy labrador...
#74
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: South Yorkshire, UK
Programs: A3*G, LH FTL, VS Red, Avis Preferred, Hertz President's Circle, (RIP Diamond Club)
Posts: 2,364
Good food is not hard to find in the UK though as long as you head for French, Indian, Chinese, Iranian, Italian, Japanese... Funny how there's never been a trend for German restaurants in the UK though!
#75
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: OSL/IAH/ZRH (time, not preference)
Programs: UA1K, LH GM, AA EXP->GM
Posts: 38,265