I know this is an odd topic, but having read the UA forum's food topics, I'm somewhat shocked.

Then when I thought about it, these days, it's not easy finding hot food on shortish flights (<2hr).

Which carriers offer hot food on these type of flights? You'll have to excuse me, I was brought up on a lot of domestic flying on Ansett, where we would get a full hot lunch on a 45 min flight

Cheers,

Justin

I think it's more about high/low yield routes than it is about what carrier you fly.

Not when AN was flying - same whether you were on a low yield tourist route (eg. SYD-OOL) or a higher yield route like SYD-MEL.

Cheers,

Justin

... or TG or SQ or CX or a whole host of Asian airlines. It is in the US and a number of Western European countries where the pax have low expections and the airlines are all too happy to oblige.

Within the Star Alliance, I would consider the most willing with hot food to be NZ and AN.

How are RG & MX or NH in this regard?

I simply find United's catering amazing. I find it insulting that in First Class, on a flight less than 700 odd mls you get no food.

I can fly Ansett Mark II and sit in a more spacious seat up front, pay 33USD and get practically the same.

When did all of this start to decline? Not all the way back in 1978, did it? SEP11 understandably would have compounded the problem.

Cheers,

Justin

Hot food? How about any food? Flights pushing 4 hours don't get food anymore. Anything around an hour or so is lucky to get basic beverage service, or call that sub basic meaning not full service.

Airlines are playing games with us and blamining in on 9/11.

On SQ's flight from AMS to MAN last year, they served one of the most delicious chicken crepes I have ever eaten! The flight was about 35minutes. (I sat in J class).

Bangkok Airways last year (Bangkok -> Siem Reap, Cambodia); all-coach Boeing 717; full meal (salad, hot entree, dessert) & 2 passes of the beverage cart; spectacularly friendly FAs. BTW, this was a 35 minute flight.

So basically, it's the Asia-Pacific only?

I've given up hope on any mainline US carriers, and the mainline Euro carriers are barely better.

Cheers,

Justin

Not really. Over the past month, I've received hot meals on the following short routes: sfo-sea, ord-bos, dfw-jax, and den-lax.

On most every Euro international flight I have hot food. Even 45 minute flights on BD have hot food in biz class. However, short AF flights have gone to cold food, at least on morning flights.

Heh.....wait until you fly TAM in Brasil.

On the CGH-SDU (Sao Paulo-Rio) "ponte-aerea" flights that I have been on, you always get a hot meal in the 45 minute trip about 90% of the time. Other times you get a loaded and tasty sandwich box.

Last week I had this really quite good, and hot, canneloni dish with dessert and 2 free alcoholic drinks all for R$110.....about $45 USD....including the flight by the way.

This isn't an RJ, or biz/first, but in economy on a usually 3/4 full A319/320 series aircraft.

This airline could give several others a lesson in service. I did about 12 flights with them this year and have no complaints at all.



[This message has been edited by Carioca Canuck (edited 01-22-2002).]

Please note the serious financial difficulties that TAM is having. In fact, I think you'll find that those carriers that are not suffering serious financial problems are probably charging much more for a ticket on a per mile basis then the U.S. carriers. I doubt that you could take a 5 hour flight for 198.00 round trip, the exception being trans atlantic flights where they are competing with U.S. carriers. Anyone ever priced a ticket between, say, Tokyo and Taipei? not really very cheap.

I agree with everyone here that the cuts in service are deplorable. It's a shame to see what flying has come to when compared to just 15-20 years ago. However, people asked for lower air fares and those come at a price. While the business traveler may be paying lot's of $$$ for their ticket, they are merely subsidizing those very cheap seats the once a year traveler uses and the free frequent flyer seats.

Not just TAM, but Varig also offers hot food on very short hauls.

Had full hot breakfast Newcastle - Brisbane (1250km/780m/1 hour) on a Qantaslink whisperjet (Bae 146-200); also all major routes in Australia, BNE-SYD, SYD-MEL, full hot meals (70 - 90 min flights). Had full lunch (turkey croissant et al) on flight down the coast to Sydney, 50 mins in a DASH-8. Australians get a bit pooey without at least a reasonable snack.

Even a snack (afternoon tea) on way back from Brisbane a couple of months ago had a brilliant meat pie with tomato sauce, some camembert cheese, onion marmalade, and great service -- 737-400 series!

It's never been clear to me why Americans put up with no meal services. How dumb. The bistro bag thing just really wouldn't "fly" here either.

And everyone else is using metal cutlery in the air, except for flights to the U.S. where some folks think it will prevent in-air nastiness.

Cheers!


------------------
Glen,
QFAA

[This message has been edited by QFAA (edited 01-23-2002).]