Qantas: Catering bypass – COVID-19 related

Well, they are hardly flying domestic anyway so this barely counts as news, but Qantas is cutting back it catering.

If your reservation mentions a meal, then you will get a snack, no hot drink option, it doesn’t look like you get any booze either, even when usually complimentary, but you do get free water.

In Economy

Flyers with up coming flights are getting this message via email:

As part of our response to the evolving Coronavirus situation, we’re making some temporary changes to our inflight service. We will no longer be serving meals on domestic or regional flights. Our crew will continue to offer a complimentary bottle of water and a snack on these services. We appreciate your understanding.

Even though you used to get a ‘hot’ meal on some flight – if that’s what a lot of rice or pasta, and a sauce made out of last-cut beef or chicken counts as. Mind you there was the cold option, which was usually a better choice – some New York style potato salad (meant it came with pressed meat), of a salad with the ubiquitous quinoa.

In Business

We don’t seem to know whether Business catering has been dropped in the same way. If you have had an experience – write in the comments below.

Qantas sold its catering business years ago

Q Catering was sold to the omnipresent dnata back in April 2018, which for most signalled the beginning of the end of any identifiable quality of food appearing on Qantas metal. The initial agreement was for 10 years, which only leaves about 8 years to go . . .

2PAXfly Takeout

On my last flight with Qantas back in early March, flight attendants were doing their best to avoid contact. The purser avoided any contact with paper tickets or manipulating mobile phones on boarding. Serving staff were careful how they handed you drinks and meals, and were gloved on the refuse runs (as usual). It’s hard providing service with no deliberate or casual touching, and impossible within physical distancing guidelines.

Mind you, complimentary Lindt chocolate balls seems to have disappeared months ago.

So staff have my sympathy. It seems domestic travel, besides currently being expensive and rare during the crisis, is now even more unpleasant. Makes self isolating seem like fun.