Qantas business, economy meals: what do you want to see?

Have your say on what Qantas should be serving on domestic flights.

By David Flynn, October 8 2024
Qantas business, economy meals: what do you want to see?

Qantas last week revealed some of the new dishes on its refreshed domestic business and economy menus, and the reaction from Executive Traveller readers in comments shared on our article were not favourable.

Of course, regardless of the airline, inflight meals generally come in for criticism.

It can be argued that most people don’t realise how relatively complicated this all is – from dishes being prepared en masse off-site and chilled or refrigerated before being loaded onto the plane, plus the limited kitchen galley space to store and prepare them.

There’s also no guarantee that all flyers share the same opinion on what makes a good inflight meal.

“Get the basics right, like a good bacon and egg roll for breakfast” suggested ET reader flyme2themoon – to which LostInTransit replied “Have you ever had a good bacon & egg roll on a flight? They have to be made up many hours before and then reheated, which is never good for a b&e roll.”

LostInTransit also added that many people would look down on bacon & egg rolls as not being suitably “premium” for Qantas.

PassRob asked why Qantas can’t return to the days when a business class breakfast “comprised of a poached egg, slice of bacon and a grilled tomato or scrambled eggs with cooked spinach and grilled tomato, with yogurt to complement.”

There was also some kickback against Qantas’ latest domestic business class menu additions such as smoked salmon bagels and miso-glazed chicken breast salads as being “trendy” inner-city cafe fodder.

Reader Tony Boyd suggested that for domestic economy meals, Qantas need look no further than the likes of UK chain Pret a Manger for ideas on “great sandwiches and wraps and salad bowls” along with increasingly-popular Poke Bowls.

Traveller90 took it a step further: their take is that Qantas should adopt a ‘buy on board’ model in economy, “as long as the menu was worthy of purchasing from.”

(Our 2c is that we can’t see this happening, given that Qantas is steadfast in differentiation itself from competitor Virgin Australia by dint of being a ‘full-service’ airline where every ticket includes meals or snacks, free baggage, and free WiFi, where available.)

So today we’re throwing it open to Executive Traveller readers to sound out on what meals they’d suggest to Qantas as being appealing and sensible for domestic business and economy flights.

Next time you step onto a Qantas plane for a domestic flight, what would you like to see served up on your tray table?

Keep it reasonable and realistic, and share your thoughts below.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

30 May 2013

Total posts 381

In international economy, Qantas needs to being back a proper tray service that includes an appetiser. The difference in quality and quantity between Qantas and say Singapore, Emirates, Malaysian - in fact most full service carriers, is massive. The Qantas offering looks more like a buy on board service that you'd see on a low cost carrier. In domestic economy, please just bring back some lunch time sandwiches and a proper hot meal of an evening. Back to basics and how it used to be, please!

24 Oct 2010

Total posts 2560

Thanks Ryan - on the domestic front, I absolutely agree with you that some great sandwiches or wraps should be sufficient for lunch at least shorter domestic flights up to say two hours. Maybe also one of those small pots of yoghurt with some nuts or something, on the side. Let's face it, a lot of people in economy will have eaten at at the airport, either in the lounge or elsewhere, so it's not like there is much of an excuse for people 'starving' on a 2-3 hour flight!

26 Sep 2023

Total posts 32

I agree with the Intl Y tray thing. I think the quality of the main dish is actually pretty good, but it looks messy, is awkward balancing everything, and surely a loose bread roll just leaves more mess on the tray and floor.

Intl J is pretty good, but for the love of all that is holy we need to move past Neil's Weeds. Although there is more food and choice (particularly for drinks) on SQ J, I'd rank the actual quality equal with QF.

21 Apr 2019

Total posts 20

They used to do a good birchermueseli & smoothie.

I don't think eggs reheat well.

24 Oct 2010

Total posts 2560

Bircher muesli and a smoothie, that's a perfect option for a light healthy breakfast on a short flight. Agree with you on reheating eggs. Now freshly prepared scrambled eggs, those can be done on board, on a recent Qantas flight they were whipping them up in the galley, adding in some butter as they went, and they really hit the spot.

24 Nov 2020

Total posts 13

In defence of the cabin crew who have to whip up these freshly cooked scrambled eggs, 4 cabin crew for 174 passengers on a 737 just isn’t realistic.

It's definitely tough on the crew, who are also working in a very small space with limited facilities on the 737, but I don't think anybody is asking for scrambled eggs for all 174 passengers, just the 12 passengers in business class.

And this is one of my biggest concerns for the Qantas A321XLR if it's doing international routes, unless it has a much larger and better equipped galley than the 737s then it just won't be possible for Qantas or the crew to deliver the sort of meals which business class passengers are used to and expect on a wide-body jet, especially not a proper full second meal service on long routes deep into Asia.

26 Sep 2023

Total posts 32

JetBlue manage two services for their 321 J equivalent trans-atlantic and also manage it completely a la carte. I haven't done it myself, but it also looks pretty good.

Joe
Joe

03 May 2013

Total posts 682

Get rid of that pathetic, sad and embarrasing 'salad' of ripped up lettuce leaves served in J and F. Try adding some feta, olives, capsicum and tomato? Come on Neil.

22 Sep 2017

Total posts 93

On red-eyes, skip the dinner so we can go to sleep without waiting an hour for the tray to be cleared.  On flights departing after 10pm everyone on board has had dinner already.  Just offer a good breakfast and coffee in the morning.

There's no need for Qantas or any airline to over-complicate things, especially on short domestic hops. Long east-west routes, that's a different matter, but I am in the 'keep it simple' camp. Sandwiches, wraps, salad bowls and Poke bowls, all good in economy. Business class meals should definitely reflect the premium cabin and the very premium fare people are paying. Luke Mangan's old VA business class meals were great, nothing fancy, just did up-market meals which were a delight. Crew just need to hustle on short flights like SYD-MEL and SYD-BNE, get orders or preferences in before take-off and start service as soon as level flight is reached.

26 Sep 2023

Total posts 32

From memory, the 737s get an additional crew member SYD-CBR, SYD-OOL and SYD-MEL (but not BNE) to complete the service. Or did that get cut when they dropped the hot dinner in Y?

24 Nov 2020

Total posts 13

No extra crew. It’s 4 for 174 on a 737

08 Jul 2014

Total posts 13

All domestic sectors had a crew member cut during the Pandemic never to be reinstated, except on SYD/CBR/SYD 

Etihad - Etihad Guest

23 Apr 2019

Total posts 10

Special meals reintroduced on ecomony domestic flights less than the new 3.5 hour minimum. 

Not providing anything to eat to the significant proportion of the population that has a vegetarian diet or a religiously based need such as halal, kosher etc is unacceptable. They got rid of these pre-booked options during Covid and it's high time they were reintroduced. 

Qantas has to decide whether it is a full service airline or not. Otherwise why pay a premium to fly it?

Totally agreed - I am a coeliac and on domestic flights I am reduced to a piece of fruit and a small bag of GF "crisps" (about 4 mouthfulls).  I have flown QF most of my life based on the promise of "full service" as opposed to nothing being offered on VA at all.  Mind you, the boxed stuff being offered to non - coeliacs looks awful.  QF's promises on improving food and service options are somewhat hollow

11 Oct 2024

Total posts 1

Fully agree. People with coeliac disease can eat only gluten free meals, a medical requirement of which Qantas appears ignorant. A member of my family is coeliac and when travelling together on domestic less than 3.5 hrs, we are provided with a meal but they get nothing. Shameful of Qantas. When travelling international with a stopover, the same gluten free meal is provided on both legs. Qantas has no imagination.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

28 Sep 2021

Total posts 20

My wife is coeliac and recent flights on QF1 & 2, QF to NZ,  the GF main meal offerings were very unappetising. 

QF seem to make up a hybrid combination of VEGAN, VEG & GF option which all appear to be a very similiar offering. It is obviously to save money by not having an exclusive  well prepared GF offerring.

Would be interested to hear from QF as to how they select the Internnational GF options, as they are quite dismal.

s for domestic econmy, sometimes you can get a GF cookie.

MHG
MHG

21 Apr 2017

Total posts 19

Travel Adl to Tsv regularly on direct flight at 11.30am in business, and the main is always a toastie which is inedible. Not good enough for a 3 hour flight, so it will be interesting to see what is served on tomorrows flight. All I require is good normal food and not the rubbish that is served up in most city restaurants. Being a country person, steak & veg, fish and a good salad with the old fashioned ingredients go well. At moment we don't get what we pay for.

While at it, why are they only serving craft beer on flights and not a normal larger beer like crown, boags and VB. Even bailies has been removed.

Tomorrow will be interesting, here's hoping.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

26 Nov 2012

Total posts 124

Think it is interesting the comments so far prove that you can’t please everyone.

On a slight side issue, I just came back from my first ever SQ flight - Cairns to Singapore return J. I could not believe the difference, especially when you add book the cook to the Qantas offering. I’m very familiar with Qantas and Qatar and I have to say Singapore was pretty impressive.

But back to the issue at hand. I currently refuse to part with my cash phone Qantas domestic business class because the offering is so appalling. I generally fly Melbourne Cairns a few times a month and for the last two years I have been flying virgin in business and it is much better in my opinion. The food is pretty basic, but it’s a reasonable size portion and it’s not fancy, but it is all that you need. Qantas could easily outdo them by not running out of options before the end of the cabin service and maybe adding a better desert and entree. But they won’t.

One thing I do think Virgin to very well, is not pretend to give you a tragic slice of bread with a very cold slab of butter, (which I know is because the trays are kept refrigerated and they are put on before hand) I’m not crazy about cheese and crackers, but at least you’re not trying to spread your thin slice of bread with a rock hard lump of butter.

I think for domestic economy, I would love to go back to simple sandwiches during the day, and even happily in the morning, and maybe for the evening meal a Poké Bowl or warm salad. Ditch the Lindt balls please time for something a little bit more interesting.  Add a gluten-free muesli bar as well and most will be happy  

All this said I travel regularly in Europe and the states, and honestly, we don’t do too badly. I would hate to see us drop to those levels.

28 Mar 2018

Total posts 32

My beef - or chicken?- is less about food quality, which I find reasonable on QF, but poor use of technology which could make for a smoother and more personalised inflight experience.

Bring back the option to pre order the meal in economy. This would include cross country flights to Perth or Darwin.

There was also an option to select no meal. 

How about options to order via the app or screens? This would minimise trolleys in the aisles or repeat trips for crew to respond to call bells.

TBH I am happy with QF's economy meals and  I like the boxes. Unlike a tray, I can scrunch an empty box up, put it in the air sick bag for rubbish. My seat space is reclaimed faster.

AT
AT

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

14 Sep 2012

Total posts 382

Have to agree with most, just focus on classic and timeless options that represent value and do the job of providing a tasty and wholesome meal. In premium classes for domestic & international the offering again should be classic & timeless with a focus on premium quality and choice. I also have to agree with the post about the salad in biz class, 3 lettuce leaves don’t make a salad. 

JD1
JD1

03 Aug 2020

Total posts 20

Iinternationally  I think Qantas is just sad when it comes to meal time. For me it sums up how I think Qantas management feels about its customers.  If they're trying to "wow" they're customers with this standard of catering, I'm sorry to say it's more a case of woe than wow. I would just love someone at Qantas to just come clean and say "you know what? You're right and we need to fix some things on that front"

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

26 May 2014

Total posts 12

Ditch the weird “pizza” slice snack, it’s vegetarian and sloppy, and it seems to be served as a hot “meal” in the fringe time near dinner if your flight leave at 5pm. Even a bag of nuts or crackers would be better! In fact, why do we all have to eat vegetarian, as a full cost airline, why not have a veg or meat choice on each flight as a snack rather than serving one lowest denominator choice! 

I’ve also hear (from flight crew) that international business service crew are being trained on moving away from asking WP or higher their menu choices first, and just starting service from front to rear of the cabins, albeit with an increased load of meal options being carried in each flight galley. Apparently it’s more efficient !? Wondering if anyone has experienced this yet?

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

09 Feb 2015

Total posts 388

Start by getting rid of Neil’s salad. About as basic and tasteless as it gets.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

15 May 2019

Total posts 32

I couldn't agree more!! That "salad" is the saddest thing ever. It's like a repeated ritual reminder of Qantas' culinary mediocrity every time you're in an international J seat. 

Meal orders are taken, then you sit there for 30 minutes with a couple of sad and bland rocket and romaine leaves out of a plastic bag, a bitingly acidic vinaigrette and a rock hard lump of Pepe Saya that is unusable on your two slices of bread. 

That is the first culinary experience you get EVERY FLIGHT. The only thing it does successfully is appropriately set your expectations at a very low level for the rest of the meal.

22 Jul 2022

Total posts 4

Bring back the Maggie Beer rhubarb sparkling drink in J.

BA Gold

01 Apr 2012

Total posts 197

Coffee and tea - ALL flights.  I think its crazy they only serve it on flights at certain times.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

25 Mar 2014

Total posts 219

Domestic 

Breakfast happy with warm slice or optional yogurt and fruits. The smell of eggs re heating kills me.

Lunch wrap or sandwich. 

Dinner salad options or hot meal.

Just keep it basic is best.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer P1

23 Aug 2014

Total posts 147

Hi David

As a P1 and PPS (which gives me a reference point for industry standards), my views are as follows:

1, SQ. JL, NH. AF, EK, AY, QR rarely have any issues with temperature or preparation of food in Business whereas on Qantas the components of the meal are invariably way too cold or overcooked - a steak on QF 33 2 days ago, in J,  was so dry and tough I couldn't even cut it with a knife - my repeated feedback over the years has yielded nothing. 

When you say "how relatively complicated this is" , much of it relates to staffing - too few crew and shortcuts with meal preparation occur. Most other carriers do not find food preparation and plating complicated at all; in fact current technology has had the reverse effect if used properly.

2. There has been a drastic reduction in money spent by Qantas on its inflight food and wine product compared to most carriers - no matter how much feedback you give them, if they do not allocate more spending toward  F & B, nothing will improve. 

The transcontinental airfares (which can be as high as approximately 2.5k one way) need to deliver menus and course by course plating in J, as they used to  - this was all in place before and needs to be restored..

3. The Neil Perry machine works extremely well in the F lounges but it is time for this chronic, tired sales pitch to be scrapped. None of the printed hyperbole on the menus or website match the product delivered and its time for a fresh pair of eyes and new product, minus Mr Perry.

4. Perhaps returning the online choice of main meal in Business may help .

5. Cheese courses are usually ice cold and therefore tasteless - there are straightforward solutions for this that other carriers use 

6. The "plant based concept" is another form of cost cutting and rarely up to J standard - ingredients like potato and beans almost always overcooked and dehydrated

7. A dirth of luxury ingredients  needs to be corrected (QR now serving caviar on some flights); however you spin it, the "meat and three veg" on QF needs a shake up

AT
AT

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

14 Sep 2012

Total posts 382

I used to be PPS on SQ for a solid two years while working on a large project in Asia and I can fully support this. Every flight short, medium or long the catering in both economy and business was consistently above par with western, indian, asian, vegetarian inspired choices, book the cook was sensational and I think having a range of signature chefs collaborating across international routes lifts the bar. Neil Perry is such a niche and I agree it’s time for a complete refresh here. 

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

21 Jan 2014

Total posts 320

Focus on breakfast and dinner, used to love the scrambled eggs, bacon and toast with a yoghurt on the side for breakfast, keeps you going most of the day and you didnt have to worry about the crowded lounge before your flight knowing a decent breakfast is coming on the plane, as others have mentioned lunch can be something light, sandwich or wrap. The dinners I have had recently have been quite good actually, hot beef or chicken with rice and some of the pies are quite nice.

Does anyone eat bacon at home for breakfast anymore? 

09 Aug 2015

Total posts 106

Absolutely I do! Amazing bacon from the local farmer's markets. Comes out from Trunkey Creek south of Bathurst, brilliant on its own or as a homemade bacon & egg roll. I reckon you'd find a lot of people have bacon at cafes either on a bacon & egg roll or in a 'big breakfast' or some other egg dish. But I reckon bacon doesn't hold up well when being reheated, that's the challenge.

24 Oct 2010

Total posts 2560

Sparksy, that must be 'Trunkey Bacon', they're at my local (North Sydney) Produce Markets, it's delicious!

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

22 May 2018

Total posts 74

Flew Melb to Bris Monday afternoon in Business.. Had a tasty pork curry washed down with a above average Pinot Noir. Agree with the comments re the solid butter.

 

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

16 Jan 2018

Total posts 59

Personally, for really short flights (up to 90 mins), meal service is not important - I decline the meals most of the time anyway. Just give me sparkling water and I am happy.

Between 90 mins to 3.5 hours, I would say some sort of meal service would be nice, but unlike most of the opinions here, I'd rather have decent beverage options and snacks that also cater for lactose intolerant people (I can't help but notice that most domestic meal options have some sort of dairy products in them).

The MOs are very simple: (1) I can easily kill the time sipping away slowly my wine and snacks (crackers, chips, nuts) while watching Netflix or non-brain-intensive work, while if it is 'main meal', I can finish it in 5 minutes and then have many more hours to kill! (2) I prefer 'reserving' my daily calorie allowance for a proper meal on land, rather than on the plane with, let's be frank, subpar Qantas offerings of which there is no sign of willingness to lift up the game.

Also, for coffee and tea, isn't it easier to just give quality tea bags or coffee bags (yes, there is such a thing for coffee!) and hot water on a larger cup (instead of those little paper cup that ended me having to get 2 or 3 serving most of the time)?

On flights over 3.5 hours, I want the whole package, at least a drink service and main meal, or main meal and dessert :-)

24 Oct 2010

Total posts 2560

Thanks to everyone who has shared their thoughts so far... it's great to see largely sensible and practical feedback, even if sometimes it illustrates how there's not one solution that'll please all passengers!

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

18 May 2016

Total posts 3

On Friday, flew BNE ADL in Y and was pleasantly surprised by the "Loaded Vege Fritters" on offer as the GF and Vegetarian option. Entirely edible as far as gf food goes and in the context of it also being airline food in Y, I'd nearly have to call it exceptional. Husband was equally content with his Simmone Logue branded "Aussie Beef and Onion Pie".  In stark contrast, my gf options were scarce on our VA flight home, (crumbly, soggy, lukewarm toasted tomato sandwich anyone?) so I needed to bring my own snacks.  I am a new and reluctant recruit to the ranks of the gf and previously preferred VA to QF however this last trip has swung the pendulum for me.

I get that Qantas wants to continue being a 'full service' airline compared to Virgin, that every economy passenger gets something that passes for a meal or at least a snack, but I wonder what the response would be if Qantas introduced a new cheaper domestic 'Economy Lite' fare which had no meal and no checked baggage?

I think a LOT of people would take that option, especially frequent flyers and business travellers on the triangle routes. They probably never have checked luggage anyway, and they would eat in the lounge or at the airport. Maybe Qantas could use this as an excuse to introduce 'Buy-on-Board', so there's an option for passengers who order a Light fare, and then they could see what the overall passenger response is to this and consider expanding it.

I think the ideal model would even up something like Air New Zealand has, where you would get a free selection from the Buy-on-Board menu on a full Economy Flex fare but otherwise you pay for meals.

20 Mar 2020

Total posts 3

If QF and VA wanted to really go for it, they should provide snacks on flights up to two hour flights and full meals on any other longer flights accordingly..even if they provided meals at cost as part of the overall fare price

 They might even win back some loyalty from the present p………d off customers who regard flying as attuned to a crowded school bus ride!   Up the quality, up the service and make flying the joy it once was….something to really look forward to….

05 Sep 2023

Total posts 5

I would really love it if they brought back the more solid core dining options to domestic economy that they had prior to covid such as a decent breakfast option (full breakfast) or lunch or dinner. I recall the economy options during dinner, you were given one of three dining choices (eg. a chicken thai salad, pasta etc). It was more generous the sizing (think domestic east-west) for reference, which they only now offer on that route. For the money you sink into a qantas ticket, they could really up the ante especially when compared to say an hour and a half flight in economy on Turkish where you get a proper full meal service.

Singapore Airlines - The PPS Club

21 Feb 2022

Total posts 4

Interesting that a company that has been in the hospitality business for 100 years can't get the basics of F&B right in 2024! I'm usually in J class on QF/VA/SQ/NZ and QF are by far the worst. Agree with others that they just need to get the basics right, ditch N Perry and his overrated menu and partner with a team of chefs (like SQ do) to develop a range of dishes for both Domestic and International F/J/Y. 

On a QF domestic flight i would prefer a light meal (regardless of time of day). Muesli/Yoghurt/pastry for Breakfast. Sandwich/Wrap/Pie or salad (with/without protein) for lunch. Beef/Chicken/Vegetarian option for dinner. In Y class either improve the meal offering and truly be a full service carrier or as others have suggested follow the NZ model and meal is either included in fare or Buy on Board for basic fares. Tea/Coffee service all day please!

MHG
MHG

21 Apr 2017

Total posts 19

In reference to my post two days ago, I have some good news. On my flight from ADL to TVS I was served one of the best hot meals that I have had on a plane for a long time. The meal was fulsome with perfectly cooked chicken, vegies and gravy. The sweet was a delicious cheesecake and the wine was also very good. The only downside was That the beer was only Coopers Pale and another craft pale, still no normal beer.

This was a quantum leap from all of my previous flights to this destination.

I have noticed that meals are usually better prepared from smaller airports than big cities. As this was a TVS/ADL return flight, I am sure that the meal was prepared in TSV.

As a Plat since 2002, I have been through all of Qantas's food cycles both domestic and overseas. The last few years were the worst, but hopefully this is the start of an improvement.

24 Oct 2010

Total posts 2560

Thanks MHG for reporting back with that update. Let's hope this is indeed a sign of better things to come.

18 Sep 2015

Total posts 136

This epitomises the reality that we are all not going to agree on what airlines should serve. I would welcome being offered craft beer, with Coopers as the mainstream option.

And I was served the cheesecake last week - I don't like cheesecake but was not complaining. 

What I didn't like was a few weeks before that being served a very cold, hard piece of cake in a cardboard box as dessert. Cake for dessert, let alone this one, and dessert being served in a cardboard box is a bit off - it should have been on a china plate/bowl. And beans in the main course (also meat with gravy) were cooked to greyness.

So it's not just what F&B, but also the quality of preparation and serving.

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

03 Oct 2016

Total posts 21

While we can see based on the comments can’t please everyone. I don’t understand why they go with “polarising” food options a lot of the time. An example of what I mean by this is spicy/ hot food. I’ve been on many flights where the only meal options contain hot (spicy) and the alternative is a cheese platter. Yes taste buds are reduced at altitude but for an Australian airline where spicy food is not normal culture. I wish they would not make so many meals spicy. If they must provide chilli sauce packets to those who want the kick. 

18 Sep 2015

Total posts 136

I don't think spicy food is not normal Australian culture. As a nation we've moved on from meat and 3 veg a long time ago.

I have never been offered anything particularly spicy on an Australian airline. Even the curry chicken that was being served last week was mild enough to not be offensive to anyone.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

15 May 2019

Total posts 32

I would be content with a decent selection of options with meat. These days every time I hop on a Qantas flight I get offered an array of vegan options, which just don't cut it. On the rate occasions I fly economy, it's always some "vegan" snack this or "vegetarian" mini pizza. It's not uncommon to get a 50/50 or 60/40 vegetarian skew in business meal choices too.

I am sure vegans are a particularly squeaky wheel on the customer feedback front but the "lowest common denominator" approach inconveniences the 90% of customers who just want to eat something decent. Vegan and vegetarian options should be special request only.  It also just smacks of cost cutting - you can just imagine the executives sitting around a table and being like "the unit cost of ham is 5 x the cost of lettuce, so let's just go with the cheaper option and dress it up as a progressive move".

More generally, there has just been chronic under-investment in meal options. Like everything on Qantas these days, they just smack of "cheap". I reckon some nice and simple options with premium ingredients. Love the salmon bagel idea (if fresh), maybe a nice baguette with some jamon and a decent cheese. It's not hard to get right. 

Oh boy food is not going to fix the downhill of an airline that maybe dying a slow death unless its taken back by the government so it can compete with other asian airlines. Where do we start.

1. Overinflated ticketing for an airline running on budget terms.

2. Ageing aircraft way behind most smaller airlines that have government backing.

3. Airline crew that needs to freshen up with younger staff.

4. Food menu on domestic flights served like something from a drive in fuel station.

5. Ditch the overseas call center and bring the jobs back here.

6. Sack the board and install young enthusiastic managers with smaller salaries.

18 Sep 2015

Total posts 136

Not to mention the collapsing tray table I experienced in J on an E190 recently. It's hard to eat and balance a wine glass when you are holding up the tray with your knees.

05 Jul 2023

Total posts 2

On behalf of my wife who is vegan, I hope they provide a suitable vegan option that includes some kind of protein (tofu or beans (soya, edamame, kidney, black beans), not just carbs like rice - happy wife, happy life...

05 Jan 2021

Total posts 25

  • Lets also hope Qantas catering starts looking at business catering particularly trans Tasman.
  • It’s bad enough travelling up front on an old 737 in these segments but to be offered a sausage roll ( ok came with sauce) or a toastie ( of course accompanied  a bowel of Neil Perry's famous green grass salad) for a meal flight just cheapens the experience so much and reminds me there are better carrier options available.
  • My last flight on Air NZ BNE-AKL flight was last November 2023 (so may be dated) but dinner meal offered a
  • choice of breads 
  • appetizer choice
  • a couple of main courses - I had the lamb - great 
  • real desert not just a single chocolate piece 

  • Is it too hard for Qantas to offer similar ?


Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

07 Mar 2018

Total posts 6

Of the hot meals in business, ONE option should be vegan and gluten free.  That would make it suitable for vegans, vegetarians and coeliac passengers.   ( or at least have the option of making it vegan - by leaving the meat off )
1) vegetables are cheaper than meat/eggs, so a plant based option should suit the bean counters. (pun intended)   
2) Airlines who claim to consider sustainability shouldn't go past plant based food, as it is the most sustainable food. [ The single most effective thing an individual can do to reduce their carbon footprint, is to change to a plant based diet ]
3) plant based food is healthy. As much as people love bacon, it's about the worst food you can eat. Class 1 carcinogen.
4) Those who claim to be animal lovers can enjoy the fact that their food hasn't caused unnecessary animal suffering.
5) vegan food  is generally lower risk of spoiling or having things like salmonella.

There are VEGAN michelin star restaurants - vegan food can be amazing and it's not hard or expensive to make


Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Qantas business, economy meals: what do you want to see?