With airline services gradually beginning again, one point of difference that is becoming apparent is food service. Certain airlines are choosing to deliver on board catering while others are not.
As someone who rather enjoys eating when flying, it’s something I am watching very closely. Let’s put it this way… there is virtually no chance of me booking a ticket to fly with an airline that is not serving meals.
Does Removing Food Service Reduce Risk?
For both cabin crew and passengers, it is generally thought the less interaction that is had, the better. Therefore, removing the food service minimises this. While I completely understand the theory behind it, I don’t believe an aircraft cabin is any more dangerous than going to a supermarket.
The supermarket? Yes, that thing you bought. Someone had to produce it, pack it, send to a distribution point, where someone else loads it onto a truck, where it goes to your supermarket warehouse, is unloaded, put on another truck to your local store, unloaded again, then the box is opened, the contents removed, put onto a trolley, taken into the actual shop, where it is then put onto a shelf. At this point various people pass it until you come along and pick it up. All of this and you don’t see people avoiding buying food, do you?
Not a great analogy? How about restaurant take-away? When you buy your food, someone in the place comes out with your bag and hands it to you, then you go home and eat it. The only difference on a flight is that you’d eat it where you are sitting. Otherwise the process is relatively similar and I don’t see people avoiding take-away food places or home delivery for that matter. So why have the airlines decided they’re special? It’s especially amusing when they’re falling over themselves to point out their hospital grade filtration systems, something most places in the world lack.
What Are Airlines Doing?
One example is Qatar Airways, who continue to offer full on board service, with their cabin crew working in full personal protective equipment. While the images I have seen look like something from a scene from a US blockbuster movie, it certainly comes across as reassuring. They could work in circus clown outfits for all I care, as long as I get fed!
Overall Thoughts
Clearly there is no consensus when it comes to food service, otherwise all the airlines would be doing the same thing. The fact that they are not leads be me to believe that most of the changes are to reassure people more than for actual harm reduction.
When travel starts to open up (and it already is), lets hope the food service returns. There is zero chance of me buying a business class ticket with any airline that is not serving food.
All of this is before we consider the supply chain. I’m sure all those people who are working in airline catering kitchens would like to be back at work again. Not to mention all the other people involved in this area.
What say you? Is the removal of food service an overreaction or should all airlines be doing it? Does what is offered on board affect your booking decision? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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With those PPE outfits be ready to experience lower than normal cabin temperatures! Where will the blankets be? Woolly undewear arriving in a hot summer destination? A recipe for lowering body resistance and being susceptible to those nasty llittle bugs! Just a thought. Re food, what extra cabin weight or baggage allowance will we have to take our DRINKS? and food and to match those airline quoted gourmet food menus?
I’m happy with cooler cabins, especially on overnight flights. It makes it far easier to sleep than a warm cabin. When it comes to bringing your own food, I’m sure you’ll be able to bring whatever you like, as long as it fits in your carry-on. It’s not like you’d bring much anyway.
Another way to cut costs! They would not offer you a discount or lower fares to prove this. I already have 3 paid 10 hour business flights starting July, so if food not served I would expect a voucher to buy my own food to take onboard wouldn’t that be normal?. My airline just sent out a comprehensive survey with 500 miles bonus, all about our expecatations on flying confidence and safety, but NOTHING about food or catering! I did add that as a basic expectation. Hope that is a good sign. I feel much safer on a plane with covered hot food prepared from the normally high standard catering services than buying from a take-away. You forgot to mention airline lounges. What are they doing? I just cancelled my hotel exec room with Crowne Plaza as their Club Lounges are closed, even though restaurants are open. Interesting, cost cutting?
If nothing is mentioned, then perhaps you will be served food as normal on your flights. At the very least, I’m sure you can make a complaint after the flight and be compensated with frequent flyer miles or something like that. Airline lounges are mostly closed for the moment, since there is no-one using them. I expect they’ll also gradually re-open as passengers begin to travel more. Most shops in airports are also closed, so it’s not just airline facilities that are affected here.
Maybe it’d be ok on very short flights (less than 4hours), but I’ll certainly give preference to airlines that provide meal service (accent on service!) on longer flights. A probably stale sandwich isn’t a meal… I think the airlines are using Covid as an excuse to cut services while most likely not cutting prices. I’m ready to fly again. I’ll take precautions and appreciate flight crews taking reasonable steps, but Qatar’s exaggerated PPE to me just goes too far.
I hear you on that, short flights don’t need a food service, but it sure is nice to have. I wouldn’t want to be spending 24 hours getting from Europe to Australia with a bag of stale sandwiches and a chocolate to tide me over on each flight. It is good that Qatar and others have continued most of their service, it will means other airlines will have to follow suit. I do agree on the PPE for the Qatar crew. It amuses me but it is what it is! Thanks for the comment!
Well, I’m sure with the reduction in service as well as in the amount of food/drinks being served, they’ll be reducing their First and Business class prices accordingly, right? 😀
Hahahaha – I’d like to see that happen!! 🙂
just like the bucket fuel prices now! Same story forever even with airline bailouts they will bleed ……….us!
Let’s hope they manage to pay the loans back!
Let me see. What is more unsafe? Cold plastic wrapped “food” that has been sitting for a while or heated food where all the virus has been killed? Its another airline service degrade and if you have choice avoid the airlines that are cheaping out like KL & EI.
I agree and I’ll be doing just that. I’m sure it won’t last too long anyway, hopefully! Thanks for the comment!
The risk isnt COVID on the plate or on packages of food at the supermarket. It is someone getting near enough to you to put the airline food on your seat table tray. That probably could be ok if they just hand you the tray from a distance.
Well, cabin crew will likely be some kind of protective equipment like masks and gloves, so handing over a tray is minimal risk. They hardly get into your seat with you, after all! Thanks for the comment.
Even with a mask there’s some risk. Especially within 6 feet. May not be significant but definitely decreasing risk by eliminating that interaction. The danger again is not transmission on the plate, it’s only the airborne transmission from a person standing near you for 5 or 10 seconds and maybe talking to you.
There are many people who are avoiding any contact at all with people within 10 feet. They order groceries through contactless delivery, the groceries are put on the doormat. You may think this is extreme but lots of regular people are doing exactly that. And my supermarket uses glass shields and no one ever handles the credit card. Groceries placed at the end and only when the cashier returns to the cash register do you grad your groceries so they are not handing it to you.
You asked for feedback, just giving you the full picture of the arguments for why this is a good thing.
Yes, there are many variables. I was reading the other day about two people who were asymptomatic and then one of the people that caught it from them was someone who sat in the same place as they had in the following church service. That was a fascinating read.
I hear you with regards to those who are avoiding all contact – some people literally have to as the risk is too great. Certain food delivery services here will place the food on the ground at your doorway and wait until you collect it before leaving, rather than handing it to you. The supermarket and store counters here all have the plastic shields and contactless card payment is mainly being used. It sounds like it’s similar both where you and where I am.
There is always going to be risk, and I think gloves, masks or protective equipment from the crew is more than enough, as food preparation teams already use hygienic practices at their places of work. I personally see no additional risk in being handed a tray of food, versus sitting in a seat that others have sat in and being on a flight with strangers in front, behind and beside you.
Discussion is always welcome, so have at it 🙂
Put the rack in the gally and call passengers by row to come and take. If wearing PPE there is NO issue to serve food. The toilet is a bigger fear. (Not linking food to toilets, though they have been twice inextricably linked on a major UAE carrier!)
I think it would be simpler to hand them out from a trolley as usual 🙂
You are not a scientist so who cares what you think
Nor did I say I was one. Thanks for reading! 🙂
And what are scientists doing? Many can’t even agree. And you have politicians who think they are scientists and doctors! Just take your dose of hydroxychloroquine and you’ll be fine, won’t you?
Lots of opinions out there, aren’t there! We live in interesting times!
What kind of logic are you using. In a supermarket, you have the advantage of social distancing. Just that alone is something you cannot do on an airplane. Stick to writing blog, a health expert you are not.
Simple. How is being handed food on a flight any more dangerous than being handed a bag of take-away from a shop on the street? The advantage of social distancing which you are clinging to doesn’t exist in many areas in every day life, so why should being on a plane be any different?