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Qantas has responded to a storm of complaints from vegetarian and vegan passengers and has reversed a decision to stop offering meat-free meals on domestic flights.
The Australian airline under fire recently said it had “simplified” meals on flights of less than 3.5 hours to make crew lives easier by giving them just one meal: a chicken and drip pie.
More than three million Australians are vegetarian or vegan.
Despite the airline falling back on its menu, the high-profile executive and vegetarian who led the protests believes Qantas boss Alan Joyce should be fired anyway.
Qantas has succumbed to a storm of complaints from vegetarian and vegan passengers and has reversed a decision to stop offering meat-free meals on domestic flights – but a critic says it’s Alan Joyce who needs to get ‘off the menu’
A vegetarian businessman, Jon Dee, took to social media to vent that he had been offered “chicken pie or nothing” on a Qantas flight from Adelaide to Sydney. Will it be the blunder that brings Alan Joyce down?
Environmental entrepreneur Jon Dee says Qantas has been ‘nonsense’ since Covid and Mr Joyce should be ‘off the menu’.
Of all the mistakes and disappointments Qantas passengers have endured, including lost luggage, canceled and delayed flights, the decision to limit the domestic menu to a chicken pie could undo the Qantas boss, Mr Dee said.
“If you add up all the vegetarians, vegans, people who eat certain foods for their health, such as gluten-free, and everyone who eats kosher or halal, that’s a lot of disappointed passengers,” he said.
Of all the mistakes and disappointments Qantas passengers have endured, his decision to drop vegetarian meals was one of the worst, said Mr Dee (pictured John Dee with lifelong friend Olivia Newton John)
The airline has reversed its decision not to offer vegetarian meal options on flights under 3.5 hours, and will now offer a zucchini and corn fitter (Pictured, stock photo of corn and zucchini fritters)
On Friday, Phil Capps, the airline’s product and service manager, announced that a zucchini and corn fritter as an evening meal would be back on the menu on all domestic flights.
“We’ve heard the message loud and clear about having vegetarian offers on all our flights and that’s why we’re making that change a priority,” said Mr Capps.
He added that the airline would roll out “a wider menu of new vegetarian options.”
Capps said the airline would also introduce fresh fruit on all flights, which he said was being withdrawn due to Covid policies.
Qantas is under fire for baggage and flight delays, but its decision to reduce its menu to a chicken pie could bring its CEO down, a leading environmental manager believes.
Mr Dee said every CEO would be tested by the Covid pandemic, but he claimed that Alan Joyce (pictured left) had failed that test and would have to be removed by the Qantas board
People on special diets or who preferred a meal prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs were also affected by Qantas’ recent restriction in their meal options.
The decision caused a storm of criticism from passengers, including Mr Dee.
‘Which airline will stop offering vegetarian food to its passengers? It was chicken pie or nothing tonight,” Mr Dee tweeted after a flight from Adelaide to Sydney.
He also wondered if Qantas boss Alan Joyce was “deliberately trying to drive Qantas into the ground?”
Mr Dee was pleased that Qantas reversed the decision, but said the vegetarian meal’s blunder was ‘one mistake too far’.
“It’s good to see Qantas listening, but the question remains whether Alan Joyce should stay on the menu. I think it’s time for him to be taken off the menu by the Qantas board – he’s no longer fit for his purpose as Qantas CEO.”
Mr Dee said Covid would “test any good CEO,” but Mr Joyce had failed.
“You just have to look at how far Qantas has fallen since Covid, which has been a test test for any good CEO, but there has been one mistake after another, especially in the last few months, with missed flights, lost luggage.
Hundreds of passengers stranded at airports as rain ravages east coast (photo, airport lines)
‘There has even been the story of someone who only got their bags back after three months. There are simply too many mistakes made.
“The Qantas we didn’t have is worthless compared to the classic Qantas, which was a premium brand,” said Mr. Dee.
“Australians want to go back to the classic Qantas that everyone loved.”
Mr Dee said he prefers to be ‘a silent vegetarian’ but felt the need to say something.
“I don’t like to ram my opinion down other people’s throats, but I had to say something about this.”