Popular airline Qantas sparks fury after ditching meat-free option on selected flights

Read Time:   |  20th September 2022


Vegan Food & Living may earn commission from the links on this page, but we only ever share brands that we love and trust.

The company has come under fire after a passenger was allegedly told the only item on the menu was a chicken pie...

ADVERTISEMENT

Qantas has sparked outrage online after confirming it will no longer be serving a meat-free option on selected flights.

During a flight from Adelaide to Sydney, environmentalist Jon Dee was allegedly told that chicken pie was the only item on the menu.

‘It’s this or nothing’

Dee reportedly said: “On Qantas, you could get a proper meal, like pasta. They did great vegetarian meals. If it was a pie you would get a vegetarian pie. You had a good choice.

“I went on a Jetstar flight recently and got a better option than Qantas. Not even Ryanair would try this on.”

“They said it’s one size fits all now – it’s this or nothing for any flight under three and a half hours,” the frequent flyer explained.

“The system for baggage has seemed to have collapsed overnight. For decades I’ve been able to have a vegetarian meal and all of a sudden that’s also collapsed overnight – and there is no reason it should have.”

Qantas responds to backlash

According to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the airline said: “During Covid we made some changes to onboard food and service offerings to simplify the service delivery for our crew.

“We now offer a single meal/snack option per flight on our shorter flights, such as a chicken pie or a zucchini and onion frittata. 

“If the option on a particular flight is not suitable for vegetarians, we try to offer an alternative of a small sweet or savoury snack which is vegetarian.”

However, Dee says all the move does is ‘alienate a significant percentage of passengers’.

Vegan demand on airlines

While Qantas appears to be cutting down on its meat-free options, Alaska Airlines recently extended its vegan menu in response to growing customer demand.

Its new Summer option – a salad developed in partnership with gourmet brand Evergreens – features a mix of roasted broccoli, cucumber slices, scallions, pickled carrots, fried tofu and brown rice, served over a bed of romaine and baby lettuce greens.

It is served with roasted cashews, fried onions, and a Tamari Chili-Lime dressing.

Vegan Food & Living has contact Qantas for comment.

Feeling hungry? Take a look at all the vegan options at Greggs.

Featured image credit: @qantas via Instagram

Written by

Vegan Food & Living

Vegan Food & Living is a magazine dedicated to celebrating the vegan lifestyle. Every issue is packed with 75 tasty recipes, plus informative features.

We use cookies to give you a better experience on veganfoodandliving.com. By continuing to use our site, you are agreeing to the use of cookies as set in our Cookie Policy.

OK, got it