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