FLIGHT TICKETS as it is, are costly, especially when booking business class. Since one is paying such exorbitant fees for that kind of high-class experience, it is expected for the airlines to at least decently cater to their passengers’ dietary needs.
A passenger’s business class flight meal was a banana served with chopsticks as part of their vegan menu.
The passenger, Kris Chari, said he booked a business class flight ticket from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Tokyo, Japan, scheduled for seven hours, Insider reported.
During the flight, two meal services were provided, the first being a snack and light refreshment after takeoff and later a lunch meal, as told by the airline’s representative.
As stated in the in-flight menu and as recalled by Kris, non-vegans onboard got to enjoy a flavourful snack of seared tuna with a Moroccan-style eggplant salad, cheese with orange salsa, and a baguette.
However, what Kris had in mind for the airlines’ vegan alternatives was not what he expected, and he was pretty shocked by what he received after paying so much for the flight ticket.
“Instead, I was served a single banana,“ he said, also “frankly quite shocked” to discover that the banana was a catered meal.
“It’s a bit insulting to be served a single banana while others are given a far more substantial and flavorful menu,“
“It seems especially important given the growth in the number of vegans and vegetarians,” he added.
Meanwhile, the airlines’ representative also confirmed that the banana was the snack and refreshment alternative for all special meals on the flight.
“We apologize for not being able to meet expectations,” the representative told Insider.
“We will continue to respond to our menus in light of the growing interest and diverse needs of customers requesting special meals, including the valuable feedback from this customer,“ the representative added.
As lunch rolled around, Kris’s vegan meal served was spaghetti while non-vegans were served an array of options such as a cheese omelet, ratatouille, and a chicken sausage on the “Western Menu,“ and grilled salmon on the “Japanese Menu,“ according to the airline’s website.
The menu for what was listed as a “vegetarian vegan meal” on the website showed a picture of salad bowls, a baguette, halal sorbet, and a larger rice dish.
