Qantas is overhauling its in-flight service for those who have special dietary requirements.
From October 1, the national carrier is making big changes – and people with particular allergies and intolerances will not be happy.
A range of the specially ordered in-flight meals will no longer be nut-free, the gluten free meal will no longer also be dairy free and there will be a separate meal for those with lactose intolerance.
The items that will now contain nuts are the diabetic meal, the non-vegetarian Hindu meal, the kosher meal, the Muslim meal, and the Jain vegetarian meal
One disgruntled passenger told Daily Mail Australia the change to the gluten free meal will ‘leave those with intolerances to both (dairy and gluten) to go hungry’.
‘This is an outrageous decision from our national carrier and they should be hauled over the coals for it,’ the passenger, known as Brownie, said.
‘Previously, it was great that they could be such an accommodating airline with the variety of special meals.
‘How hard can it be for Qantas to create one meal that covers all of the most common allergies (gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts) in one, similar to Singapore Airlines?
From October 1 those with special dietary requirements will need to look closer at the meal options with several now containing nuts there is no longer a gluten and dairy free meal
‘Will they be refunding passengers who booked flights with them under the impression that they would be served a special meal they could actually eat?’
Qantas added that ‘while all reasonable steps are taken by Qantas and its caterers to reduce the exposure to peanuts inflight and on the ground, Qantas cannot guarantee an allergy free environment onboard or in our lounges’.
‘It’s always possible that other passengers may bring peanuts or other nuts onboard or into the lounges with them. Passengers may also be served a range of other nuts including almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts as bar snacks or after dinner snacks,’ the airline said.
‘For this reason, we recommend that passengers carry any medication they may need with them in the cabin of the aircraft and be ready to administer the medication if necessary.’
The in-flight meal revamp is the second Qantas change to be revealed this week after it quietly upped the price for making changes to bookings.
The airline will bump up the fee for changing a flight, the name on a booking or cancelling the flight from $99 to $119 for a range of fare types from October 9.
The increase will affect flight changes for ‘Red eDeal’ economy tickets, name changes and cancellations for economy ‘Flex’ flights’ and all changes and cancellations for premium economy ‘Saver’ tickets.
Qantas also recently upped the fees for altering or cancelling flights and changing passenger information
This will include group tickets, tickets acquired through Qantas Business Rewards and any tickets purchased or issued from October 9.
Other fare conditions remain will the same.
Qantas also revealed the first change for a domestic flight purchased prior to October 9 will be subject to the $99 charge, even after the change is introduced.
The airline made its first change since 2017 last Friday, uploading a FAQ with relevant information without announcing it in a statement.
‘Qantas continuously monitors its fares, surcharges and operating costs and as a result has made an adjustment to these … fees,’ the FAQ reads.
The change was outlined shortly before Qantas released its annual and sustainability reports on Thursday.
The reports focused on improving customer trust after the airline recorded a $2.08billion pre-tax profit for the 2023-24 financial year.
It announced changes to Qantas’ executive remuneration framework to make executive bonuses more transparent.
Customer outcomes will also bear more weight on annual bonuses while brand reputation will be introduced as a performance measure for long term incentives.
‘Qantas has made significant progress over the past 12 months, but we know there’s a lot more to do to restore trust with our customers,’ Qantas chairman Richard Goyder said in a statement.
‘We’ve seen strong improvement in on-time performance, customer satisfaction and reputation for both Qantas and Jetstar, and the Group is performing strong financially.
‘It’s this financial strength that means we’re able to continue investing in new aircraft, improving the experience for our customers and our people.
‘The board has listened to feedback on the pay structure for our executives and have made a series of changes which we are confident will encourage better outcomes for our stakeholders.’