Qantas has made a massive change to its in-flight menu in what will be its biggest cabin food and lounge investment in 10 years.
Passengers will be pleased to know Qantas has listened and will now be serving larger meals and new dishes across regional, domestic and international flights following a multi-million dollar investment.
So, those who have complained about portions not being big enough will see a notable difference in the size of their meals, according to the airline.
It is the single biggest investment in Qantas in-flight and lounge dining in a decade and follows the airline’s $1 billion profit in the first half of the 2023 financial year.
It also sees a $100 million expansion of domestic and international lounges, renewal of its aircraft and new routes.
The menu changes follow an overhaul of the domestic economy menu in October 2022, offering more variety, including vegetarian and plant-based options, something it copped flak over last year.
In September, Qantas caused an uproar after it ditched its vegetarian meal offering on some of its domestic flights.
Following the debacle, it decided to increase its non-meat variety after receiving “customer feedback”.
“We’ve heard the message loud and clear about having vegetarian offerings on all of our flights and so we’re making that change as a priority,” Qantas executive manager of product and service, Phil Capps said in a statement at the time.
Now, customers can expect a variety of vegetarian options for all meals, with Qantas describing its new in-flight dining experience as reaching a whole “new level”.
Some of the new dishes in economy on international flights include cajun prawns with spiced rice, Korean chilli and garlic chicken with kimchi and black pepper beef with oyster mushrooms.
New second meal dishes on long flights between Australia and Asia include chicken fried rice, and sage and lemon ravioli with kale and Napolitana sauce.
If you’re flying on business, new dishes include seared grasslands beef fillet with café
de Paris butter and bannockburn free-range chicken kyiv.
And for those in first class, expect dishes like calvisius caviar on buckwheat blinis with pepe saya crème fraiche and Queensland spanner crab and sweet pork salad with green mango.
Renowned Aussie chef Neil Perry, who is also Qantas’ creative director of food, said great Aussie produce has allowed them to be more “adventurous” with menus.
“We are spoiled for choice in Australia when it comes to being able to source top quality food from fantastic Australian producers and together with generous servings and great service, these are the key ingredients to creating an enjoyable meal,” Mr Perry said.
“Over time, it’s been fantastic to see a broader curiosity around international cuisines and plant-based dining, which has allowed us to become more adventurous with our menus.”
When asked how the dishes maintain their taste and quality 30,000 feet in the air, Mr Perry said it all comes down to three things – produce, seasoning and how its cooked.
“If you start with good produce and you season it properly, you end up with a really delicious product,” he told news.com.au.
“I think a lot of airlines cop out by not putting the energy into the quality on the ground.”
He said when it comes to cooking all their protein, they’re seared to kill surface bacteria and then finished in the air.
“That makes a massive difference because if you are reheating it, it’s really hard to get the taste and textures right,” he explained.
“All the dishes are cooked individually and the guys [cabin crew] are amazing. They have got a small galley to work with and they’re serving 60 or so people.”
The one dish that has never been taken off the menu is Mr Perry’s signature steak sandwich with tomato and chilli relish. It has been a constant on the Qantas first class in-flight menu for the past 25 years.
Qantas Group chief customer officer Markus Svensson said the premium food and wine was one of the top three reasons customers choose to fly with Qantas.
“So this significant boost means we will be able further our efforts to deliver a world-class experience in the sky,” he said.
“We are proud to work with established and emerging Australian food and wine producers to offer the best possible dining experience to our customers.”