Flying AC ? Pack a lunch

[Lazionic]

Super 80, AC is going to be selling subway subs for $5 bucks.

http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/onb...oard/meals.html

[moeman]

We've been selling those for awhile now. They're not bad, and they're definitely a hit with the customers.

[JZZdxer]

I am the only one who finds it amusing that one of the publics biggest complaints about airlines was AIRLINE FOOD. and now that they can't get THAT food FREE, people are upset?

[handyman]

I am the only one who finds it amusing that one of the publics biggest complaints about airlines was AIRLINE FOOD. and now that they can't get THAT food FREE, people are upset?

When you wrote "people" you meant reporter type people not real people right?

[yul07]

I have no problem Paying for food aboard a flight if it was decent. The problem is that there is nothing in AC's offerings that are low fat or low cal. They are all highly processed, or contain things I am allergic to. Despite Air Canada's hype, Pringles, "Kosher"or not, is not exactly part of healthy diet. AC does offer bags of carrots and apple slices. But you would have to eat a lot of them to fill up on a long flight. I have a friend who plans to bring vile smelling "ethnic" food aboard his flights. His avowed intention is to gross out his fellow passangers to the point that they all complain.

I wish him luck. One more thing, Beyond the snacks it would be respectful for AC to offer their Jewish and Muslim customers something like a plain cheese pizza, since they really cannot eat the other "meal Offerings."

That item combined with the carrots or apples would be a balanced meal, and one worth paying for. I used to order Kosher all the time. It was a catholic priest travelling beside me to YVR that turned me onto them. He was offered a nice piece of chicken breast, I was offered a choice of some deceased animal with brown or red sauce.

[Guest Touchdown]

There were comments earlier regarding the timing of the cost cutting after a good strong quarter. I don't hear much complaining of the $1.28 a litre we were paying less than a month a go and Exxon reporting their biggest quarterly profit later...4 Billion I think. Consumers are saps......get used to it. I'm one like the rest of the lemmings. I had a laugh due to the comment from the gal who hadn't flown in a few years complaining about the new no free meals.....Why does she care....she doesn't fly much.....Canadians....ahhhh to complain.

Cheers Touchdown

[Guest FA_AC]

I have no problem Paying for food aboard a flight if it was decent. The problem is that there is nothing in AC's offerings that are low fat or low cal.  They are all highly processed, or contain things I am allergic to.  Despite Air Canada's hype, Pringles, "Kosher"or not, is not exactly part of healthy diet. AC does offer bags of carrots and apple slices.  But you would have to eat a lot of them to fill up on a long flight. I have a friend who plans to bring vile smelling "ethnic" food aboard his flights.  His avowed intention is to gross out his fellow passangers to the point that they all complain.

I wish him luck. One more thing, Beyond the snacks it would be respectful for AC to offer their Jewish and Muslim customers something like a plain cheese pizza, since they really cannot eat the other "meal Offerings."

That item combined with the carrots or apples would be a balanced meal, and one worth paying for. I used to order Kosher all the time. It was a catholic priest travelling beside me to YVR that turned me onto them. He was offered a nice piece of chicken breast, I was offered a choice of some deceased animal with brown or red sauce.

I haven't yet seen them myself, but I was under the impression that some of the sandwiches in the new BOB menu were reasonably nutritious and that they were at least as healthy (or no more unhealthy) than the free meals that they replaced.

I agree that we could do a better job of catering to those who follow certain diets, but I guess it all comes down to cost, unfortunately. I understand what Dagger explained about the cost of providing special meals given the logistics involved. At the same time, on routes to certain airports in Florida, the majority of passengers on a given flight are often Jewish. Many of them eat kosher food exclusively, and whether or not they'd actually buy the stuff if we did carry it, it sometimes strikes me as somewhat culturally insensitive and disrespectful that we don't do more to accommodate them, especially since they're sometimes travelling with us all the way to Israel from Florida and back or v.v. Although customers who follow Kosher, Moslem, Hindu or other diets for reasons of faith are in the minority on most other routes, I think that we'd look a bit more "world class" if we had something more appropriate to offer in the BOB--perhaps a decent vegetarian option or something that would be suitable for almost any diet. The BOB menu is always being tweaked, so we'll probably see it yet.

[moeman]

Who pi$$ed in your cornflakes?

Let's see. You're upset that they don't have enough low fat meals for you and that you're forced to pay for whatever garbage they have onboard. How is that different than paying more for your seat and getting high fat, high calorie processed food for "free" like you did before?

You're concerned about calories yet you want to "fill up" on a flight and carrot sticks don't cut it. Interesting.

You want AC to provide everybody with their choice of food, whether it's ethnic, dietary, or religious in nature. You want them to provide this to people like yourself and the priest who abuse the system to choose a special meal, but I'm pretty sure you don't want to pay extra for the service. Would you apply the same standards to Westjet? Please do and let us know where your complaint takes you.

And although I agree with you that Pringles aren't exactly what you'd call "healthy", if you're that darned concerned about it you should have been bringing your own food onboard for years. And as such, you should be glad you're no longer paying for the fatty garbage every airline prepared meal has been for aeons and are being given the choice of buying your meal onboard or eating what you carefully prepared at home for a lot less coin than you would have spent had you paid AC to do it for you.

Some people

[Spinnaker]

I assume the B.O.B will be from the same source as WestJet and other than a few recent quality control issues, the food is good with some low fat options like fruit salads and veggies plus mayo is served on the side for sandwiches. I think WestJet has continued plans to expand the selection and only assume AC will develop a similar menu.

[Don Hudson]

Dropzone said it one way, (you get what you pay for), and it can be said in another: "lo-cost" comes at a price.

Anyone travelled any US carriers in the last four or five years?

Pick a US carrier on a domestic route. What Air Canada offers passengers on the thinnest domestic routes is "Business Class" food by any US carrier measure.

None of these announcements should be a surprise to Henry Gow, the flying public or the market. Food, pillows and blankets were "on the block" in the summer.

If passengers want to pay "lo-cost" and won't pay any more to get to Toronto from Vancouver, the present plan suits the market.

I have no idea why complainers have a problem with getting what they ask for: lo-cost. What do passengers expect? That aircraft maintenance, parts, service, employees-in many cases highly skilled and expensively trained, marketing programs and all the thousands of other bits and pieces that make a viable, safe carrier come for free?

When a $20 price break makes a difference, it is time to examine who's doing the complaining. Perhaps it is time too, to spend just a moment reflecting on what hundredth anniversary was just celebrated and how far aviation has come and just how safe it is, and how it got there.

How quickly we grow soft, full of expectant entitlement. I'm sorry, but for those in the industry, we could see this latest move five years ago and frankly, I'm sure that Air Canada has made this move with genuine reluctance.

But... that's the "market economy", even in aviation.

[yul07]

Moeman I do not understand how a preist who ordered Kosher because be believed that he was getting a better, or fresher meal was abusing the system.

When I started to do the same the meals actually did seem better. If they cost the airline more, that was not my problem, they were offered along with a number of restricted or ethnic choices. As FA_AC demonstrates, among some AC employees there is respect for others and their special diet requirements. It would not hurt the Airline to accomadate these customers by offering meals they too can purchase. If the sales did not warrant continuing the items, well at least they tried.

[moeman]

Moeman I do not understand how a preist who ordered Kosher because be believed that he was getting a better, or fresher meal was abusing the system.....there is respect for others and their special diet requirements. It would not hurt the Airline to accomadate these customers by offering meals they too  can purchase.

On the one hand you defend the priest for ordering a costly special meal because he was picky and on the other you defend the practice because you feel AC should offer the service to those with the requirement, not the choice due to being finicky, of a special meal. Therein lies the problem and it's one you choose to inflict upon AC and not WJ.

If it's required, you should bring your own meal just as if you have a peanut allergy. If it's your choice to eat fat-free, low-fat, high protein, vegetarian, etc., that is also within your control. No airline can provide special meals for every eventuality. AC can provide certain special meals to you, many of which aren't requirements but simply a choice you've made today to see which meal looks better (like your friend). But if it costs more to provide, you should be prepared to pay more for the service. Why should everybody else pay for a service only provided for certain people?

Put the shoe on the other foot. If everybody else who feels "special" today (like your Catholic friend) got a sandwich that cost more than yours, was better than yours, and had much better ingredients than yours, but they paid the same price you paid because they felt special and made it known to anybody who would listen, wouldn't you be a little annoyed? What would you order for your next flight? Would it be because of dietary requirements or a simple choice on your part? Given your position, what is the impact upon ACE's finances for people like yourself and your Christian friend multiplied by a thousand or more per year every year?

If you feel that it is beneath you to make your own meal for the flight, or you don't think the airline can provide whatever your personal situation dictates you to eat, you have the choice of paying more for your ticket on AC so someone else can make your sandwich, prepare your J-class bowl of fat, etc. This is something WJ can't offer you, but they darned well won't offer you much more either. How's that for choice?

Whine all you want, but you can't have classic AC service at WJ prices anymore. Welcome to the real world. And have a nice chunk of cheese with your whine. I'll slice.

[dagger]

I have no problem Paying for food aboard a flight if it was decent. The problem is that there is nothing in AC's offerings that are low fat or low cal. They are all highly processed, or contain things I am allergic to. Despite Air Canada's hype, Pringles, "Kosher"or not, is not exactly part of healthy diet. AC does offer bags of carrots and apple slices. But you would have to eat a lot of them to fill up on a long flight. I have a friend who plans to bring vile smelling "ethnic" food aboard his flights. His avowed intention is to gross out his fellow passangers to the point that they all complain.

I wish him luck. One more thing, Beyond the snacks it would be respectful for AC to offer their Jewish and Muslim customers something like a plain cheese pizza, since they really cannot eat the other "meal Offerings."

That item combined with the carrots or apples would be a balanced meal, and one worth paying for. I used to order Kosher all the time. It was a catholic priest travelling beside me to YVR that turned me onto them. He was offered a nice piece of chicken breast, I was offered a choice of some deceased animal with brown or red sauce.

Kosher... You should know that offering an observant Jew a plain cheese pizza probably wouldn't cut it

Seriously, the cheese has to be kosher (very important because cheese often has rennet which can be from pig fat), to the hardcore kosher person who would expect every bit of that pizza to be kosher and served on a plate - albeit plastic or Chinet - that has never been used. That's why it either has to be prepared in a proper Kosher kitchen (at double the cost) or forget it. Most kosher-observant Jews I know take their own snacks on board. They would expect a kosher meal for a long flight - like transatlantic or transpacific. And the airline would surely accommodate that because it's a $1200 fare to begin with, and people don't change around flights very often. It's not like on Rapidair where somebody might book the 8 a.m. flight with a kosher meal and the no-show it.

P.S., if you were offered "some deceased animal", was the priest's chicken still alive?

That makes me think of a joke... "There was a priest, a rabbi and a minister out playing golf..."

[ccairspace]

Out of curiosity, if I wanted to bring a home prepared meal with me on board for an international flight, could/would it be confiscated because of my choice of foods? Would security care? Would customs officials in pre-clearance (for US flights) ask? I'm thinking fruits and vegetables here...

ccairspace

[CAT3DUAL]

I'm thinking fruits and vegetables here...

Fruit would be a problem, most countries have some fairly strict rules about bringing fruit transborder.

[deicer]

Posted this before, and here it is again....

First pic of new service

[handyman]

Last summer my son and I were travelling together and the flight had the Onboard Cafe service. Personaly, I would rather have the Onboard Cafe service with subs, soup etc then a cardboard meal I didn't want. I thought the prices were not too bad either.

[manwest]

And in todays Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Art...siness/Canadian

[Guest prob30]

What about a "Buy Before" service that is initiated as part of the web reservation, web check-in, or kiosk check in service. Clearly, there are hundreds of different dietary needs and preferences, most of which can no longer be accomodated cost effectively with old models. "Buy On Board" is a step in the right direction, but I think the whole meal buying process could be moved from on board to check in or reservation for several advantages. Think movie tickets at the kiosk- you buy your tickets for the show/time you want, next screen prompts you for popcorn/drink combos and if you select one its added to the total, you swipe your card and present a voucher at the counter for your snacks.

This could be adapted to the airport environment. Select your meal at check in (or when you book the ticket online even). Hugely improved selection could be offered, with inventory stored centrally at the airport and boarded according to what passengers have ordered in advance. Present your voucher to the F/A for redemption, or take your chances with what's left over. I guess that's not much different from the old model, and the logistics could become cumbersome. The big difference being all meals boarded are pre-paid and therefore not subject to waste, also credit card payment, and better selection for religious/dietary needs customers.

[dagger]

What about a "Buy Before" service that is initiated as part of the web reservation, web check-in, or kiosk check in service. Clearly, there are hundreds of different dietary needs and preferences, most of which can no longer be accomodated cost effectively with old models. "Buy On Board" is a step in the right direction, but I think the whole meal buying process could be moved from on board to check in or reservation for several advantages. Think movie tickets at the kiosk- you buy your tickets for the show/time you want, next screen prompts you for popcorn/drink combos and if you select one its added to the total, you swipe your card and present a voucher at the counter for your snacks.

This could be adapted to the airport environment. Select your meal at check in (or when you book the ticket online even). Hugely improved selection could be offered, with inventory stored centrally at the airport and boarded according to what passengers have ordered in advance. Present your voucher to the F/A for redemption, or take your chances with what's left over. I guess that's not much different from the old model, and the logistics could become cumbersome. The big difference being all meals boarded are pre-paid and therefore not subject to waste, also credit card payment, and better selection for religious/dietary needs customers.

There are multiple problems with that. The airport authorities have a right to share in any revenue generated inside their facilities. That would jack up the cost right there. Then what do you do at smaller airports? What do you do with people who are short on time, or if there is a big lineup at peak time? I'd like to see all the airport restaurants offer takeout options, but that's as far as I would go.

[mo32a]

What about a "Buy Before" service that is initiated as part of the web reservation, web check-in, or kiosk check in service. Clearly, there are hundreds of different dietary needs and preferences, most of which can no longer be accomodated cost effectively with old models. "Buy On Board" is a step in the right direction, but I think the whole meal buying process could be moved from on board to check in or reservation for several advantages. Think movie tickets at the kiosk- you buy your tickets for the show/time you want, next screen prompts you for popcorn/drink combos and if you select one its added to the total, you swipe your card and present a voucher at the counter for your snacks.

This could be adapted to the airport environment. Select your meal at check in (or when you book the ticket online even). Hugely improved selection could be offered, with inventory stored centrally at the airport and boarded according to what passengers have ordered in advance. Present your voucher to the F/A for redemption, or take your chances with what's left over. I guess that's not much different from the old model, and the logistics could become cumbersome. The big difference being all meals boarded are pre-paid and therefore not subject to waste, also credit card payment, and better selection for religious/dietary needs customers.

I agree with your idea, with the exception of the timing.

I don't think it would be possible to order your meal at check in, the timing and logistics would be too difficult.

I think for longer flights as part of your booking details you order your meal and pay for it then. You certainly could have a much improved selection meeting everyone's dietary needs and there would be no waste and you wouldn't have "food envy" from your seat mate as he could have ordered it as well.

I flew with WJ and was aware that they did not offer meals on board so I bought a Subway sandwhich at the airport and brought it with me. When I found out that they had BOB I would just have soon have bought something from them, at least it would have been refrigerated instead of sitting in my carryon for several hours.

Selecting your BOB at the kiosk or checkin counter might be possible, at least then you would get what you wanted, rather than what was left over when they got to you.

[newgirl]

CC

As far as I know as long as you eat whatever you bring on board before arrival in that country - no problem.

My father was diabetic and carried fruits etc during travel. Upon arrival in New Zealand he declared what he did not eat and it was thrown in the garbage by customs with no problems.

Its only a problem when you try to sneak in a ring of sausage or a pound of cheese etc.

[Jaydee]

Department of Agriculture Guidelines for Flights Between Canada and the United States

The following is a list of foods that are permitted and those that are not permitted for carriage into the U.S.A and Canada.

Foods Permitted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (into USA)

Sandwiches (may contain meat (except beef, veal and lamb), cheese, lettuce, egg salad, tuna etc.)

Salad (may contain cut and cleaned vegetables)

Baked goods (muffins, cookies etc.)

Processed goods (granola bars)

Boxed raisins and trail mix (dried fruit and nuts)

Cheese (as long as it is pasteurized and not in a liquid form)

Most berries (except flights to California)

Apples, cherries, peaches, pears, plums and nectarines (only permitted when in season)

Bananas

Vegetables provided they are cut and cleaned

Hard boiled eggs

Dried soup in a cup

Foods Not Permitted (into USA)

Citrus Fruit - oranges, grapes, grapefruit, clementines, pineapple

Foods Permitted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (into Canada)

All of the above listed foods are permitted to be carried into Canada INCLUDING citrus fruit.

Apples are only permitted when in season (ie: Sep-Nov)

Foods Not Permitted (into Canada)

Blueberries

Apples are not permitted to be carried into B.C. and no apples from International destinations

In addition, fresh cut flowers are also not permitted from some EU Countries (check website below)

There are different restrictions imposed from time to time on certain items when there are local outbreaks of

disease or infestation.

Visit the CFIA website at www.inspection.gc.ca if looking for guidance on items not listed here. Go to Imports/Travellers and then click on What Can I Bring into Canada in the Travellers Section.