I had an excellent flight with Singapore Airlines. Charming staff. Great choice of films. Love the socks.
But one thing about food service offers you an opportunity for improvement.
The airline has dozens of choices of alternative menu - but nothing for allergies.
1) I am allergic to shellfish (crustaceans, such as prawns) and their meal choices do not allow the customer to specify allergies= but they should allow passengers to choose tick boxes for allergies.
Allergies are very common. They can be life threatening. At their mildest they can cause severe non-stop vomiting for up to 24 hours, swelling of the eyes and mouth and throat, and lumpy bright red rashes which are itchy and unpleasant for the passenger suffering and alarming for others.
Legislation in the UK will shortly oblige restaurants to list allergens on menus. Meals which are sold in supermarkets packaged already specify allergens. If most restaurants worldwide can make meals free of allergens, your suppliers should be able to do so.
On the outward flight from London to Singapore main courses contained ingredients I could not eat. I was lucky to get the meal I needed. I was stressed on flights in both directions because shellfish was on both menus.
It's not nuts to have an allergy, but airline food drives me nuts. No, I'm not allergic to nuts. I'm allergic to shellfish. I used to be allergic to strawberries. (After over-eating one hot summer, I developed a strawberry allergy, which luckily disappeared about five years later.) Some people can't at grapefruit because it reacts with their medicine.
Why can't airlines find a catering service that can make food free of the commonest allergens? They can offer about 20 types of food.
On the return flight from Singapore to London I had no choice because shellfish was in the starter (prawn and lettuce) and I am allergic to shellfish. No alternative was offered by the crew.
1) In the old days airlines gave alternative starters and desserts. The lack of choice of starters and desserts is below the standard of a one star hotel or restaurant. On a previous flight I've had two flavours of ice cream. This time not even that option.
The airline could have offered me a 'doggie bag' from the airport lounge (either pre-packed by airline staff your choice of food, or simply the usual tiny starter box from the airline meal, empty, for me to fill with a vegetable /fish /meat /cheese of my choice) to provide an alternative starter.
On board, I thought the crew should have been able to offer me an alternative, even if it was only a piece of fruit from the snack selection. There must be many more options for providing an alternative. For example,
1 A piece of fruit.
2 A spare meal/main course.
3 Or extra leftover dessert from somebody who has not wanted any food.
4 Or a sandwich from the between meals snack selection.
5 A piece of fruit/vegetable/cheese from business or first class.
6 A glass of orange juice.
7 A chocolate bar at the end of the meal in case I was still hungry.
8 A glass of champagne/sparkling wine as consolation.
9 Extra nuts.
10 An apology.
I have just booked another flight. I am flying out to Singapore again in 2016 and expect to be taking many more flights on Singapore Airlines. I filled in a feedback form and hope staff will pass my comments on to their catering department and crew training department and find a way to help those passengers who have allergies.
Angela Lansbury BA Hons, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker.
But one thing about food service offers you an opportunity for improvement.
The airline has dozens of choices of alternative menu - but nothing for allergies.
1) I am allergic to shellfish (crustaceans, such as prawns) and their meal choices do not allow the customer to specify allergies= but they should allow passengers to choose tick boxes for allergies.
Allergies are very common. They can be life threatening. At their mildest they can cause severe non-stop vomiting for up to 24 hours, swelling of the eyes and mouth and throat, and lumpy bright red rashes which are itchy and unpleasant for the passenger suffering and alarming for others.
Legislation in the UK will shortly oblige restaurants to list allergens on menus. Meals which are sold in supermarkets packaged already specify allergens. If most restaurants worldwide can make meals free of allergens, your suppliers should be able to do so.
On the outward flight from London to Singapore main courses contained ingredients I could not eat. I was lucky to get the meal I needed. I was stressed on flights in both directions because shellfish was on both menus.
It's not nuts to have an allergy, but airline food drives me nuts. No, I'm not allergic to nuts. I'm allergic to shellfish. I used to be allergic to strawberries. (After over-eating one hot summer, I developed a strawberry allergy, which luckily disappeared about five years later.) Some people can't at grapefruit because it reacts with their medicine.
Why can't airlines find a catering service that can make food free of the commonest allergens? They can offer about 20 types of food.
On the return flight from Singapore to London I had no choice because shellfish was in the starter (prawn and lettuce) and I am allergic to shellfish. No alternative was offered by the crew.
1) In the old days airlines gave alternative starters and desserts. The lack of choice of starters and desserts is below the standard of a one star hotel or restaurant. On a previous flight I've had two flavours of ice cream. This time not even that option.
The airline could have offered me a 'doggie bag' from the airport lounge (either pre-packed by airline staff your choice of food, or simply the usual tiny starter box from the airline meal, empty, for me to fill with a vegetable /fish /meat /cheese of my choice) to provide an alternative starter.
On board, I thought the crew should have been able to offer me an alternative, even if it was only a piece of fruit from the snack selection. There must be many more options for providing an alternative. For example,
1 A piece of fruit.
2 A spare meal/main course.
3 Or extra leftover dessert from somebody who has not wanted any food.
4 Or a sandwich from the between meals snack selection.
5 A piece of fruit/vegetable/cheese from business or first class.
6 A glass of orange juice.
7 A chocolate bar at the end of the meal in case I was still hungry.
8 A glass of champagne/sparkling wine as consolation.
9 Extra nuts.
10 An apology.
I have just booked another flight. I am flying out to Singapore again in 2016 and expect to be taking many more flights on Singapore Airlines. I filled in a feedback form and hope staff will pass my comments on to their catering department and crew training department and find a way to help those passengers who have allergies.
Angela Lansbury BA Hons, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker.
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