Global flights trend over the last two decades
In the last two decades, business travellers and holidaymakers have made international travel a relatively normal experience.
According to Statista the number of worldwide flights rose steadily from 23.8 million in 2004 to 38.9 million in 2019. That’s an average increase of 1 million flights per year, or a total increase of around 63% in a 15-year time frame.
That number dropped abruptly to 16.9 million flights in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Flights subsequently rose sharply each year after to 34.4 million flights by 2023.
Charging extra for special meals on long-haul flights
With the growing trend for people to fly from country to country becoming more commonplace, it’s then surprising that Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), based in Sweden, offers only one free standard meal choice on long-haul flights. SAS charges extra for special meals, even children’s meals. Passengers must order them at least 24 hours in advance in order for them to be logistically prepared, which is standard for all airlines.
German based airline, Lufthansa is also under pressure to charge extra. Cabin crew representatives have brought this up since 2017 and have had enough with the airline not taking them seriously and not taking measures to change the situation. Passenger’s names or seat numbers are not labelled on special meals making service complicated. The number of orders is overwhelming for cabin crew and they want compensation for the extra work. Allegedly 100 special meals is normal on a flight. Cabin crew representatives have reported in Aero Telegraph to be serving up to 190 special meals on some long-haul flights.
Lufthansa cabin crew have held multiple strikes in the first quarter of 2024 demanding higher wages. This comes after reports of soaring post-pandemic profits. Deciphering orders in cramped conditions can only further exacerbate the discontent cabin crew have towards their employer.
The question is if an extra fee for special meals would significantly reduce the number of orders. Or would it just further increase company profits without making much impact on the workload? The impact depends on the reasons for ordering a special meal.
Meals for global traditions and tastes
Catering services provide approximately 35 different special meal possibilities, though not all airlines offer them all. Some examples of the meal choices include children’s meal, diabetic, peanut free, low sodium, gluten-free, lactose-free, bland, vegetarian, vegetarian lacto-ovo, vegan, Asian meal, Muslim meal, Hindu non-vegetarian, Jain vegetarian, Kosher and fruit platter. It’s a wide possibility of choice, of which Lufthansa offers 11.
As more people travel globally, it comes with an increased intermingling of dietary customs, tastes, and restrictions. Therefore it makes sense to have so many choices. Ultra-long-haul flights range from 12 hours to almost 19 hours of non-stop flying. On such flights breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and beverages are served. Therefore it’s important for airlines to cater to various people, and not to restrict them.
If passengers were required to pay extra for each of these meals, it would add even more financial burden to people paying for costly ticket prices. For the extra fee, comes a higher expectation of food quality. And let’s face it, airline food in economy class isn’t known for it’s exceptional taste. The meals can be quite hit or miss leaving more room for criticism should it not meet expectation.
In-flight food as an equalizer
An extra charge would be a form of discrimination against many travellers who cannot consume the standard meals. Normally, they can choose between two standard main meals. Among those discriminated against would be families with children and extended family members who may have saved a long time to buy tickets. Many people choose a special meal for religious reasons, health issues or dietary restrictions. Therefore an extra charge would not deter them from ordering a special meal.
Paying extra for a currently “free” service goes against the spirit of international travel. One of the special things about flying long-haul are the meals. They give passengers with special dietary requirements the feeling their needs are important to airline companies, and when they are in the air everyone can eat. No one compares the price difference because every person’s need and desire to eat is equal.
Alternative solution to charging extra for special meals
Lufthansa cabin crew are certainly right to be frustrated about the difficulties of catering to a spectrum of needs. However, they would be taking out their grievance on the wrong people. Penalising passengers only displaces the discontent from the cabin crew to passengers. And we know who will bear the brunt of passenger frustrations. It seems like a clear lose-lose situation. Instead, airline companies need to listen to their staff to reevaluate their processes. Working with ground and air crew to find solutions to strengthen efficiency can only build a better work climate for Lufthansa, thereby providing better customer service and loyalty in a time when global travel and diversity is continuing its growth.
Let’s hope other airlines won’t be tempted to switch to a default meal mode.
Featured image by Andrew Pons on Unsplash
