Rather than playing the man.......
I think if you look at the cost of tickets, you can see why some people should not be surprised at the lack of choice, then again there are still some hefty fairs out there and not everyone travels on a jet 2-3 times a week.
If I was on my first long haul overseas trip, had saved up yonks for it, I would'nt be particularly impressed if I didnt get my meal choice. Yeah true, its not the end of the world - but some people have high expectations, and rightly so. Some people are forking out a fair bit of cash, and to get served a meal worth about $2, which was frozen by "Snapfresh" about 12 months earlier is a bit average (this is let alone their choice of meal).
I understand that the practicalities of carrying 2 choices for everyone in Y class aren't realistic, but its not necessarily just going to be the fact that people miss out on their choice that makes them peeeeeeed off, rather the manner in which they are told, and unfortunately some of the QF crew I have seen, need a courtesy injection.
Anyway, In QF the lack of choice can be pretty restrictive, depending on which port - they invariably try to cater to the last pax, so that there is very little overlap in choices if any at all.
I think the disgrace in QF occurs as you start looking at your premium passengers. I have been in J class, with 2 other passenegers, only to run out of my meal choice (I was the second pax served) - I think what happened here was that the CC had there meal choices, then the pax got theirs.
I have seen even worse occur in P class, where they dont even offer some of the food! Yet it has all been happily shipped to the rear of the cabin! Only when a few regualr pax ask for it does it appear after much mutterings and groanings and dissappearing to the rear of the jet.
