Airline scams & scandals

[vulcanised]

Well, it's something different..........

Airline scams and scandals - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/9517128/Airline-scams-and-scandals.html)

[on time all the time]

All cooked and reheated. Nothing new, just a very catching title.
Also note that some stories are ....almost 50 years old....a non starter.

[fa2fi]

At number one is easyJet and kosher food "scam". What a load of rubbish. Both kosher and non kosher options are sold onboard. Why should someone be forced to eat kosher food? Options are there for all. I believe the kosher fresh options include salmon and cream cheese bagel. All kosher options are listed on a separate menu card. The main menu in the magazine makes no reference to products being kosher.

If a catering error meant kosher fresh options are not available does not mean eJ are trying to pass off a bacon baguette or cheese and ham melt as a kosher option. It's just unfortunate. Same as if any other option is not available. You select another product or go hungry.

And surely some of the other ambient snacks are kosher friendly? I thought charging to check in, £60 if you forget a boarding card, paying for hand baggage or the likes would have been better suited?

[davidjohnson6]

fa2fi - the route to Tel Aviv is very heavy with Jews.
Muslims who adhere to halal food are usually reluctant to eat at a restaurant that also serves alcohol or pork. Jews who adhere to kosher food are usually reluctant to eat at a restaurant that also serves pork or shellfish. It's not just that bacon should not be a major ingredient, but that effort should be made so that bacon flecks cannot accidentally get into food labelled as halal / kosher.

Either Easyjet makes no claim on the kosher side and the Jewish passengers know to bring their own food. Alternatively if Easyjet do want to make a public claim on the kosher side, then serving ham toasties is a bit of a no-no. What Easyjet can't do is sell bacon baguettes without kosher options while making claims about kosher food, and not expect a bit of a fuss.

It's all about setting expectations correctly and consistently meeting those expectations.

[fa2fi]

It was all okayed on the kosher side. Not sure how it works but whoever has the right to say whether something is kosher or not certified that the Easyjet offerings were kosher.

The fact that non kosher products are sold is entirely irrelevant. The kosher products are certified kosher. They are stored in sealed packets Separate from the non kosher.

They share the same oven but are sealed dying cooking. The flights and food offerings have been well received by the jewish community as far as I can tell. It's a bit like saying you can't sell any meat products in case there are vegetarians aboard. Or should they stop selling alcohol on Amman flights? Whilst everyone has to be catered for it is not acceptable to deny certain passengers (non Jewish/Muslim) products that they want in case the offend.

Either way it's neither a scam nor a scandal. It was a catering error on one flight.

[davidjohnson6]

fa2fi - There was no expectation that the trolley will never have a bit of bacon on it. The expectation set by Easyjet was that the airline would provide some kosher food, rather than providing only non-kosher food. In the same way, on a route to Amman, if Easyjet promise soft drinks will be available but actually sell only beer + wine, you will not get a positive reaction.

I totally agree with you however that this is a case of the Telegraph completely overhyping this as a scam. It was just a screw up on the part of someone at Easyjet who's presumably been told off.

[Aero Mad]

Hi, I'm the guilty one (!) who wrote this book. I too object to press sensationalising of certain aviation stories, and have done my best to avoid it herein.

For your info, these are just twelve of the stories featured (and in my opinion not necessarily the best twelve). Being charged to check-in is one example of a story which is given much greater emphasis in the real book, available here (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0752466259) - sorry to plug it but I feel that perhaps before accusing it of being 'cooked and reheated', you should have a look yourself first.

There are 45 stories in all, which include the truth behind the Zambian space programme, the closure of several of Britain's airports, the only way to fly a hedge to Kuwait (by accident), the airport in Hyde Park which never was and the reasons behind the initial fiasco at Terminal 5.

Enjoy.

[Airbourne-Adamski]

As regards to EasyJet and kosher, the kosher products on easyJet were double wrapped, therefore, the outer packing protected the main packing and then the contents from 'contamination'.
The kosher products have been certified kosher by the relevant council, and the products display the symbol to prove this.
EasyJet added non kosher products as well as kosher products to cater for a variety of pax including Jewish, and non Jewish passengers. I am not sure if it has reverted back to kosher only sandwiches.

But once again the press sniff a story and boom they go OTT.