Going Hungry With Globespan
 

My brother-in-law and family flew with Globespan (two holidays this year means budget air travel!) around Christmas and reckoned it was no worse than anyone else. He took the cheap option and instead of their meals took some M&S goodies with him and got on fine. We let him make the arrangements for our trip on 28th April and not only have they changed the departure and return flight times twice each now (also added a stopover in Bangor, got dizzy reading about it on the other thread!) but then he gets an e-mail stating the following...

It's obviously unethical to try and force everyone to take their on-board meals (kids baulked at the menus) but is it legal for them to do this? I know you can't take foodstuffs into another country, and that for safety reasons liquids are being limited, but I've never heard of any carrier banning you from taking your own food. They are now holding the proverbial gun to our heads and saying if you don't take our meals you will spend 9 1/2 hours in the plane with nothing more than some crisps and nuts (which they threaten could be in short supply because so many meals have been ordered :rolleyes: ).

I can only assume that they have failed to meet some sort of target and are now trying scare tactics. I am obviously going to call and complain, but will it do me any good? I'm hoping someone can enlighten me as to where we stand regards taking a few sarnies with us.

Bossy, sanctimonious and arrogant. It's the new British way.
I despair.
So do the cabin staff keep a sharp eye out in case someone has an illicit cheese sarnie bought at the post security M$S? Good to know they're focussed on the important things.

GSM fast becoming a laughing stock - Sir? I demand you hand over your sandwich - if you don't we shall divert to the nearest airport.:)

Seems bit ridiculous and hardly enforceable.

I always travel with two bacon butties and I travel on full-service airlines (i.e free food). No chance of food poisoning. They are imported into the destination country in my tummy.

GSM have no problem with non-GSM sandwiches on the EDI/AGP & GLA/AGP flights.

I accept however your post was probably not about these routes.

At the end of the day you are sitting in a seat on a no-frills airline. Presumably you would not be there if you thought the ticket price was too high. They've got to make some return on the passenger other than the flight ticket price surely. I don't see anything immoral or unusual in this especially when, you clearly state, they are telling you the score Re food upfront.

You pays your money..........

First post, here goes!
GFLYNORW, get real. Yeah and we'll ban high heels in case you twist your ankle too.
I think you'll find most of the passengers have managed to get through the first 40 or 50 years of their lives without pearls of wisdom like that one.
There's basic human rights at stake here and if you think Globespan's behaviour is reasonable, then I can only guess you're a stakeholder.

What can they do? Taking your home made sarnies off you has to be theft. Stopping you eating them by force has to be assault and battery. So many companies are incorrectly using "health and safety" and "data protection" to justify rubbish customer service. Just ignore them and take your own food if you want to. If it's not a flight safety issue they cannot tell you what to do unless it specifically says they can in the law, like stopping you drinking your own alcohol on board. No law says I cannot eat my own bacon, lettuce and tomato sarnie on board a flight, no matter how much mayonaise it has on it, and no matter how long it's been at my feet.

Going Hungry
 

Is there not a ban on certain foods on flights going into the USA put in place by there US Food and Drug Administration Dept ?

Im think you are no allowed any meat or dairy products onboard as they can bring disease into the states.

I understand you can't import meat or dairy products into North America...... but you can eat them on the way.

Set Menu or Nothing
 

Sounds a little discriminatory against people with special dietry requirements to me.

What you can take off the plane and through the US agriculture checkpoint depends on all sorts of things. Whether the meat is cooked or not, in a tin or in a paper wrapper. Dairy products like cheese might depend on whether it's hard or soft. No hard and fast rules and nothing to do with the airline.

The regulations governing meat and meat products are very strict. You may not import fresh, dried, or canned meats or meat products from most foreign countries into the United States. Also, you may not import food products that have been prepared with meat.


The regulations on importing meat and meat products change frequently because they are based on disease outbreaks in different areas of the world. APHIS, which regulates meats and meat products as well as fruits and vegetables, invites you to contact them for more information on importing meats.

You may bring bakery items and certain cheeses into the United States. The APHIS web site features a Travelers Tips section and Game and Hunting Trophies section that offers extensive information about bringing food and other products into the country. Many prepared foods are admissible. However, almost anything containing meat products, such as bouillon, soup mixes, etc., is not admissible. As a general rule, condiments, vinegars, oils, packaged spices, honey, coffee and tea are admissible. Because rice can often harbor insects, it is best to avoid bringing it into the United States.


Remember that film where Sophia Loren raised a big stink at an airport when she found out she could't bring her massive mortadella into the States?

Yep - but the point is, you can still eat all of that stuff on board! It's only important that you dispose of all the stuff before immigration.

Obviously the majority of posters here have missed my point - apologies!

Let me put it another way: eating a mars bar while sitting on your dentist's chair discussing your next treatment plan is not against the law but it's taking the p##s.

Read same for dropping off clean oil at the garage when you put your car in for its service!

Cheapskates the lot of you:E

It's the airline being the cheapskate, not the passenger. The airline sets the fare, not the passenger. If they cannot make sufficient money to cover their costs without denying the passenger the 'right' to eat his own food they shouldn't be in business. Making it a 'health and safety' issue is treating the passenger with contempt, we aren't that stupid. It's the airline who is taking the p!ss, not their customer.

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate the comments. We've since had an email from someone at the airline suggesting that we 'risk it'. I'll take that as a yes then!

baz_0812
Be a devil and buy The Times newspaper and hide behind it when you feel peckish.:)

This is a bit daft when people start posting messages containing the dreaded words of human rights. What will be next- compensation to molify your hurt feelings?

Yes, this is the way that some lCC airlines are going and the cjhoice is yours- either you take the LCC option with the food etc or you take a full fare airline that doesn't have this problem.

Don't get your knickers in a twist buddy. I don't use the term 'human rights' lightly. In case you hadn't noticed, eating and drinking is a basic human right: I'm not talking about some villian getting compensation for slopping his cell out.
One of the points being made here (and on other forums) is that this outfit pulls these rule changes out of it's backside when it's too close to the flight time to change.
For your information, I write from a position of genuine knowledge of the offending airline and it really is just a crock of s#!t pulling the health and safety card.