Kale, quinoa and mussels: what business travellers are eating on Qantas

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This was published 8 years ago

Kale, quinoa and mussels: what business travellers are eating on Qantas

By Jamie Freed
Updated
Some of the latest Qantas domestic business class meals include a prawn sandwich, a pork cutlet and a seafood Bouillabaisse.

Some of the latest Qantas domestic business class meals include a prawn sandwich, a pork cutlet and a seafood Bouillabaisse.Credit: Jamie Freed

If you still prefer a hot breakfast on a domestic flight but are more likely to go for a lighter option like a salad or cheese box later in the day, you aren't alone.

Qantas head of national product and service delivery Helen Gray said there is a definite trend toward travellers eating less on board than they had in the past.

"They are much more conscious of not eating necessarily a three-course meal in a three-hour flight," she said on Friday after introducing the latest Qantas domestic business class meal options that will rotate on aircraft over the next six months.

"We have a lot of people who travel who just want the cheese box and a glass of red wine, particularly the afternoon. That has been hugely popular."

Ms Gray said Qantas had been surprised by the demand for salads since introducing them as a meal option in economy class on domestic flights last year.

At first, it loaded 80 per cent hot meals and 20 per cent salads, but the ratio has now changed to 60 per cent hot meals and 40 per cent salads.

We call it the MasterChef effect. I think there is a much greater emphasis on freshness and seasonality.

Helen Gray, Qantas

"There is a certain group of people who now prefer a lighter meal than used to be the case," she said.

"We thought the men would have the hot and the women would have the cold and that just did not pan out. There are plenty of men who are eating salads. And it doesn't even really change between summer and winter surprisingly."

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Adventurous travellers

Ms Gray said the days of the "meat and three veg" platter were long gone because Australians were much more adventurous and particular about food than they had been in the past. Kale and quinoa are among the ingredients now featured in flight and gluten free options are increasingly popular.

"We call it the MasterChef effect," she said. "I think there is a much greater emphasis on freshness and seasonality. And people are much more knowledgeable on the flavours and trends around the world I think."

Qantas is offering a "fish of the day" that allows local teams at ports to select from 10 different varieties of fish to prepare a dish with a spicy XO chilli sauce based on the freshest option available at the markets that day. The airline has also introduced a seafood Bouillabaisse that represents the first time it has flown a dish with mussels in the domestic market.

Broader trends

Ms Gray said Qantas was not abandoning traditional comfort foods and still had options like a hearty pork cutlet available on its latest menu rotation.

But she said the broader trend was toward passengers eating a more traditional breakfast and then lighter foods later in the day.

"Breakfast would be the one meal I think has changed the least [over time]," she said. "We will still always have the eggs and bacon or the omelette. When people are travelling, you have got people who will always have their fruit salad and muesli. Most definitely it is part of the load we put on the aircraft. But lots of people eat hot breakfasts, I see on board."

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