As reported by aeroTELEGRAPH, Lufthansa flight attendants are frustrated by the volume of special meals that passengers are ordering, and are demanding that something be done to address this. This is an interesting topic, as I’m sure Lufthansa flight attendants aren’t the only ones with this issue.
Why Lufthansa flight attendants have issues with special meals
On long haul international flights with meal services, it’s normal for airlines to let you pre-order a special meal. This is intended primarily for those with dietary or religious restrictions, though anyone can order them.
In the case of Lufthansa, there are 11 different special meals to choose from, ranging from meals based on dietary restrictions (gluten free, low cholesterol, low sodium, etc.) to meals based on religion (Kosher, Hindu, Muslim, etc.).
The issue is that crews have seen a sharp increase in the number of passengers ordering special meals over the years, and this significantly complicates the service flow:
- Lufthansa crews are regularly seeing 100 special meals ordered per flight, with some flights seeing up to 190 special meals ordered
- At most airlines (including Lufthansa), special meals are brought out first, and then the main meal service is performed; however, when you have 100+ special meals, this causes issues, and delays the service for other passengers
- Lufthansa reportedly doesn’t label each special meal with the seat number and name of the passenger, so the logistics are complicated, as crews have quite the process by which they have to deliver these
I can completely understand the frustration among flight attendants here. It’s one thing if five people are ordering a special meal, but when half the cabin is ordering a special meal, it’s a challenge for the crew. And it’s not just an issue of it being too much work for the crew, but it makes it hard to manage expectations of other guests, since this volume of special meals delays the service for other passengers.
What’s the solution to this special meal problem?
A flight attendant representative has explained that this issue was first discussed with management back in 2017, but no corrective measures have been taken, and the issue has only become worse.
The flight attendant representative makes several proposals, though they mostly seem kind of half-baked. These include limiting the number of special meals per flight, limiting the variety of special meals, and even charging extra for special meals. The hope is that if the airline charged extra for special meals, fewer people would order them.
Unfortunately I’m not sure these suggestions are really feasible. Lufthansa charging extra for special meals would almost certainly not go over well, and would be viewed as religious or dietary discrimination. Furthermore, there’s no way you can quiz people, or judge if they really “need” a special meal or not.
It seems like a few practical things that could change would include the following:
- Each special meal could be labeled with the seat number and passenger name, so that there’s less of a guessing game to figuring out which special meal belongs to which passenger
- Lufthansa could decrease the number of special meals to choose from, to simplify the process of delivering these meals to passengers
- Special meals could just be loaded onto the same carts as the regular meals, so that there’s no longer an advantage to getting your meal earlier, and so that other passengers aren’t kept waiting; however, this may only complicate logistics
In response to this, a Lufthansa spokesperson stated that “the range of special meals and the associated on-board service processes, like other product and service topics, are regularly examined and further developed.”
Bottom line
Lufthansa flight attendants are complaining that they’ve gotten to the point where the number of special meals ordered gets in the way of the service flow. When up to half of the economy cabin is ordering special meals, it can be tough to deliver those meals without neglecting other passengers.
Unfortunately I fear this is a problem where there might not be a great solution, so I’m curious how this plays out…
What do you make of this logistical challenge?
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