MENUS FOR BUSINESS CLASS: WHAT’S THE RIGHT TIME TO DISTRIBUTE THEM? OTTE

POST

I personally prefer to find the menu on my seat as I board, glance through it, and make up my mind. I also like it when the crew comes around while we are still on the ground to take drink and food orders, and then after take-off, they can immediately start the service.

For example, Aeroflot hands them out well after take-off, and it takes time to take all the orders; only then does it go into the galley, delaying the service by almost an hour. United leaves the menu on your seat to browse through when you board, and they manage to complete order-taking before take-off.

On Ethiopian Airlines, they seem to have an issue with menus – either they don’t have them at all, or they hand you a used one (yikes!). If they don’t have a menu to hand out, they just ask you “fish, beef or chicken?” as if the way it’s prepared, side dishes and sauces don’t count. I try to avoid spicy dishes, and that “chicken, fish or beef” question is not sufficient for me. I need to see the menu. After flights they collect the menus for reuse.

A suggestion is to have the menu as part of the IFE, so you can read all about the dishes, without having to deal with lack of menus or late distribution of menus.

CAPETONIANM

I usually travel J on LX [Swiss] and OS [Austrian] long-haul. They tend to come round shortly after departure, hand you a menu, and explain it if necessary. I like the personal interaction and attention; I can’t say I’m too concerned about when the menu is presented, but being given a used one is pretty yucky. Good idea about having it on the IFE but some people don’t use the IFE.

SPARKYFLIER

I thought most airlines hand the menu to you once you have boarded and settled, enabling you to “plan” your flight ahead, and hopefully look forward to what is on offer? The orders are usually taken after take-off, but on some occasions before.

One thing British Airways is very good at in my opinion is getting the service started. One usually has a drink within 20 minutes of take-off, and I am often surprised when I read BT reviews, and other reviews, where passengers still have had nothing after an hour in the flight (on a daylight or evening flight, as opposed to very late-night flight), and even recall a Singapore Airlines flight that was like that. Handing out the menu, as opposed to leaving it on your seat, I feel helps build rapport with the crew, and is far more personal.

CWOODWARD

When the menus are distributed is not exactly a burning issue for me either, but I would not much appreciate being asked to choose food immediately on boarding or having a menu on my seat. On boarding I want to settle, get belongings sorted and would prefer to be left to do that.

For me Cathay gets it about right in J. Immediately on being seated drinks are offered (choice of champagne, juice or water – in some ports where the laws allow, a good crew will make you a mixed drink if you ask nicely). If held on the ground for a period, refills are not an issue either. Coats are hung if needed, followed by the distribution of warm scented damp towels. The bar is opened and drinks offered 15 to 30 minutes after take-off. On long-haul flights, the menus are distributed and explained normally about an hour into the flight.

Landing cards are also distributed early in the flights and, if needed, I normally get this filled out early and place inside my passport. I find that

Qantas and Emirates particularly are very slow and generally recalcitrant with drink offerings.

TUPELOKID

For those impatient and curmudgeonly passengers like me, who don’t want to have paid big bucks in order to wait for food (even if there is the privilege of being waited on), why not put the menu online so this can all be sorted before boarding. Those that do not want to linger over the meal could select the main course only, or a sandwich, and be finished with it by the time others are just getting to the main. After all, when you are in a restaurant, you don’t have to keep time with the table next to you.

Pre-ordering would also reduce the chance of the airline “running out” of one choice halfway through serving a three-quarters empty cabin because of their bean counters’ (no pun intended) estimates (Hello CX).

AFLYINGDUTCHMAN

For me, I like the menu, amenity kit, etc, to be brought to me whilst on the ground and handed to me, as opposed to these items being placed on my seat already. It is a way to start the interaction with the crew, and allows me to sort out my carry-on placement and things I need for the flight prior to any other clutter. On BA they do this well, but what I do find odd on BA is the large “bag” of White Company bedding being on the seat, only to be told all these items need to be put in the overhead bin for take-off. Why not hand this out after take-off then?