Now, Air India cuts in-flight menu to reduce costs

New Delhi: Some bubbly to welcome you on board? Forget it. Caviar and prawns to nibble on while you settle in? Perish the thought. A Patiala peg of Blue Label to wash away those recession blues? Don’t even think about it. These are tough times, even if you have the dough to travel better than cattle class. As airlines cut corners to shed flab, food and beverage is the first casualty. Even in business and first class.
Take Air India. In a desperate attempt to skim the fat off its in-flight menu, it has removed champagne and pricier brands like Johnnie Walker Blue Label from its wine list on international flights. Even the quantity of food and water to be served onboard has been reduced to save costs. For example, the dessert serving has been reduced by around 20 grams. And some gourmet items such as king prawns and caviar have also been withdrawn from business and first class menus.
“Air India has decided to discontinue serving expensive liquor like Blue Label in its premium class. Food items such as lobster and caviar will also not feature on its menu,” said an Air India source.
Officially though, the stand is ‘business as usual’. An airline spokesperson maintained that any change in the wine list can only happen after the recommendation of the consultant concerned. “There is no change in wines. The current wines will continue till December 31, till stocks last and then be replaced by wines recommended by the consultant. Wines have a certain life span and stock level,” Air India executive director (corporate communication) Jitender Bhargava said.
30/10/08 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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Categories: NACIL Oct 2008