MH to replace hot meals with snack boxes on short hauls

[KeithMEL]

http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/Abou...nfo/Media.aspx

Sepang (27 September 2007) Malaysia Airlines will introduce meal boxes for its economy class passengers on its regional short-haul flights effective 1 October 2007.

Customers can look forward to a variety of offerings comprising savoury sandwiches, fruit yoghurt, fresh fruits, crunchy snacks or sweet muffin, depending on the time of the day. Child meals and special meals including vegetarian will also be offered.

Customers will continue to enjoy unlimited inflight beverages such as coffee, tea and fruit juices.

...

I understand that they need to turnaround the airline, but in this industry - we all know too well that what's taken away rarely makes a come back. Look what happened in the US and Europe, where LCCs have already established themselves very well and there's a general dive towards the lowest common denominator by the major players. As competition from the LCCs start heating up, is MH's move the beginning of the end of hot meals on regional flights in Asia?

[singaporu_kooku]

5 star low cost airlines indeed... Instead of upgrading their playing fields to compete with SQ, TG, and CX, they try to downgrade it and compete with AK instead. Sounds similar to what airlines in US are doing. The results? Chapter 9.

If they offer AK fares, maybe it will much more appealing, but for regional flights in SE Asia, SQ and TG seems to be much better choice. Even GA offers hot meals on their regional international and selected domestic flights.

[Singapore_Air]

Well they are listening to their customers:

Malaysia Airlines’ Assistant General Manager, Inflight Services, En Azman Ahmad said, “We are delighted to offer these meal boxes in response to our customers’ requests. Our inflight survey reveals that a large proportion of our passengers prefer light meal boxes which we then filled with the top five food items that they chose.

“The result is a more wholesome offering, promoting healthy eating and a well-balanced diet, while providing our passengers with the option of taking away the boxes”.

He added, “This is one of the many initiatives that we will progressively roll out to provide our customers with a new dining experience on board. Our initiatives are benchmarked against the best carriers in the region and are aimed at delighting our passengers.”

[MAN Flyer]

The race to the bottom continues apace.

That PR guff spouted above about it being what the customers want is up there with some of the bullsh*t spouted by SQ recently.

[KeithMEL]

That PR guff spouted above about it being what the customers want is up there with some of the bullsh*t spouted by SQ recently.

Unless the question on the 'inflight survey' is something like, "Would you prefer to have snack boxes for your inflight meal, or be beaten up with a stick upon boarding each flight?"

[jjpb3]

How does MH define regional short-haul? Deli boxes, even if attractively presented and served by gracious FAs, don't feel like anything but a low-cost offering, IME. I doubt the benchmark was 'the best carriers in the region'; likely it was AK.

It's an understandable move, considering MH is probably the airline that is feeling the pressure from AK the most. But it's sad too, because it seems MH has just become another airline who has decided not to compete with a differentiated premium Y product.

(When I see spin like that spouted by the Assistant General Manager, I always feel the desire to see the questionnaire used in their market research, as well as their sampling method.)

[JetE]

My speculation is that MH may be pressured by competition into maintaining tray service even on relatively short regional flights such as BKK and CGK. Snack boxes will probably work out for the domestic routes.

Personally, I don't have any problems with snack boxes as long as the packaging is environmentally friendly and the food is decent quality- and quantity-wise. But I suspect the Asian market is still not quite ready to see that on an international flight on a full-service airline.

[jhm]

But I suspect the Asian market is still not quite ready to see that on an international flight on a full-service airline.

It depends on the flight length of course, e.g. I've been on a short Asia international flight on a full-service airline where I only got a pack of nuts and crackers in J. God knows what they got down the back!

[JetE]

It depends on the flight length of course, e.g. I've been on a short Asia international flight on a full-service airline where I only got a pack of nuts and crackers in J. God knows what they got down the back!

Ah! You're talking about KUL-SIN?

But that's a Malaysian domestic flight... as someone has implied in another thread somewhere


(OK Singaporeans... throw your leftover mooncakes at me)

[jhm]

You're talking about KUL-SIN?

Correct route, wrong airline (JL).

[JetE]

Correct route, wrong airline (JL).

I was refering to the country, not the airline. MH, I believe, serves hot savories (fried spring roll, mini pie, meatballs?) in F on the KUL-SIN.

I have done JL KUL-SIN once in the back. That was way back in 2000, flown using an MD-11. We got a boxed beverage (with a drinking straw attached to the packaging). Can't recall the flavor though.

[Lobster]

I hope this does not set a trend amongst some of the other Asian carriers. It was one of the things that really set them apart for me was that even on short flights you would get a proper meal.

[SuperJonJon]

I hope this does not set a trend amongst some of the other Asian carriers. It was one of the things that really set them apart for me was that even on short flights you would get a proper meal.

For a 40+ min flight, I personally found the meal service too rushed and wouldn't mind a boxed meal.

[sqforever]

For a 40+ min flight, I personally found the meal service too rushed and wouldn't mind a boxed meal.

I haven't used MH on the KL shuttle but I think that they only serve peanuts on that flight. The boxes will be handed out on 1 1/2 hour-2 1/2 hour flights it seems. Places like Bangkok, Kota Kinabalu, Jakarta, Saigon.

I was lol when the guy from MAS said that they are proud to present a new dining experience.

[KeithMEL]

I haven't used MH on the KL shuttle but I think that they only serve peanuts on that flight.

I only got a drink on the shuttle. Not much time to do anything else I'd think.