JetBlue Goes Cold
Airline Carrier to Switch to 'Chilled Menu' for Transatlantic Economy Meals
Ah, international travel. Besides getting to enjoy the destination, one of the best parts (for me) is to sample the “provisions and libations” while flying. Besides the few times I traveled with a discount airline, one of the things I brag about is the food and drinks you get while in the air. You see, if you travel far enough, even in economy, you get multiple meals, a treasure trove of snacks, and those adult beverages. One time, when I was flying out of Asia I special ordered a Soba Noodle plate on my airline. SOBA!
Where was I? Oh yeah.
JetBlue, an airline that launched its whole brand on customer service while stripping that same customer service over time, has made a landmark announcement. If you are flying with them across the pond (to London, Amsterdam etc.) in Economy Class, you will have NO hot meal options. The ‘fully-chilled’ menu won’t apply to Mint, their premium seating option. From JetBlue:
“After a trial run this summer on our Dublin and Edinburgh seasonal flights, we are extending a new core menu onto our six transatlantic daily flights this fall,” JetBlue said in a statement. The airline said the new core menu “lives up to the standard we set for high-quality meals. This change is part of our effort to ensure we can continue to provide a great experience at JetBlue’s competitive fares on these routes.”
Yikes.
As somebody who is ballin’ on a budget, this is a major blow. I always tell people I’m at the age where I need at least a hot meal a day, and if you can imagine being on a flight from LA to London (or I guess, LAX to JFK to LHR if I were to do it via JetBlue), goin’ 11 plus hours on a cold ass free-tat-tah?
If I’m gonna eat a poor man’s quiche, it’s got to be a toasty 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Look, I’m not dumb, it’s a cost-saving measure. Freshly prepared and warm foods don’t last as long, and it’s way cheaper to refrigerate than to ensure various hot foods are at the correct temperature over the course of hours. But come on, JetBlue you’re killing me here. I’ll deal with your higher prices, your lack of routes to the middle of the country, and that dumb thing you do by giving your planes play on word names.
Blues…that…girl…? UGH!
In this day and age, people like the perception of value over anything else. I bet if JetBlue added three more rows of seats on their planes, but gave you bottomless mimosas, I can guarantee you fewer people would notice that their knees are in their chest while tipsy.
For reference, here’s the updated menu:
For breakfast, choose a crepe, overnight oats or a frittata as a main, and grapes and pears; or coconut yogurt as a side.
For lunch, customers have the option of a chicken grain bowl or ginger garlic tofu. Sides include a kale apple salad and green beans.
Dinner alternatives include pesto pasta salad, or mushrooms and lentils. Sides include a tomato and cucumber salad and buffalo cauliflower.
I can feel the bubble guts from here.
-F