Positive Airline Experience

[mushroom]

Usually I book my own flights directly with the airline, but because we had an extra leg this time and I was lazy, and I thought she might get me a better deal,I used a travel agent instead of Expedia or something else.. Bad me. Even though I confirmed with the agent she had ordered gluten free meals, at dinner time we were not on the list. BUT... the concierge on the flight was wonderful. Several trips to business class later, and we had cups of unsalted nuts, green salads with vinaigrette, seafood entrees of (cold roast chicken breast) and shrimp and smoked salmon with a mango salsa, a fruit platter, ice cream, a banana and an apple, and a selection of cheeses. Breakfast for me was scrambled eggs (with baked beans I avoided), yogurt, orange juice, milk and a cereal of very dubious origin which was declined, some more fresh fruit (pineapple, mango, grapes, etc.); hubs had a dinner left over from the previous evening which someone had declined - a vegetarian meal with beans and potatoes which suited him to a tee, along with all the other stuff except the eggs. Kudos to the concierge and a profusive endorsement of him to Air New Zealand. Neither of us had any problem with either meal .

We were so well fed I didn't eat any of the food we took with us until SFO, where I did my best to order something safe but everything comes in cans which are emptied out and the cans thrown away by the morning crew so the waitress couldn't tell me what was in anything. (As an aside, she said "People don't care what they eat in here, they just want food!") , so that made me really an oddball. So I said, that's okay, I'll just eat my own, so out came the salami and cheeses and crackers (minus the apple I had to declare at customs and which was confiscated).

So there was an airline which rose to the occasion. He was so apologetic and I bet it was all the fault of the stupid travel agent, in whose parking lot I got backed into and had to do an auto repair before I left too Quoth the Raven: "Never more"

[Darn210]

Glad everything worked out for you, Shroomie...and glad to have you in the States again.

Mental Note: When we go to visit Shroomie, don't use a travel agent and fly Air New Zealand. You DO know we're comin', right? . . . Eventually.

[Gemini]

  On 5/4/2012 at 8:30 PM, mushroom said:

Usually I book my own flights directly with the airline, but because we had an extra leg this time and I was lazy, and I thought she might get me a better deal,I used a travel agent instead of Expedia or something else.. Bad me. Even though I confirmed with the agent she had ordered gluten free meals, at dinner time we were not on the list. BUT... the concierge on the flight was wonderful. Several trips to business class later, and we had cups of unsalted nuts, green salads with vinaigrette, seafood entrees of (cold roast chicken breast) and shrimp and smoked salmon with a mango salsa, a fruit platter, ice cream, a banana and an apple, and a selection of cheeses. Breakfast for me was scrambled eggs (with baked beans I avoided), yogurt, orange juice, milk and a cereal of very dubious origin which was declined, some more fresh fruit (pineapple, mango, grapes, etc.); hubs had a dinner left over from the previous evening which someone had declined - a vegetarian meal with beans and potatoes which suited him to a tee, along with all the other stuff except the eggs. Kudos to the concierge and a profusive endorsement of him to Air New Zealand. Neither of us had any problem with either meal .

We were so well fed I didn't eat any of the food we took with us until SFO, where I did my best to order something safe but everything comes in cans which are emptied out and the cans thrown away by the morning crew so the waitress couldn't tell me what was in anything. (As an aside, she said "People don't care what they eat in here, they just want food!") , so that made me really an oddball. So I said, that's okay, I'll just eat my own, so out came the salami and cheeses and crackers (minus the apple I had to declare at customs and which was confiscated).

So there was an airline which rose to the occasion. He was so apologetic and I bet it was all the fault of the stupid travel agent, in whose parking lot I got backed into and had to do an auto repair before I left too Quoth the Raven: "Never more"

Virgin Atlantic did the same for me on a return flight to the States. I changed my return date back home from England and they did not have time to prepare a gluten-free meal. I was told by the concierge that they would withhold food from first class passengers that would fit my dietary requirements and gave me first dibs on everything. Talk about service! I was just hoping they would keep my identity secret so I would not be accosted by hungry, angry passengers whose food I ate. I ended up with a great seafood meal and salad, with smoked salmon. You know, sometimes having a dietary restriction isn't so bad after all!

[Jestgar]

  On 5/4/2012 at 8:43 PM, Darn210 said:

Mental Note: When we go to visit Shroomie, don't use a travel agent and fly Air New Zealand. You DO know we're comin', right? . . . Eventually.

and don't bring apples

Welcome back Shroomie!

[mushroom]

Well, that's a real nice welcome. Now could you just turn the heat lamp up a little??? Oh, I should go to Little Rock??? Nah, I don't think so

Yeah, I figure you're coming, but that you'll wait until the ground is a little more stable And at least in New Zealand you will find an amnesty bin where you can dispose of the stuff you didn't eat on the plane before you get to customs. I told the agent, well I could have just dropped it on the escalator

[anabananakins]

That's great to hear and ooh, jealous of the first class food! I've never gotten to sit in the pointy end of the plane, eating some of their food would be the next best thing :-) I was impressed by Air New Zealand when I flew them last year, I had a minor freak out over getting a gluten free bread roll (whoever heard of such a thing!) and so they ran through exactly what they'd done to prepare my meal (i.e, unwrapped nothing that would've contaminated it). So then I picked it up (it weighed a tonne) and broke it open and it shattered into a million pieces and we all laughed because we were all certain then it was gluten free. I loved that they were so understanding, friendly and also familiar with gluten-free products. They have so many people to serve but I still felt like an individual.

[mushroom]

  On 5/11/2012 at 11:10 PM, anabananakins said:

That's great to hear and ooh, jealous of the first class food! I've never gotten to sit in the pointy end of the plane, eating some of their food would be the next best thing :-) I was impressed by Air New Zealand when I flew them last year, I had a minor freak out over getting a gluten free bread roll (whoever heard of such a thing!) and so they ran through exactly what they'd done to prepare my meal (i.e, unwrapped nothing that would've contaminated it). So then I picked it up (it weighed a tonne) and broke it open and it shattered into a million pieces and we all laughed because we were all certain then it was gluten free. I loved that they were so understanding, friendly and also familiar with gluten-free products. They have so many people to serve but I still felt like an individual.

Yeah, I love the crew - think they are all pretty great actually. I think it's because the SENIORS get the good flights and they know their onions (and their gluten free crumbly rolls). However..... I did once get a wholemeal cracker with my cheese but then we always check these things, right??