KLM is unfair to vegetarians!
 

On a recent KLM flight in Europe, my wife and I were offered chicken sandwiches for lunch. I asked the stewardess if she could provide a vegetarian option and was informed that KLM doesn't provide any such option on European flights. This policy is equivalent to telling one person out of every 20 (approximately) "sorry, the other 19 get to eat, but not you". This amounts to unfair discrimination, which would not be tolerated if it were racial or religious in nature ("sorry, we don't offer food to <insert minority label here>"). I urge everyone who cares about fairness not to fly KLM until this policy is changed!

Troll post.

You registered to post that?

No one should <B>EVER</B> expect to get a special meal option w/o contacting the airline (any airline, not just KLM) ahead of time

I'm sorry? A little unclear what your point is.

Even people with special food requirements based on religion must contact the airline ahead of time to make arrangements for special food.

Even people with special food requirements based on religion must contact the airline ahead of time to make arrangements for special food.

<i>Even people with special food requirements based on religion must contact the airline ahead of time to make arrangements for special food.</i>

I have family that keep kosher. They have to let my family know if they are attending events several days in advance, or else they go hungry.

As a flight attendant I would like to ask you where we are going to "make" that special meal for you at 37,000 feet if you haven't special ordered it?
I don't believe that KLM doesn't serve veg meals on "inter European" flights especially with the high volume of Muslims,Indians,etc. that fly with them.Most people that have special dietary needs should always travel with some of their special snacks just in case.

"I asked the stewardess if ..."

They're flight attendants these days. :)

I see on KLM's website that special meals can be preordered only on its intercontinental flights. (Preordering them is the key.) Within Europe, you take what they serve, no matter what your dietary requirement: no kosher, no halal, no gluten free, no vegetarian. You make a point to find these things out in advance, and if the airline can't meet your needs, you bring your own food on board.

I need vegan, gluten free, diabetic, peanut free, lactose free, organic, without artificial dyes.

It's a plane, not a food court.

In general, I find most airline food to be so lousy that I always carry my own--and I would certainly do that if I had dietary restrictions. My husband has been known to say that it's the good news when an airline doesn't serve food.

I am travelling by KLM and now atleast 1 month before my travel I am trying to request for vegetarian food on my flight, it is true KLM does not offer that option as they clearly couldn't help me out and I have been told that I have to make my own arrangement on a 14 hour flight because I won't be able to get vegetarian food.

I guess I am going to eat at the airport before I board my flight since I know vegetarian food would not be offered on this flight from Amsterdam.

fenarula, why you have topped a 5 year old thread in order to make your first post?

I'm betting fenarula won't be back..

Why jump all over a first-time poster just for making a point? In my experience, most airlines do offer food options (if they offer food at all) so I would be surprised and probably a little frustrated if I found my dietary requirements couldn’t be met. No harm in letting others know that is the case.

Who is jumping all over him/her? It's just a little odd, and furthermore it's not true.

https://www.klm.com/travel/us_en/pre...eals/index.htm

P_M Thanks for the link. Its clear what fenarula said is not true and Ill bet neither her claim they told her to take care of herself for 14 hr. flight.

OP is what is wrong with America.

I am a naturist and was denied boarding a Klm flight when I arrived naked.
I urge everybody to boycott planes until they change their policy.

I would hardly compare a vegetarian, whose dietary choices harm no one, to a naturist who would insist on flying naked, but this is an excellent example of the unreasonable prejudice one encounters when one wishes to avoid eating meat.

I am pleased that KLM does in fact offer a vegetarian option. In 2016, that seems sporting of them.

Whether one gets the option one has requested is another thing entirely. On a recent intercontinental AA flight, my and SO's vegetarian meals, requested well in advance, failed to appear, a result which the flight attendants greeted with a shrug, as if to say, "It's not the first time".

We ate the tiny salad and the roll sans entree, and we had snacks, and really, one can't starve to death in 10 hours. But it was poor service.

In contrast, an Azul flight offered something chicken-y and a cheese pasta as entree options, which would surely please 99% of those on board. If every airline offered one hearty but meat free entree, the need for "special meals" would almost disappear.

Of course I realize that some people are gluten free some are dairy free, and so on. Everyone can't be pleased, and those of us with diets outside the norm are well used to providing for ourselves in case out needs can't be met.

But offering an option and then failing to provide it; or mocking a person who makes a special request that is only special because the airline is being dense--well, that's not kosher :-)

Well said, NewbE.

Perhaps next time OP should sit closer to the front of the plane or request a special meal.

I would say baloney about this but that is meat so how about broccoli? :S-.

They call me Dick.
I am in the wind.
And I asked beforehand but they only laughed on the phone.
And I didn't get anything on Af today. I was asleep before the wheels took off. They should provide something for the sleepers or give a rebate.

This whole thing started as a troll post over 5 yrs. ago and the OP has never been back and this was his/her only post her ever.

Then fenarula's first post ever here picked up where the OP left off for reasons know only to him/her and posted something about no veg options being available which P_M has proven untrue with a link to KLM's website. Now fenarula hasn't been back and I doubt that will ever happen.

Then NewbE tries to create a nexus with KLM and his/her unfortunate experience on AA and says KLM is sporting enough to offer a veg option as its 2016 so hey about time. However what we don't know is how long veg options have been available on KLM. I would bet its not new this yr. :S-.

Then somehow this is supposed to reflect whats wrong with America. To me its much ado about nothing. I'm out of here. :).

Did you have a point, jacketwatch? Nice summary.

Yes. The part about much ado about nothing. :D.

Well, as I said, it's hard to starve in just 10 hours, but I wonder how inconsequential you'd think it if you were the one going meal-less?

You said you did not go without a meal. You complained about the service and rightfully so as they did not provide what had been requested. You should take that up with AA.

But lets not compare you experience on AA with the baseless accusations against KLM which began this thread.

Not reserving and coming naked and expecting special treatment is stupid.

Reserving a veg meal as a service (and a rightfully needed one) is different.

In one case client is messing up in the second airline is messing up.

To contribute a little bit we had a discussion about veg topic this lunch and my Indian colleague who comes very often to Europe summarizes like this :
He always asks for veg meals on each leg of the trip.
He gets it 99.99% on long haul
He gets it 10% on short European leg.
On Luft but it reflects on a comprehensible pattern : long haul they pay attention short they don't care if the veg starves a few hours.

Being stupid and claiming explains the remark about what is wrong in the U.S. We are so much smarter over here : either we reserve or we shut up when we f?ck up. ;-)

The solution is ridiculously simple:

1. When you purchase your tickets, request a special meal at that time. If the site says that meals are available for purchase only, bring your own special snowflake food.

2. Buy your tickets and the next day contact the airline to request a special meal. If they tell you that your flight(s) do not have "complimentary" meals but meals are available for purchase, thank them for their time and hang up and bring your own special snowflake food.

3. Bring your own special snowflake food anyway because the airline will probably screw up your order anyway.

Special snowflake food, really? What an old fogie attitude. If you still think vegetarianism is a are, weird thing, you don't get out enough.

I hope you have a major dietary restriction in your future, sparky!

Meanwhile, have a care about your reading comprehension, I am concerned for you. We did request our meals, which were in fact complimentary, and we did bring our own food, as I said. I suppose, in your world, I should just be happy that I didn't receive a sharp stick in the eye instead? I should be grateful I was even allowed on the plane!

Yes, you should be!

Now get out of my yard!

At least ! We start the real debate !
Vegetarianism is indeed a sickness. There exists only one cure : meat.
:-) Emoticon needed.
Now where will I find a good steak after my veg day of the week in a restaurant that also allows veg food for my daughter ?
Life is so complicated. Or maybe not.

Look , vegetarianism is a CHOICE.. not your religion .. and not your HEALTH..

First off.. I don't care what any of us get to eat or not eat on those short intereuropeon flights.. suck it up butter cup.. you wont starve in 2-5 hours.

Secondly.. its been noted that most major carriers DO cater to vegetarians for long haul flights.. including KLM.

Lastly.. an airline can not always cater to everyone.. I think the PRIORITY should be special meals for those with HEALTH issues.. on long haul flights. Gluten free.. nut free.. etc..

My daughter is a vegetarian and she agrees with me.. she always brings her own just in case the vegetarian offering is nasty soy/bean loaf.. which it seems to end up being a lot anyways.

Bring your own lettuce.

<Look , vegetarianism is a CHOICE.. not your religion>
Since when does religion matter more than what I choose to eat?

Religion is a fairy story that you CHOOSE to believe in. Vegetarianism is about what I put inside my body and have to live with in a very literal way. And it's an ethical system akin to religion, if you like.

See? It can phrased to give offense, either way. Or companies can undertake to treat of their customers respectfully.

"And it's an ethical system akin to religion, if you like." And then,

"Religion is a fairy story that you CHOOSE to believe in."

Do these fairies come deep fried?

:D.

Ok , no special meals for anyone then, they are all crap anyways

I beg to disagree. Air France has great food.