SINGAPORE, Oct 2 — AirAsia’s co-founder Tony Fernandes has praised Singapore Airlines (SIA) for its service while criticising its food.
In an Instagram post on Thursday (Oct 1), Fernandes shared photos of himself onboard a Singapore Airlines flight.
He said he took the SIA flight because he was unable to get an AirAsia flight.
“Service was great, internet amazing,” wrote Fernandes in his post caption, before adding that the “food was poor”.
His carousel post included a picture of his in-flight meal, which appeared to show some noodles in a red gravy with beef and vegetables.
Fernandes went on to praise AirAsia’s in-flight catering service, Santan, calling it “far far better” and claiming the cabin crew agreed.
He concluded that it a was “great flight”, but that AirAsia was “not far off”.
AsiaOne has reached out to Fernandes for more information about his flight and experience, as well as SIA for comment.
SIA’s dining complaints
His complaint about SIA comes after a passenger recently took issue with SIA’s in-flight meal on social media earlier this month.
The passenger, who was on an SIA flight from London to Singapore, stated in a Facebook post on Sept 2 that they were served “bland” and “stodgy” fish.
The passenger added that the breakfast meal was even worse.
“Dry, sauceless, overly salty beef noodles, with only a few tiny pieces of meat,” read the post.
The passenger said that SIA offered some of the best economy service and seating they had experienced, but “the catering turned a potentially world-class flight into a merely good one”.
While some netizens agreed with the passengers’ review of SIA’s gripes, others pointed out that the quality of in-flight meals often varies based on the country the flight is departing from.
New, refreshed dishes
On Sept 29, SIA announced that it is enhancing its dining experience with a new SIA Chef’s Selection in-flight menu category, featuring more than 100 new and refreshed dishes across all cabin classes.
SIA said that the dishes use fresh, seasonal ingredients from local producers, allowing customers to enjoy them at their best quality, freshness and flavour.
Some of the highlights include the Tandoor Roasted Paneer and Cheng Tng, a classic Chinese dessert, which will be served across all cabin classes in different styles.
The Roasted Chicken Breast with Black Pepper Sauce will also be added as a main course for Economy Class passengers while Premium Economy Class passengers can expect the Irish Lamb Stew.
Those flying on Business Class can look forward to options such as the Char Siew Wonton Noodle while Beef Short Rib Sambal Percik with Nasi Kerabu will be amongst the dishes served to Suites and First Class passengers.
The airlines will also be expanding its beverage offerings, including an extensive range of cocktails, spirits, sake, liqueurs, and beers.
Non-alcoholic beverages will also be served, ranging from mocktails and juices to soft drinks, non-dairy beverages, coffee and teas.
The new menu was developed by the airline’s in-house and guest chefs in collaboration with its catering partners based on “customer feedback, evolving preferences and emerging dining trends”.
“The result is a combination of thoughtfully crafted dishes, carefully curated beverages, elegant serviceware, and thoughtful touches that make dining on board more memorable for our customers,” said Yeoh Phee Teik, SIA’s senior vice president of customer experience. — AsiaOne
