Air India goes all veg for pilots by ‘mistake’, withdraws order
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi:13.07.2018
Air India pilots were served another shocker recently when the airline asked flight caterers to supply only vegetarian meals for them on aircraft. The order, however, did not last long and was withdrawn immediately.
This short-lived confusion was sparked by a mail issued by the airline’s catering section on July10 that the ‘special’ meals on AI flights for pilots were to be all-veg with immediate effect. Pilot meals are meant for the flight’s co-pilot and commander.
Exactly a year back, AI had started giving all-veg meals to economy class passengers on its domestic flights as a cost-cutting measure which leads to a saving of about ₹8 crore annually. Non-veg food continues to be served on business class of domestic and all classes of AI’s international flights.
“The email asking for veg meals for pilots was sent by mistake by the catering section. It has been withdrawn,” said a senior AI official. The airline spokesman said: “It was an inadvertent typing error. Both meals (veg and non-veg) will continue to be available to pilots.”
An AI commander, however, said the now-withdrawn “veg-meals-for-pilots” order would not have meant that pilots wouldn’t have access to non-veg meals. “All airlines globally take separate meals for pilots and crew members whose flight caterer may be different from the one supplying meals for passengers. The idea is that God forbid if passenger meals lead to some issue like food poisoning, the crew is unharmed and is able to land the plane safely. How the separation of meal for crew is done is something that cannot be shared due to safety reasons,” the official said.
A number of crew meals are taken on a flight, which are both veg and non-veg. The meals designated for pilots in this separate crew meal would have been allveg as per the order. The logic: veg meal can be had by non-veg also but not viceversa.
With this order now withdrawn, the AI pilots can continue to get the meal of their choice on flights.
SHORT-LIVED CONFUSION:
The airline spokesman said it was an inadvertent typing error
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi:13.07.2018
Air India pilots were served another shocker recently when the airline asked flight caterers to supply only vegetarian meals for them on aircraft. The order, however, did not last long and was withdrawn immediately.
This short-lived confusion was sparked by a mail issued by the airline’s catering section on July10 that the ‘special’ meals on AI flights for pilots were to be all-veg with immediate effect. Pilot meals are meant for the flight’s co-pilot and commander.
Exactly a year back, AI had started giving all-veg meals to economy class passengers on its domestic flights as a cost-cutting measure which leads to a saving of about ₹8 crore annually. Non-veg food continues to be served on business class of domestic and all classes of AI’s international flights.
“The email asking for veg meals for pilots was sent by mistake by the catering section. It has been withdrawn,” said a senior AI official. The airline spokesman said: “It was an inadvertent typing error. Both meals (veg and non-veg) will continue to be available to pilots.”
An AI commander, however, said the now-withdrawn “veg-meals-for-pilots” order would not have meant that pilots wouldn’t have access to non-veg meals. “All airlines globally take separate meals for pilots and crew members whose flight caterer may be different from the one supplying meals for passengers. The idea is that God forbid if passenger meals lead to some issue like food poisoning, the crew is unharmed and is able to land the plane safely. How the separation of meal for crew is done is something that cannot be shared due to safety reasons,” the official said.
A number of crew meals are taken on a flight, which are both veg and non-veg. The meals designated for pilots in this separate crew meal would have been allveg as per the order. The logic: veg meal can be had by non-veg also but not viceversa.
With this order now withdrawn, the AI pilots can continue to get the meal of their choice on flights.
SHORT-LIVED CONFUSION:
The airline spokesman said it was an inadvertent typing error
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