Japan Airlines Serves Vegan Business Class Passenger Single Banana For In-Flight Meal
Kris Chari said he felt "insulted" to be served a banana for one of the two in-flight meals.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 01 Mar 2023, 05:39 PM
A business class passenger aboard a Japan Airlines flight was in shock when he was served "a single banana" as one of his in-flight vegan meals
According to Insider, Kris Chari was flying from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Tokyo, Japan, last Tuesday, 21 February.
During the seven-hour flight, passengers received two meal services, with the first being a snack and light refreshment served after takeoff and the second being lunch.
When the first meal was served, Chari was given a banana on a plate along with a pair of chopsticks.
Initially thinking that it was just an "underwhelming appetiser", he said on aviation forum FlyerTalk that, "[It] was in fact the entire meal service!"
The menu for non-vegan passengers, however, consisted of seared tuna with a Moroccan-style eggplant salad, cheese with orange salsa, and a baguette.
"It's a bit insulting to be served a single banana while others are given a far more substantial and flavourful menu," Chari said
On Japan Airlines' website, the "vegetarian vegan meal" is listed under its special meal menus, and it shows a sample picture of salad bowls, a baguette, a halal sorbet, and a larger rice dish, reported Insider.
Even the second meal that Chari had was not any better, as he was served a plate of "barely seasoned spaghetti".
The disgruntled passenger was likely to have paid about IDR27,508,000 (about RM8,000) for his premium flight ticket, but received subpar treatment.
Japan Airlines has since apologised for its substandard service
"We apologise for not being able to meet expectations," a representative from the company told Insider.
The person confirmed that all special meals served on Chari's flight were indeed bananas for the first meal.
"We will continue to respond to our menus in light of the growing interest and diverse needs of customers requesting special meals, including the valuable feedback from this customer," the person added.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), an independent administrative body of the country's government, Japanese cuisine "is known for its heavy use of meat and fish, and even stocks and sauces usually have some ingredients containing meat".
On top of that, the Japanese are also not familiar with the concept and practice of vegetarianism and veganism, and often misunderstands their true meaning.
"Simply requesting vegetarian meals may not be sufficient," said JNTO.
Travel sites commonly listed Japan as one of the top 10 countries that are not vegetarian-friendly.
