It’s a small change, hardly innovative in light of the many carriers that already offer a similar option, but Qatar Airways now lets you pre-order your meals when flying in business or first class.
Qatar Airways already offers a superb on-demand dining option in premium cabins on long-haul flights. In the past, I’ve never been told my choice is not available. Still, this new pre-order option will ensure I always receive my first choice on my upcoming trip.
To order your meal, open your reservation under “Manage Booking” on Qatar’s website or mobile app and you will see a “Meal Preference” option. As before, you’ll continue to have the option of ordering special meals online like gluten-free or vegetarian.
Meal pre-orders will be available only out of Doha to the following regions/cities:
- Europe (flights over five hours only)
- North America
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Bangkok
- Guangzhou
Why such a gap in Asia? Good question. Doha to Tokyo is over 10hrs…
Meals can be ordered between 24 hours and 14 days prior to your flight.
Not Innovative, but Still Impressive
Qatar Airways CEO, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker stated–
We are constantly looking for innovative ways to refine and enhance our products and services. Giving our premium passengers the opportunity to pre-select their meals before they fly is another example of our unrivalled on-board experience.
Well, I do believe Qatar has the best overall business class product in the world. Nevertheless, this is hardly innovative or unrivaled. In fact, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines offer extensive pre-order options that contain a much more extensive menu than what is offered onboard.
But I’m still writing about this because it represents another positive option for Qatar passengers, offering even more flexibility and comfort.
CONCLUSION
Pre-ordering meals makes so much sense from a logistics perspective. It can help airlines better provision meals on flights and leave more passengers happy. This is a small change that never seemed to be an issue on Qatar, but if it cuts down on waste without sacrificing choice it will be a good move for the struggling airline and for customers.
(H/T View from the Wing)
Re. the Asia gap — Bangkok and Guangzhou are the only (?) A380 routes in Asia, so it may have something to do with that?
Most likely — they probably figured they should offer this on all first class routes.