When people say they can't stand airline food, maybe this is what they're talking about!
When Martin Pavelka, a passenger on an All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo to Sydney, requested a gluten-free breakfast on his nine-hour, $1,550 flight, he probably expected, at the very least, enough food to tide him over before landing.
Instead, while his fellow passengers chowed down on a hearty breakfast of eggs and sausages, Pavelka was given the following:
- A fork
- A knife
- A salt packet
- A banana, with a sticker on it that said "GF" for gluten-free.
Yup. That's it, folks.
"All other passengers were served a full breakfast meal consisting of eggs, sausage, mushrooms, bread, and yogurt," he said to the Evening Standard, as per the Telegraph. "This was a nine-hour flight. Although definitely gluten-free, the banana did not keep me full for very long.
"I think the stewardess [realized] something wasn’t right too," he continued. "The fault must be somewhere in management."
Of course, Pavelka put in a formal complaint to the airline. And for once, the party at fault actually seems to be willing to take some accountability for its mistake, and has issued a public apology to Pavelka, who hopefully was able to get a more substantial (and gluten-free) meal inside of him upon landing in Australia.
"ANA takes great pride in providing an exemplary customer experience for all passengers, and for this one passenger we did not meet his expectations," All Nippon Airways told the Telegraph. "We have apologized to him personally and as a result of his experience we are reviewing our policy on gluten free options and how they are served."