LONDON - UK budget airline easyJet apologized Tuesday to Jewish customers after the only food choices served on a flight from Israel were ham melts and bacon baguettes.I'm sure this will prompt a new round of EL-AL ad posters...similar to the "personal mechitza" and the "we know what tefillin is" campaigns.
Passengers who follow the faith's ban on eating pork were forced to go hungry for the four-and-a-half hour journey from Tel Aviv to London.
The airline introduced the route in November, proudly promising that in-flight menus would feature kosher food that met Jewish dietary laws.
So Victor Kaufman, 25, was stunned when cabin crew announced the meal choices on his flight last weekend.
"It was a little insensitive. I think they need a lesson or two on cultural awareness if they expand their routes into the Middle East. It is not just Jewish passengers who do not eat pork but Muslim ones, too. I couldn't eat anything," the trainee accountant said.
An easyJet spokeswoman said company policy bans even taking pork products aboard planes on the route.
She added, "It appears that a mistake was made on this flight and that incorrect food canisters were loaded. We would like to apologize to the passengers." (source)
Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
5 comments:
"we would like to apologize"???
how lame and feeble.
they should issue a voucher worth something real like duty free for the next year (not $150 off their next $500 or more flight, expiring in 2 months).
El Al would never commit that sin.
And its still the only airline in the world that doesn't fly any where on Shabbat to retain the good will of religious customers.
They may lose millions a year on that but the gratitude of Hashem is one thing money can't buy!
Having just recently flown on easyJet, I know they have a selection of kosher food available to their passengers. All food must be paid for, there are no meals included. Mistakes happen, give the customers a £5 or £10 voucher for food for their next flight. It sucks, but 4-5 hours without food is not really a big deal.
Although, I have to wonder about this, because there is a large assortment of food offered on board - their bistro magazine, which contains the menu, is online. There are plenty of choices, so how *only* ham melts and bacon baguettes were loaded is just weird. Or very deliberate - someone's idea of bad joke?
I believe that it was not an intention of easyJet to insult those people. Things like this happen quite often but easyJet was unlucky that it happened in Israel.
Anyways, four-and-a-half hour flight with no food should not be such a problem a person. Maybe providing the passengers with a free flight voucher would be an appropriate way to apologize.
NormanF- El Al flies on Shabbat all the time. They just don't tell you!
Post a Comment