Qantas has announced a multi-million-dollar investment in its menus that will see it introduce new dishes and larger portions across all its flight cabins and airport lounges. The airline added that it would also look to use more high-quality ingredients from premium Australian producers.
On international economy flights, passengers can expect cajun prawns with spiced rice, Korean chilli and garlic chicken with kimchi, and black pepper beef with oyster mushrooms. Premium economy passengers will be served salmon with tomato fennel sauce and braised lamb shank with red wine mushroom sauce, while those in business can feast on seared grasslands beef fillet with café de Paris butter and crumbed snapper roll with pickled cabbage and tartare sauce.
Those in first class will be treated to Calvisius caviar on buckwheat blinis with Pepe Saya crème fraiche, Queensland spanner crab and sweet pork salad with green mango, and seared Glacier 51 toothfish with saffron sauce, steamed potatoes and braised fennel.
This menu upgrade is the single biggest investment in Qantas in-flight and lounge dining in a decade and comes as the airline returns to profit and accelerates its customer investment programmes. These have included a $100 million expansion of domestic and international lounges, progressive renewal of aircraft, and new flight routes.
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“Premium food and wine is one of the top three reasons our customers choose to fly with Qantas, so this significant boost means we will be able to further our efforts to deliver a world-class experience in the sky,” says Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer, Markus Svensson.
“We are proud to work with established and emerging Australian food and wine producers to offer the best possible dining experience to our customers.”
These menu changes follow an overhaul of the airline’s domestic economy menu in October 2022, which saw it offering more variety and catering to several dietary requirements, including a vegetarian option for all meals.
Qantas Creative Director of Food, Beverage and Service, Neil Perry, who has worked with Qantas for 25 years, says the airline is known for showcasing Australian produce to millions of international and domestic travellers. Every regular menu change sees Perry and his team create nearly 250 new dishes for the domestic and international network.
“We are spoilt for choice in Australia when it comes to being able to source top quality food from fantastic Australian producers, and together with generous servings and great service, these are the key ingredients to creating an enjoyable meal,” Perry says.
“Over time, it’s been fantastic to see a broader curiosity around international cuisines and plant-based dining, which has allowed us to become more adventurous with our menus.”
The new menus have already begun rolling out on domestic flights and will launch on international services on Wednesday, March 29. Coinciding with autumn, they’ll feature seasonal ingredients with plant-based options across all cabins.
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