Qantas heats up domestic economy menu on two hour plus flights to please customers

Cheese and crackers are out and sausage rolls are in, as Qantas heats up its in-flight domestic economy menu.

Cheese and crackers are off the menu on Qantas flights of more than two hours, to be replaced with a “hot item” such as a sausage roll, scrambled egg brioche or chicken ciabatta roll.

The move to offer something more substantial to passengers on flights such as Brisbane to Melbourne or Sydney to Adelaide was in response to customer feedback, Qantas said.

On flights of more than 3.5 hours such as Sydney-Darwin or Brisbane-Perth, passengers could also expect a Weis ice cream bar.

Customers on flights of under two hours, such as Melbourne-Sydney and Brisbane-Sydney, will still get a light snack of cheese and crackers or a sweet slice on some services.

Qantas said the replacement of snacks with hot food on longer flights would be progressively rolled out in coming weeks, with Australian producers supplying the heartier offerings.

As well as the items mentioned, passengers may be offered cauliflower bites, Medit­er­ranean pizza or carrot and pumpkin fritters.

Weis ice creams are back on the menu in domestic economy.

Qantas executive manager of product and service Phil Capps said they were pleased to be rolling out a wider range of choice for customers travelling across the domestic network. “We are always adjusting our menu in response to customer feedback and to enhance our inflight dining experience,” he said.

After taking over as Qantas chief last September, Vanessa Hudson promised to listen to customer feedback and address airline shortcomings where possible. The more substantial food offerings on longer flights was considered part of that, with Qantas allocating $230m to invest in customer improvements this financial year.

Another chunk of the money had been spent on a revamp of the frequent flyer program, to add 20 million Classic Plus reward seats.

In the first months since the reward seats became available, 6.5 billion points had been redeemed on international flights, up 35 per cent on the typical monthly redemption rate.

Ms Hudson on Monday said the airline’s customer satisfaction ratings had improved, aided by a better operational performance by the carrier.

Investors were also feeling the love, with the Qantas share price climbing to its highest level since mid-August 2023, in recent days, breaking through the $6 barrier.

A $120m settlement with the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission resolving the so-called ghost flights fiasco triggered the rise in share prices.

Originally published as Qantas heats up domestic economy menu on two hour plus flights to please customers