On Friday 15 September the Malaysian national carrier, Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB), announced the re-introduction of hot meal services on selected and affected routes.
This in-flight restoration follows on from a recent suspension of hot meal offerings on some flights due to a shortage of food service vehicles. A contract with supplier Brahim’s Food Services ended last month.
Arrival of 10 new hi-lift trucks
The arrival of 10 new hi-lift trucks ahead of schedule is poised to fix the in-flight service problems recently experienced by the Malaysian flag carrier. This will restart the joy of passengers indulging in cruising on board Malaysian Airlines flights.
The in-flight catering hiccup was compounded when a statement on the airline’s FAQ page was mistaken as meaning that passengers were required to bring their own food on board.
Malay Mail quoted the misunderstood statement in an explanatory article, saying the following statement had been taken out of context by some media:
“Passengers may bring their own meals onboard subject to liquids, aerosols, and gels (LAGs) requirements. LAGs must not exceed 100ml per the requirements for international passengers departing from or transiting at international airports in Malaysia. Self-heating meals and non-halal meals are strictly prohibited.”
[monsterinsights_popular_posts_inline]
The airline explained that this was not a direction to passengers to bring their own food. It simply advised that passengers were allowed to bring food onboard if they wished to do so.
Mitigation Methods
The airline Group expects the arrival of another 10 hi-lift trucks in the coming months while also upgrading and improving its meal. It plans to restore the full meal service by mid-November of 2023.
These hi-lift trucks are crucial in the overall airline inflight meal process in upholding the airline’s food quality and safety standards.
These meal trucks will maintain the correct temperature appropriate to the foods being stored.
Malaysia Airlines made the correct move in temporarily suspending hot meals to ensure food safety is not being compromised.
The airline since 11 September 2023 reintroduced simplified hot meals for Business Class passengers on the Bangkok and Denpasar routes.
Passengers traveling to Bangkok and Denpasar and also on all cabins from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Manila, and Hong Kong will now be able to enjoy hot meals again!
Passengers flying in business class to South Asian countries will also enjoy the iconic Malaysian satay.
Moreover, the airline introduced revised in-flight dining experiences on routes which include its renowned peanuts and beverages, refreshments in ready-to-go boxes with pre-packaged pastries, chocolates, and biscuits.
Malaysian Airlines flights to London, Auckland, Jeddah, Madinah, Osaka, and Haneda routes remain unchanged.
The carrier created a temporary distribution center in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to manage its food and beverage items by suppliers and the transportation of such items onboard via hi-lift trucks.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has approved the facilities that comply with the local health authorities for their cleanliness, hygiene, and environment – meeting food safety and hygiene standards.
Click the banner to subscribe to our weekly newsleter.
