Jet Airways, last month announced the move from selling meal-inclusive tickets to excluding their cheapest tickets on the domestic segments from meal inclusions. This proposition was supposed to go live end of last month, but Jet Airways moved it by 15 days. From today, if you book a ticket on Jet Airways in the B, W, O fare classes, Jet Airways will no longer serve you a meal. Instead, you settle for the Jet Bistro.
These fares have gone on sale today onwards. I checked a couple of sectors, and you will find seats, usually 10-15 days out in the Deal or Light fare class. The fare difference is generally limited to INR 210 or INR 315 between Deal and Saver fares. Ironically, the difference is INR 315 on the shorter route (BLR/BOM) where Jet Airways only serves a snack and only INR 210 on the DEL/BOM route where a full meal is a norm.
However, you don’t need to go hungry. You can buy a meal on board if you still feel the need for food. Jet Airways has launched the JetBistro for meals.
They have some buy on board options, which look very interesting. Like a Cheese Omelette or Masala Dosa for Breakfast, or a Biryani for a daily meal. If you don’t want to eat a lot grab a sandwich or a struddle/puff for INR 200. Two menus exist, depending on the day of the week you are on the plane. Here is a look at the complete menu.
If you are on a flight between 4 AM and 10 AM, you can buy the breakfast on a flight over 90 minutes (BOM-DEL/ CCU-DEL). On the same routes over 90 minutes, you get lunch between noon and 2:30 PM take off, and dinner between 7 PM and 12 AM. On ATR flights, only sandwiches are available. On shorter flights between 36-90 minutes, you would be able to buy from the Nibbles Menu. You would only be able to purchase food with a Debit or Credit Card, so no cash accepted.
I think this is a smart move from Jet Airways, and as I mentioned earlier, I would go for the fare choice on some flights and not on others. For instance, if I am on a Mumbai – Goa, I don’t need a meal. This morning on Mumbai – Bengaluru, I did not need a meal at all given I had breakfast in the lounge already. But if I am on a Delhi – Mumbai evening flight, I do need a meal.
What I am interested in seeing is how the prediction works out and how do these meals taste? Of course, we will subject them to a taste test once we can get on a Jet Airways flight after these are launched.
What do you think of the new move by Jet Airways to launch the Jet Bistro?
Why does it seem to me that these are going to be the same meals that Jet serve, in which case I’m not expecting a change of taste. Though this might be a good opportunity for Jet to better their food catering.
Wondering how will they execute – have something printed on boarding card like Indigo? Or carry a lost like they do for special meals!
@Rajat, internationally, such as on BA, they just ask you to order and the menu is in your seat pocket. So they won’t be pushing you a meal, but you ask for it when they start the service. That is my guess and expectation, but let us see on 15 what happens.
Thanks Ajay, haven’t flown on BA economy, but I imagine BA doesn’t offer meals to anyone flying Y. In this case, a bunch of folks will have a right to free meal, while others won’t. The cabin crew will therefore have to identify the entitled ones!
I think one of your previous posts hit it well, the flight atttendants are going to be getting a lot of complaints from people who don’t understand why the guy next to him doesn’t have to pay, but he does…not everyone follows this stuff like we do, and it’s going to make for some unhappy customers.
I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. Because indigo and Spicejet tickets for corporate are often with meal.. people don’t misunderstand there.
Only confusion as per me, how will JET differentiate this on travel portals.