SIA economy meal slammed as 'budget standard', compared to army food & 7-Eleven instant meals

SIA said that they regularly audit the quality of the in-flight meals, and will take customers' feedback into account.

Daniel Seow| April 20, 2023, 04:50 PM

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The Singapore Airlines (SIA) economy meal has become a major talking point online after photos of the food were shared on a forum recently.

The post on HardwareZone forums, comparing an SIA economy meal to those of other airlines, drew comments about how the particular meal looked "pathetic", "cheap" and "budget".

It subsequently sparked a separate discussion on Reddit which compared the meal to army food and Ready-To-Eat Meals from 7-Eleven.

The food

A photo was shared on the HardwareZone forum, with the comment, "No more fresh fruits, cake or dessert. Just a soggy mess served in a cheap plastic container and a dry bun."

Photo via Singapore Atrium Sale on Facebook.

Online user TheBlackSpy chipped in by sharing a picture of an in-flight meal that they had on an SIA flight to Seoul.

The user also commented, "Recent SQ flight to Seoul. No fruits no cake. Just a bun and two pieces [of] crackers. No hot towel also. Can unanimously say worse (sic) dining experience in a flight."

Photo courtesy of TheBlackSpy on HardwareZone forums.

The original poster also shared a picture of a supposed "SIA economy meal before Covid" for comparison.

Photo courtesy of DaBaiCai on HardwareZone forums.

Users find the food unappetising, claim it's 'budget standard'

In the forum discussion, the comments on the appearance of the food were not kind.

Many commenters on the forum remarked that the meals looked like they had been produced on a lower budget.

Others raised concerns about a drop in quality of SIA's in-flight meals.

Looks like army food, 7-Eleven meals

On Reddit, where the photos of the food were shared, some users remarked on how similar the in-flight meals looked to an army cookhouse meal.

 

 

Others compared the photos of the airline meals to budget options that they could get elsewhere.

SIA onboard dining experience draws criticism again

This is the second time this year that SIA's onboard dining experience has come under flak.

In March, the airline's new paper serviceware for Premium Economy and Economy Class passengers was criticised by online users for being "cheap-looking" and "[making customers] feel like they are on a budget airline".

SIA responded that the new serviceware was more expensive than what was currently being used, and its design had undergone months of research and development to provide an "improved solution to dining on flights".

We perform regular audits, and take customers' feedback into account: SIA

In response to Mothership's queries, an SIA spokesperson said the airline welcomes and thanks customers for their feedback on the quality and presentation of its economy class meals.

The spokesperson stated that SIA works closely with its local and overseas catering partners to curate the selection of meals served on board, which includes Singaporean and international dishes.

The airline also performs regular audits with its catering partners, including a full audit at the start of each menu, to ensure the quality of the in-flight meals.

"At SIA, we are committed to offering an enhanced in-flight experience for our Economy Class customers," the spokesperson added, "We take our customers’ feedback into account as we adjust our meal options and for future in-flight meal services."

Top image via TheBlackSpy on HardwareZone forums / via Paulie's Plane Pics on Facebook.