Qantas passengers may not be given a vegetarian meal option on some domestic flights

• Qantas said menu changes mean vegetarian meals may not be available for passengers on some flights.
• The airline told The Guardian that changes to onboard food were made during the pandemic.

Qantas passengers may no longer be able to order vegetarian meals on some short-haul flights.

The Guardian reported the news.

The airline confirmed to the publication that it had made changes to the menu on some short-haul domestic flights during the pandemic.

A Qantas representative told The Guardian: "During Covid we made some changes to onboard food and service offerings to simplify the service delivery for our crew."

"We now offer a single meal/snack option per flight on our shorter flights, such as a chicken pie or a zucchini and onion frittata.

"If the option on a particular flight is not suitable for vegetarians, we try to offer an alternative of a small sweet or savory snack which is vegetarian," the spokesperson said.

The Qantas representative added that customers could still book special meals, including vegetarian and vegan food, on longer flights.

Qantas did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside normal working hours.

One frequent Qantas flier told The Guardian he had been able to get vegetarian options on flights in Australia since the 1990s.

The passenger, John Dee, accused Qantas chief executive, Alan Joyce, of alienating a "significant percentage of Qantas passengers" as around 10% of Australians had adopted a plant-based diet.

Airline passengers who don't eat meat have had trouble on other airlines in recent months.

One woman, Miriam Porter, told Insider in August that she was only offered water and snacks during a 10-hour Air Canada flight, despite pre-ordering vegan meals weeks before.

Porter said it was not the first time she had been left without anything to eat on a long-haul flight and that she normally packed her own food.