(Updated March 2024)
I can’t even count how many times I have flown the Melbourne- Sydney route on Qantas in economy I’ve flown it that often. I am from NSW, but have lived in Melbourne for over 10 years so I am always on this route for work or visiting family/friends. So I thought it was about time I did a Qantas Economy Food and Nutrition Review. And what better time than travelling during the holiday season when I was flying home (and back) for Christmas. I have included the foods I had on both my flights; one flight was in the afternoon and I was served a snack, and one flight was an evening flight and I was served dinner (well you decide if it was dinner).
I have also updated the review in March 2024 to include foods I received flying over the Easter period.
Snack meal – 4pm flight (Melbourne to Sydney)
On this afternoon flight a light refreshment (snack) was served which was rice crackers and guacamole. There was no choice of snack – this was just handed out to everyone. There were a range of cold beverages offered but no hot beverages. Now I don’t like spicy foods so I was a bit worried when I saw this was a spicy guacamole however it didn’t seem spicy to me at all (I didn’t detect much heat). The dip tasted ok but it was very smooth, not quite the same as a freshly prepared mashed guacamole (but this is to be expected).
Nutrition comment
It was good to see the rice crackers were a seed/grain variety and not white. The ingredient list states they have linseeds in them which are a source of omega 3 fats and fibre. The ingredients also mention the crackers are made from wholegrain rice which suggests they are more nutrient dense than a standard white rice cracker. I love guacamole however I was a little curious about this dip as the ingredient list stated the dip was 42% avocado but that the second ingredient was potato. There was also some vegetables such as green onions, green capsicums, red onions and herbs/spices which did help impart flavour.
Dinner meal – 6.30pm flight (Sydney-Melbourne)
I remember the days that Qantas economy food served a decent meal on a short dinner flight (such as a 6.30pm flight Syd-Mel) – a hot dish with a side salad and little sweet treat. But those days are long gone. Here is what Qantas served to eat on a 6.30pm flight – 3 sausage rolls. Hardly what I would call dinner (more of a snack yet still high in calories/kilojoules). And worst of all – no sauce which made them pretty dry.
Nutrition comment
The sausage rolls were fairly high in calories (kilojoules) with the snack box of three sausage rolls containing 2200kj which is nearly as much as two McDonalds cheeseburgers (1 cheeseburger is 1260kj). The ingredient list showed only 15% of the sausage rolls were beef. There was also a bone warning which I must admit I hadn’t seen before on similar products – it said “Great care has been taken to remove all bones and bone fragments, however some bones may remain”. It made me wonder about the way these sausage rolls are made and what type of meat was used.
Snack meal – 5.30pm flight (Melbourne-Sydney)
Staff described the meal being served on this 5.30pm flight as a ‘hot snack’. The snack was vegetables fritters – such a fabulous concept but unfortunately pretty terrible execution. There were four fritters in a cardboard box and they were incredibly soggy and mushy. When I opened the cardboard box there was a thick layer of condensation on the inside of the cardboard box.
Nutrition comment
As I said I loved the concept of vegetables fritters, and I got pretty excited to see they were 79% vegetables (on the ingredient list). Definitely a tick for the amount of vegetables – I love the innovation! However unfortunately they were very mushy/sticky/stodgy, without much flavour. I suspect this was because they were gluten free and egg free and so the rice and corn flour may have been contributing to this texture. While great to see foods inclusive for people with allergies, unfortunately the final product wasn’t great. Perhaps choosing a style of food that is more conducive to being heated up in a cardboard box would be better as the fritters would have been nice to have a bit of crunch on their outside etc.
Final thoughts on Qantas Economy Food, Melbourne to Sydney (return)
I find the Qantas economy food really uninspiring these days. Over the years the food provided has reduced in both foods offered and the quality. As I mentioned, gone are the days of an actual main meal served on a tray for dinner. First it was reduced to a meal in a cardboard box (usually a choice of a salad or hot meal) then covid hit and now it is a hot snack (with no choice and usually quite processed such as sausage rolls, party pies, mini calzones etc). The snacks in the afternoon are usually vegetable sticks and dip, cheese and crackers or crackers and dip, however still no choice.
If you are travelling Qantas Melbourne – Sydney in economy but have lounge access then you might be interested in my Qantas airlines lounge reviews: Qantas Business Lounge vs Qantas Club, Qantas Club Melbourne, Qantas Business Lounge Melbourne (domestic), Qantas Business Lounge Sydney (domestic)
NOTE: All pictures of Qantas economy class food are my own and I review the food from the menu I was given and the food I ordered/was given to me on my flight. There may be different options available at other times.
