Anyone who has Coeliac Disease or gluten sensitivity knows the struggle of going to an event, requesting a gluten-free meal only to end up with a sad piece of fruit.
Which is exactly what happened Martin Pavelka – only it happened on board a nine-hour flight.
The Londoner was travelling from Sydney to Tokyo aboard an All Nippon Airways aeroplane when, during the breakfast meal service, he was presented with a single banana, a sachet of salt and cutlery.
Airline food has never been anything to line up for, but this interpretation of a GF meal is something else.
Cutlery and seasoning weirdness aside, Martin was left to go hungry for the remainder of his journey while his fellow passengers tucked into hearty meal.
“All other passengers were served full breakfast meal consisting of eggs, sausage, mushrooms, bread, and yogurt,” Martin told the Evening Standard.
Again, anyone who has Coeliac Disease or gluten sensitivity would know that eggs, sausages, mushrooms and yogurt are generally all gluten-free options and so there was no reason why Martin was not offered at least some of the same meal.
“As a Coeliac, I always order gluten free meal on my flights. Sometimes they are bland, sometimes they are actually much better than the ordinary meal service,” he told the publication.
“In my opinion, I don’t think they [All Nippon Airways] really get the concept of allergies and alternative meals.”
Evidently.
The flight cost Martin a steep $2079 although he has likened the experience to a budget airline.
“At the price I paid, you would expect something more than that [a banana].”
Martin has since filed a complaint with the airline but is yet to hear anything.
Here’s hoping he tucked into some quality udon on touch down – with rice noodles, of course.
