British Airways flight serves passengers KFC—what happened?
There's a sense of luxury and decorum associated with air travel, especially when flying business class—legroom, comfort, and, uniquely, the expectation of being served appetising, freshly prepared meals.
But what happens when you find yourself sitting on a long-haul flight, and instead of the fancy dishes described on the menu, you’re handed a familiar-looking food item–KFC’s trademark chook?
This was the scenario that played out for passengers aboard a British Airways flight flying from the Turks and Caicos Islands to London.
The origins of this surprising turn of events started with a problem with the onboard chilling container. This malfunction led to all the airline food being declared unfit for consumption.
Instead of a dinner seasoned with a blend of international flavours, travellers—from economy to business class—found themselves holding pieces of the iconic KFC fried chicken, courtesy of their carrier.
Wouldn't ol' Colonel Harland Sanders have been tickled by this turn of events?
Amid the Great Depression, Sanders set out on a mission to create the world's best-fried chicken, and his secret recipe, concocted from 11 herbs and spices, conquered the world.
It's quite unlikely that he dreamt his creation would one day make its way onto an international flight as emergency rations, but as life shows us—expect the unexpected!
Back to our flight saga—stunned by this culinary twist during a stopover in Nassau, Bahamas, flight staff were left with little choice but to improvise.
A British Airways spokesperson said, 'With limited options available at the airport, our teams sprung into action and made sure our customers aboard our flight had something to eat.'
The spokesperson exhibited a sense of humour amidst the chaos: 'We apologise to customers that their full meal service was not available and that we had to “wing it” on this occasion.'
On landing, passengers were also provided with a refreshment voucher.
Passenger reactions were, understandably, mixed.
Some saw the humour in the scenario, while others felt short-changed.
Some angry passengers expressed their displeasure on social media. 'How do you forget the catering for a 12-hour flight?' said one user.
However, sympathies also flew in for British Airways, with many, including a co-professional flight attendant, defending the staff, claiming that they had done their best under challenging circumstances.
One said, ‘As someone who is a flight attendant with a different airline, I can understand the frustration that the crew must have gone through to try and come up with a solution. However, it was the fault of the catering company, not British Airways.’
Another commented, ‘Yeah, one piece of chicken isn’t much on a 12-hour flight, but that’s why I ALWAYS have my own snacks in my carry-on. Grownups take responsibility for themselves …’
They added, ‘BA didn’t FORGET the food, there was a catering foul-up, and the food hadn’t been refrigerated. Again, stuff happens. Would you rather have been fed food that might have made you ill?’
So, what should one do if a culinary crisis like this arises during your flight? Know your rights.
If the airline’s in-flight service doesn’t meet your expectations, don’t hesitate to find out if you are entitled to a refund or a voucher. Don't be shy about demanding what you're owed.
Now, over to you, dear members. If you had to be served fast food on a flight due to a catering blunder, would you accept fast food? What would your pick be: KFC, McDonald’s, or others? Let us know in the comments section!
But what happens when you find yourself sitting on a long-haul flight, and instead of the fancy dishes described on the menu, you’re handed a familiar-looking food item–KFC’s trademark chook?
This was the scenario that played out for passengers aboard a British Airways flight flying from the Turks and Caicos Islands to London.
The origins of this surprising turn of events started with a problem with the onboard chilling container. This malfunction led to all the airline food being declared unfit for consumption.
Instead of a dinner seasoned with a blend of international flavours, travellers—from economy to business class—found themselves holding pieces of the iconic KFC fried chicken, courtesy of their carrier.
Wouldn't ol' Colonel Harland Sanders have been tickled by this turn of events?
Amid the Great Depression, Sanders set out on a mission to create the world's best-fried chicken, and his secret recipe, concocted from 11 herbs and spices, conquered the world.
It's quite unlikely that he dreamt his creation would one day make its way onto an international flight as emergency rations, but as life shows us—expect the unexpected!
Back to our flight saga—stunned by this culinary twist during a stopover in Nassau, Bahamas, flight staff were left with little choice but to improvise.
A British Airways spokesperson said, 'With limited options available at the airport, our teams sprung into action and made sure our customers aboard our flight had something to eat.'
The spokesperson exhibited a sense of humour amidst the chaos: 'We apologise to customers that their full meal service was not available and that we had to “wing it” on this occasion.'
On landing, passengers were also provided with a refreshment voucher.
Passenger reactions were, understandably, mixed.
Some saw the humour in the scenario, while others felt short-changed.
Some angry passengers expressed their displeasure on social media. 'How do you forget the catering for a 12-hour flight?' said one user.
However, sympathies also flew in for British Airways, with many, including a co-professional flight attendant, defending the staff, claiming that they had done their best under challenging circumstances.
One said, ‘As someone who is a flight attendant with a different airline, I can understand the frustration that the crew must have gone through to try and come up with a solution. However, it was the fault of the catering company, not British Airways.’
Another commented, ‘Yeah, one piece of chicken isn’t much on a 12-hour flight, but that’s why I ALWAYS have my own snacks in my carry-on. Grownups take responsibility for themselves …’
They added, ‘BA didn’t FORGET the food, there was a catering foul-up, and the food hadn’t been refrigerated. Again, stuff happens. Would you rather have been fed food that might have made you ill?’
Key Takeaways
- Passengers aboard a British Airways flight, including business class, were served KFC due to catering issues en route from the Turks and Caicos Islands to London.
- The issue arose from all onboard food needing to be discarded due to inadequate refrigeration, leaving the crew to arrange for KFC as an alternative during a stopover in Nassau, in the Bahamas.
- Many passengers were disgruntled with the situation, as British Airways' crew handed out one chicken leg per passenger, with some passengers criticising the decision on social media platforms.
- Some defended the airline, praising the crew for handling an unexpected situation the best they could, emphasising that the issue resulted from food storage failure, not an oversight by the airline.
So, what should one do if a culinary crisis like this arises during your flight? Know your rights.
If the airline’s in-flight service doesn’t meet your expectations, don’t hesitate to find out if you are entitled to a refund or a voucher. Don't be shy about demanding what you're owed.
Now, over to you, dear members. If you had to be served fast food on a flight due to a catering blunder, would you accept fast food? What would your pick be: KFC, McDonald’s, or others? Let us know in the comments section!