SINGAPORE: An anonymous member of a Singapore Airlines (SIA) Flyers online group recently shared a photo of a SIA passenger’s post complaining about the lack of vegetarian options on a business class flight from Newark to Singapore. The post quickly gained attention, with the complainant expressing frustration over the absence of a vegetarian choice for the long-haul flight.
The passenger wrote, “Frustrating how some airlines don’t care to have even a single vegetarian option in the default menu for a 16 hr long flight. @singaporeair you can do better.” While this complaint might seem valid at first glance, it sparked a lively debate among frequent SIA flyers, with many defending the airline and criticising the passenger’s lack of preparation.
One commenter suggested, “You can pre-order if you organise yourself instead of complaining. Self-entitlement at its best while parts of the world are starving.” A sentiment echoed by others who felt that the passenger’s complaint was unfounded given the availability of pre-order options for special meals.
Another user added, “If you’re a vegetarian, you should do the necessary and order a vegetarian meal for yourself. Only Indian airlines and flights to India have default vegetarian options due to the demographic of passengers flying them.”
Some commenters described the passenger as “another typical entitled person who thinks the world should revolve around them.”
The term “Karen” was even brought up, with one user questioning, “If you are a vegetarian and want to dine out, don’t you pre-check first to see if the restaurants offer vegetarian food before sitting and complaining about their menu offerings? Is this your first meal as a vegetarian? Are you a Karen?”
Another quipped, “There’s always cup noodles on board.”
A fellow vegetarian shared a contrasting experience, sharing,”I have travelled earlier and pre-ordered a vegetarian meal, it was served, had no issues, in fact, it was very delicious.”
Singapore Airlines’ website provides clear guidelines for ordering special meals. It states that passengers must select their special meal at least 24 hours before departure.
For flights departing from specific locations, different time frames apply: 48 hours prior for flights from Istanbul and 32 hours prior for flights from destinations like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bangkok, Brunei, Cebu, Da Nang, Darwin, Davao, Denpasar, Dhaka, Hanoi, Hyderabad, Jakarta, Kathmandu, Kochi, Male, Medan, Penang, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Siem Reap, Surabaya, Yangon.
However, not all special meals may be available on every flight, so passengers are encouraged to contact Singapore Airlines for assistance if none of the special meals cater to their dietary requirements.
To manage your booking and request your special meal check here. To explore other special meal options check here. /TISG