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FLY AWAY JETLAG: Qantas dishes up new menu to make the long haul better for all

Organic kombucha, healthy poke bowls and a herbal tea which encourages relaxation, are among the new dining choices on Qantas’ new 787 Dreamliner Perth to London menus to increase hydration and help reduce jetlag.

Organic kombucha, healthy poke bowls and a herbal tea which encourages relaxation, are among the new dining choices on Qantas’ new 787 Dreamliner Perth to London menus to increase hydration and help reduce jetlag.

The new menus will debut on Qantas’ 787 Dreamliner services from Perth to London beginning on 24 March and are part of a wider strategy and world first collaboration between the airline and one of Australia’s leading academic institutions to reshape the travel experience.

The clever wellbeing approach is an antidote to what will be the world’s third longest flight sector at around 17 hours from Perth to London (The longest is AKl-DOH with AKL-DXB 2nd longest) with other proposed long-haul routes such as Sydney to London and Sydney to Rio also in the offing as part of Qantas’ ‘Project Sunrise’.

And the good news is, that this new menu won’t just be reserved for diners at the pointy end of the plane either, with healthy options for everyone.

Salad of cumin spiced beef with zucchini, corn and a citris dressing. Economy and Premium-Economy

Salad of cumin-spiced beef with zucchini, corn and citrus dressing. Economy/Premium Economy

The airline’s Creative Director of Food, Beverage & Service Neil Perry said the new menus combined research from the Charles Perkins Centre with in-house experience of the Qantas and Rockpool teams to create dishes that encourage sleep at optimal times during the flight.

“Working with clinical sleep specialists, nutritionists and metabolic scientists, we’ve designed new menu options using delicious ingredients that have added benefits of hydration, aiding sleep and reducing jet lag.”

Qantas Creative Director of Food, Beverage & Service Neil Perry.

neil-perry-qantas

BUT DON’T PANIC SAYS NEIL: You’ll still be able to enjoy your glass of vino(s) and favourite treats with your sky high movie binge watching as per usual.

Phew.

The menu changes are designed by Qantas to help and educate passengers to make informed wellbeing choices on their journey, so they can arrive at their destinations feeling better.

“The menu we are trialling on the Perth to London route will continue to offer a selection of customer favourites but it has some special ingredient additions and exclusions.”

Academic Director of the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, Professor Stephen Simpson, said the next step in the research will involve trials with a group of Frequent Flyers using wearable technology and apps to collect data on sleeping and activity patterns, mental state, eating patterns and hydration before, during and after their long-haul flight.

Seared Cone Bay barramundi with herbed garlic potatoes broccolini lemo olive and almond sala.Business

Seared Cone Bay barramundi with garlic potatoes, broccolini & almond sala. Business

“Qantas’ new menu incorporates the latest scientific knowledge on nutrition and hydration and our scientists are excited by this opportunity to discover how the wide variety of influences work together during long-haul flights,” says Professor Simpson.

The research is anticipated to take around six months before the evolved menus and any other tweaks to the service are integrated onto Qantas’ long-haul routes.

Highlights of the new in-flight menu across various cabins include:

– Probiotic infused Botanica cold-pressed juice shots

– A bespoke herbal tea, which encourages relaxation developed especially for Qantas by Dilmah, made from lemon verbena chamomile and lemongrass

– Dishes which feature ingredients that promote hydration such as green leafy vegetables, cucumber, strawberries and celery

remedy-kombucha

Remedy Kombucha

– Tailoring specific ingredients (such as chilli) to particular times of the day

– Lighter meal options (e.g. tuna poke salad bowl)

– A hot chocolate bedtime drink with the combination of warm milk and chocolate containing the sleep-inducing amino acid Tryptophan to help prompt the body’s sleep cycle

– Organic kombucha by Remedy: a live-cultured, sparkling drink full of natural probiotics that assist with digestion.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the partnership has the potential to transform the journey for passengers, particularly on the long haul routes that the Dreamliner is scheduled to operate.

qantas-dreamliner

“While the Dreamliner aircraft itself is already a step change for passengers with its larger windows, increased cabin humidity and lower cabin altitude, the findings that will come from Charles Perkins Centre researchers will allow Qantas to design and develop a range of new innovations and strategies to complement the Dreamliner experience.

“By taking a holistic view of our customers, our partnership will examine everything from reducing the impact of jet lag through to health, nutrition and sleep through the entire journey experience,” Mr Joyce said.

Chicken with red rice, roasted Mediterranean-vegetables. Economy/Premium

Chicken with red rice and roasted Mediterranean vegetables. Economy/Premium

“We’re all looking at how we can prepare passengers ahead of their long-haul flight, and of course on board and when they arrive at their destinations; we want our customers to feel their best at the end of their flight with us.”

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce

The first Qantas direct Dreamliner flight from Perth to London will take off on March 24, 2018, leaving Perth at 6.50pm and arriving in London at 5.10am the next day. It will depart Heathrow at 1.30pm, and arrive in Perth at 1.15pm the next day on the return leg.

READ: Qantas threatens to end Dallas route if deal doesn’t go through

READ: Be a part of an amazing famil adventure with Qantas

What do you think about Qantas’ wellbeing approach?