Qantas under fire for offering vegetarians meat-only meals on short flights

Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd. is under fire from customers after scrapping vegetarian meal options on short-distance routes, adding to a barrage of criticism over delayed and cancelled flights and lost luggage.

The move sparked anger after a former TV presenter took to Twitter to complain about the lack of vegetarian options on his two-hour flight from Adelaide to Sydney, with other users accusing the airline of overlooking the cultural and religious preferences of fliers to cut costs.

Qantas said in a statement it now offers a single meal on shorter routes to simplify service delivery for its crew, and tries to offer a vegetarian snack if the main option isn’t suitable.