Passenger offered ‘imported dog food’ on China Eastern Airlines flight

The passenger was surprised to see 'imported dog food' on the menu. Photo / 123rf

Business class passengers flying China Eastern Airlines were offered a dish containing dog food, in a picture of the menu shared on social media.

A passenger named Conrad Wu shared a photo of the menu he received in business class, which included an unusual starter of “imported dog food with okra”.

Wu asked his Facebook followers “what exactly is it?”.

More than 1000 people reacted to the post on Facebook, while dozens of others commented and shared the post, which also received attention on Reddit.

One person said it was because the airlines treated passengers like dogs while another joked that business class passengers got imported dog food, while economy passengers were served domestic dog food.

However, others suggested it may simply be a mistake created by a poor translation.

“The consequences of Google translate,” one person commented while another suggested they may have tried to write ‘hot dog’.

“Almost 90 per cent of the English on the menu is wrong. Such a joke for an international airline,” another person claimed.

It’s not clear what dish the translated menu on board the China Eastern flight is referring to. The Independent has contacted the operator for clarification.

The airline has not yet responded to requests for comment, The Independent reported.

This isn’t the only time an airline’s meal blunder has caught people’s attention online.

In February, a business class traveller received a single banana with a pair of chopsticks as their meal, after ordering a vegan breakfast for a flight to Japan.

The passenger was flying from Jakarta, Indonesia, with Japan Airlines and was served the fruit shortly after the flight departed.

“When she served the banana after take-off, I thought it was just an underwhelming appetiser, but it was in fact the entire meal service,” they wrote on aviation forum Flyertalk.

Meanwhile in Aotearoa, Air New Zealand is upgrading its food and beverage selection as rival carriers return with impressive offerings.

The new selection will include more New Zealand suppliers and local ingredients but only be available to Business Premiere passengers.

The new menus are expected to roll out in September or October 2024.