A Muslim man on a flight to New York has shared his disappointment with the airline after being served a meal with an unfamiliar ingredient.
According to Mothership, he was given a dish that included prosciutto. Unsure of what it was, he asked the cabin crew if it contained pork.
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He was told that prosciutto wasn’t pork
When he asked what prosciutto was, the cabin crew assured him it wasn’t pork and that it was safe for him to eat. Trusting their answer, he went ahead and ate it.
Still feeling uneasy, he decided to look it up online, only to find out that prosciutto is pork. The incident was especially upsetting for him, as he has been a practising Muslim for over three decades.
When he confronted the crew, they allegedly claimed they might have misheard him. They later reportedly admitted that the staff who served him were junior members and unaware that prosciutto is pork.
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He was given a voucher as compensation
After the incident, the passenger filed a complaint with the airline and was first offered a S$150 (RM404.06) shop voucher, which he turned down.
They then bumped the offer to 15,000 miles, and later 30,000 miles, but he rejected both, calling the so-called “goodwill gestures” disappointing and insulting.
He also shared that he paid around S$10,000 (RM32,937.14) for the flight and, while he didn’t choose a Muslim meal for that particular service, the dish he was served wasn’t labelled as pork.
“We apologise for the distress it caused”
The airline later confirmed that the passenger was accidentally served a dish containing pork and apologised for the distress it caused.
They said they have since improved their crew training and service procedures, and are staying in touch with the passenger to resolve the matter.
“As soon as our cabin crew realised the customer doesn’t eat pork, they apologised right away, took the dish back, and offered another meal. We always recommend passengers with special dietary needs, including religious requirements, to pre-book their meals ahead of time,” the airline said.
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