A Passenger Says He Was Served A Banana As A Vegan Meal On A Flight & It's 'Insulting'

An airline passenger is calling out Japan Airlines for its vegan meal option after he received a single banana as a meal during a flight in business class.

Kris Chari posted a picture of the meal on an online forum called FlyerTalk where it quickly blew up and made headlines, prompting the airline to apologize.

In his post on February 21, Chari writes a flight attendant confirmed his meal before takeoff that day.

"I mistakenly assumed she meant that breakfast included a banana. When she served the banana after takeoff I thought it was just an underwhelming appetizer, but it was in fact the entire meal service!" he wrote in his post and included a picture of the banana with chopsticks and a drink.

"It was a really good banana — one of the best I've had recently — but it still seems more appropriate as a snack."

Chari told Insider that he booked a business class seat on his flight from Jakarta to Indonesia, which he says was more than seven hours.

Chari told the outlet that he expected to receive a meal along the lines of what non-vegan passengers were provided, like a salad, vegan cheese, or a sandwich.

Instead, he got the banana and the chopsticks.

"It's a bit insulting to be served a single banana while others are given a far more substantial and flavorful menu," he added.

"It seems especially important given the growth in the number of vegans and vegetarians."

A Japan Airlines spokesperson told Insider that there were two meal services during the flight.

The first meal option was a snack and light refreshment served to passengers after the plane took off; the second service was lunch.

Insider reports that the non-vegan snack was seared tuna with a Moroccan-style eggplant salad, cheese with orange salsa, and a baguette. You could argue that's much more flavorful than a single banana.

In his original post on Flyer Talk, Chari said he was also served lunch on the flight, which he says was "barely seasoned spaghetti."

He also explained that he has flown on Japan Airlines before where he was also served pretty bad meals on the flight, but "nothing was quite as insubstantial" as the single fruit.

"It was cute of the crew to serve the banana with chopsticks, though!" he added.

Reaction to Chari's post has been mixed, with some people surprised by the lack of food while others were focused on the nice presentation.

"Makes me glad I don’t order vegetarian meals!" one person wrote, while another joked, "It is just one banana, but that's like... $10!"

"I really like the understated presentation of your meal. Very delicate and very Japanese!" another person noted.

One commenter was shocked by the single banana and said they'll have to "load up at the lounge" ahead of their flight.

Chari did respond to some of the comments and shared that he did get a bit more food when he asked the airline staff.

"When I asked they offered me almonds and a couple watermelon cubes, both of which were great," he wrote.

Japan Airlines has addressed Chari's claims and issued an apology via Insider.

"We apologize for not being able to meet expectations," the airline's spokesperson said.

"We will continue to respond to our menus in light of the growing interest and diverse needs of customers requesting special meals, including the valuable feedback from this customer."

This article's right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.