Beef tea too hot for airline to handle

Press, 13 July 1979, Page 1

Beef tea too hot for airline to handle

By

LES BLOXHAM,

travel editor

Travellers on Air New Zealand’s Boeing flights to Wellington and Dunedin are no longer being served cup of piping hot tea to warm them these wintry mornings. Instead, their choice of refreshment has been limited to chilled fruit juice, or nothing.

The traditional beef tea has been withdrawn not because of the economic setbacks created by the American ban on the airline’s DClOs, but for fear of the liquid’s apparent burning properties in the event of its being spilled on passengers.

A spokesman for Air New Zealand’s public affairs division confirmed yesterday that there had been “one or two unfortunate incidents,” but denied an allegation by a reader of “The Press” that an American tourist was threatening to sue the airline for damages after beef tea had been accidentally spilled into her lap. Later, after checking with the airline’s legal division, the spokesman called back to report that an American woman had in fact been scalded’by beef tea on a domestic flight while on holiday with her husband in New Zealand last year.

The woman required medical treatment for burns and said the mishap had ruined their holiday. Air New Zealand then offered to fly the couple back to New Zealand at its

expense for a happier and less painful stay. In the meantime the offending liquid was banished from (he airline’s fleet. The airline spokesman said an amicable agreement had been reached with the couple, no attorneys being involved, “The woman agreed that the hostess had not been wholly responsible for the accident,” said (he spokesman.

The ingredients of beef tea, particularly the globules of fat, are believed to increase the intensity of a scalding.

Air New Zealand still serves coffee, tea, and biscuits on its longer Boeing flights between Christchurch and Auckland, but the airline has no immediate plans to match the comparatively fine fare offered by Mount Cook Airlines. Passengers on its flights to Rotorua and Auckland are offered sandwiches, savouries, wine, tea, coffee, and fruit juice, The contrast is noted in a letter to “The Press” by Mrs J. C. Fraser, of Burnside. Mrs Fraser (who is not the reader who alleged Air New Zealand might be sued) complained that the beef tea was no longer available on the Boeing flights. “What is wrong with Air New Zealand?” she asked. “Is it a lack of competition or are we expected to take it or leave it without a protest?” The answer, it seems, is that the airline considers the drink too hot to handle.