Flight attendants at Lufthansa are calling for a surcharge on special meals, with staff saying they're overwhelmed by the amount of different options they need to cater for, German aviation news site Aero Telegraph reported.
Passengers can request special meals for dietary or religious reasons. Lufthansa offers 11 such options including Kosher and low-sodium.
But the demand is so high that it is making life increasingly difficult for flight attendants at Germany's flag carrier.
Aero Telegraph says that a representative for Lufthansa cabin crew wrote a letter saying as many as 190 people order special meals on long-haul flights.
That's more than half the number of passengers on a Boeing 747.
It's common to deal with 100 special meals on a flight, the letter reportedly adds.
Flight attendants, Aero Telegraph reports, have proposed a few ideas to make it simpler to deal with demand. That includes charging passengers for a special meal.
The representative's letter also suggested limiting the number of special meals on a flight, or reducing the options available. United Airlines, for example, has four special meal options.
Special meals on Lufthansa aren't labeled with the passenger's name or seat number, the letter reportedly says — making service even more complex.
In a statement shared with Business Insider, a Lufthansa spokesperson said: "We are aware of the issue that the staff representatives for cabin crew complain about too many special meals being ordered."
"Like other product and service issues at Lufthansa, the range of special meals and the associated in-flight service processes are regularly reviewed and further developed," they added.
The airline is currently dealing with growing discontent among employees. On Wednesday, Lufthansa ground staff began their third strike this month in a dispute over wages, Deutsche Welle reported.
