B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 156; Flight Crew Total 6000; Flight Crew Type 3416
Physiological - Other; Communication Breakdown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors
The Captain requested from our lead flight attendant that we eat our meals after take-off. She informed us that she wasn't in charge of the galley; but would check. We heard back that they would 'need to make some room in the oven' as they were already full with the first class meals. She made mention that she may need to cook them in the back; but since we were boarding she couldn't cook them on the ground. The Captain stated that it was fine; because we didn't want our meals until after we took off. One hour after departure; I called back to query the status of the meals; as I was the non-flying pilot. I spoke with [a flight attendant] who said that the meals had been cooked and she was waiting on a blocker. I called again [20 minutes later] and [the flight attendant] answered the interphone. I told him we had been waiting for our meals for an hour and a half. He stated that [they] didn't have a blocker; as they were finishing cart service in the back and were coordinating to open the door in a few minutes. After parking at the gate I was waiting for the Captain on the jet bridge. [Two flight attendants] questioned him about the crew meals. [One] said that they weren't allowed to interrupt the passenger service to bring us our crew meals. [Flight attendant] then stated that I was 'rude' and 'demanding'. I could hear the entire conversation from the jet bridge. The Captain stated that we coordinated on the ground for the meals after take-off and they should have been brought to us sooner. Being forced to wait for meals is a safety issue and we shouldn't need to call back multiple times to question the status to take us away from our flying duties. Furthermore; I think it was unprofessional for [the flight attendants] to question the Captain about his request for the meals early and complain about the First Officer while the passengers were deplaning. It causes me concern and makes me question [whether] direction by the cockpit could have been followed in an emergency.
B737 First Officer reported difficulty getting the flight attendants to bring up crew meals in a timely fashion.