Airline deregulation in the United States didn’t mean that airlines were no longer regulated. In fact airlines are one of the most heavily regulated businesses in the country. Instead what it meant was that the government would no longer be the one to decide which routes airlines could fly, and what prices they had to charge.
The Civil Aeronautics Board focused on eliminating ‘ruinous’ competition and ensuring prices were high enough, and competition limited enough, that airlines could earn a consistent profit.
However when you set prices high, airlines compete for customer business in other ways. Each ticket was lucrative, so they’d spend money on customers – for instance on service and food and beverage – to attract more ticket sales.
Airlines also colluded to limit inflight drink service. U.S. airlines entered into an agreement not to serve customers more than two drinks back in 1956, but the agreement fell apart in 1971 as carriers competed for business.
The CAB actually discussed whether they needed to regulate the thickness of sandwiches on board, because airlines were getting too competitive on food. They were charging high prices for tickets, but spending that money right back on the customer – and the government meant to stop it.
Somehow I had forgotten that there were, once, actual regulations on inflight sandwiches – at least for international flights.
In 1958 airlines launched the first ‘economy’ service. This was strictly defined by world airline trade group IATA, to make sure airlines didn’t actually compete with each other on amenities offered. Airlines were allowed to serve coffee, tea, and mineral water to drink and sandwiches, which were supposed to be “simple, cold, and inexpensive.”
Even that couldn’t stop competition, though. American carriers drove to limit food costs, and Pan Am and TWA offered options like roast beef, ham and cheese, and egg salad between two pieces of bread. Several foreign carriers defected, most notably Scandinavian.
[P]assengers almost had an all-you-can-eat buffet of smørrebrød, the open-faced sandwiches popular in Scandinavia. SAS had 16 different variations and, to quote the Times, would “do something fancy with it, such as arranging it with a rosette, with perhaps a little pickle and radish added.”
An SAS spokesman was quoted as saying, “Since European loaves are a little smaller than American, we will offer each passenger three sandwiches [free of charge]. Of course, you can’t eat an open sandwich with your hand, so we will give you a knife and fork.”
Swiss offered appetizer sandwiches, an entree sandwich, and two dessert sandwiches. KLM and Air France were forced to match.
U.S. carriers formally complained about what amounted to coursed meals on bread. Customers might choose an airline based on service and that was supposed to be verboten. Swiss, for their part, claimed “everyman is entitled to his concept of a sandwich and we have ours.”
A special IATA meeting was held in London to define a sandwich, and hear violations. The airline industry body declared that sandwiches had to be “cold… simple… unadorned… inexpensive” and had to “consist of a substantial and visible chunk of bread.” Moreover they could not contain anything “normally regarded as expensive or luxurious, such as smoked salmon, oysters, caviar, lobster, game, asparagus, pate de foie gras” nor could they feature “overgenerous or lavish helpings which affect the money value of the unit.”
As is typical for the airline industry, though, most airlines were let off with a warning. Scandinavian, though, was fined $20,000.
SAS, in turn, ran ads saying they’d “rather pay a big fine than lower [their] service standards.” Although in truth they did lower their standards – they acquiesced and ensured that “garnishing didn’t cover the entire slice of bread. At least 2.5 square centimeters of the bread had to remain visible.”
The worst for me now is the KLM one, almost only bread! ( free, of course)
First coach service in the world: 1952 BOAC LHR-IDL
First US domestic coach service: TWA 1955 Super-Connies all network
Airline food has been the butt of jokes as long as there have been airlines – for good reason. I’ve never had a truly good meal on an airplane in over 60 years of flying on them. The worst meal I’ve had on a train is far superior to anything I’ve had on a plane.
Thank you for this enlightening historical comment.
I recall my first Intercontinental flights on AF, and the flight crew happily handed me a second dellcious soft French baguette after my meek and humble request. This was before I knew or cared about status or passenger rights.
Interesting history from Sandwich to London. Now, it’s either a cold snack box of salty fatty ultra-processed nuts and chips on domesticflights, or a warmed salty fatty cheese wrap on no. 1 ranked QR (which wrap I mistakenly was given by QR cabin crew before they remembered my dietary request for an apple.
No airline sandwich has been good enough for me to remember. I actually don’t recall any.
Thanks, Gary, for a very interesting and entertaining article. Are these formal agreements/rules/regulations (whatever) still in place?
Airline food compares favorably with prisoner-of-war food in vietnam war … protein was bugs and vegetables were monkey barf .
I actually did have one really good meal on a domestic flight. I was looking around as were others, and finally I just said “Is it me, or is this actually good?” And got a chorus of “yeah!” “mine too!” “unbelievable” “this is great”. After the flight we were told that Lufthansa was training chiefs. It was decades ago, I don’t recall which carrier.
Had good meals in BC on EK and SA. The Book the Cook on SA has some decent dining.
On domestic airlines, don’t make me laugh.
That is very insulting to Turkish Airlines. Their catering rocks. In economy and business.
@Takhliq Khan You beat me to it. I still think about how delicious the lamb shank was on my TK flight between IST-PTY two weeks ago.
I remember about a decade ago having a turkey sandwich on American that was a creation of Chef Marcus Samuelsson. It was on hearty multi-grain bread with some kind of cranberry chutney and apple slices. It was delicious. Also great meals on Midwest Express which always ended on a high note with the baked on board chocolate chip cookie! Wish those days would return.
Hence, when Singapore Airlines started I. 1972, it was because of this issue that SQ decided not to join IATA!
I think Little Shop of Horrors needs to change their example of a sadist, from a dentist to an airline executive for that “I am a dentist” song lyrics.
Another great reminder, that its transportation …not a restaurant !!!
Oh boy do I miss the regulated times. All we have now is awful service, fees everywhere for everything (making flying EXPENSIVE) and unreliable schedules. And of course mostly no competition (on the majority of routes you rarely have more of a couple of realistic options).
I like the idea of 2 drinks per passenger in economy. With free alcohol on international flights, some passengers think it’s a free-for-all and ask for 3 at a time, and then flight attendants have to deal with drunken and disorderly behavior. When you tell a passenger that you’re cutting them off, or limit the number of drinks you’re serving them, they think you have attitude.
Of all the airline lounges, I enjoyed the best food at the Turkish Airlines lounge at the IAD Airport Concourse B near Washington, D.C.
I have had some reasonable meals on airlines in 59 years of flying all over the world in all classes. Some were excellent, many good and many diabolical. I don’t know what you mean when you refer to appetizer sandwiches and entree sandwiches. Wouldn’t this be the same thing?