The only time I’ve ever gotten sick eating on a plane it was raw salmon in Qantas first class – nearly two decades ago. My wife and I both became ill the next day and it was the only thing we’d eaten in common. This made for a very rough cross country flight home.
A woman who wound up sufficiently ill to be hooked up to a drip was told by her doctor “never choose the fish on a plane.” Is this true? Should you avoid fish dishes in the air?
Who knew you should never choose the fish on a plane? I was just told this by the doctor hooking me up to a drip after 3 days of food poisoning after eating fish on the plane. He said never, ever choose the fish 🐟🤢 thanks to iberia for providing the background to this insight🇪🇸
— Julia Buckley (@juliathelast) April 11, 2023
It’s a common joke for sure. If you’ve seen Airplane! you know not to order the fish!
You can get food poisoning from chicken, especially if it’s been undercooked. Utensils that come into contact with chicken before it’s cooked can cross-contaminate other food items, too. Vegetables and leafy greens, especially when eaten raw, can carry E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria – especially if not thoroughly washed. You can become ill from rice, deli meats, and dairy.
Ultimately whether you’re facing risk from food depends on how the food is cleaned, prepared and stored. “Avoiding the fish” isn’t going to keep you from getting sick from an airline meal, or a restaurant meal, or from a home prepared one.
Etihad Salmon Biryani
When you’re eating out – or eating store-bought ingredients! – you’re reliant on a supply chain that usually though not always works well. Six years ago American Airlines couldn’t cater most of its flights out of Los Angeles when Gate Gourmet was found with listeria in its kitchen. Fortunately most food-borne illnesses (which you’re more likely to get off of a plane than on one) are unpleasant but treatable.
Harry, you never specifically explained WHY you shouldn’t eat fish on an airplane (Unless you’re Captain Oeuvre). Was that part inadvertently left out of your article? Is fish more likely then other proteins to spoil between the flight kitchen and serving? Some other reason?
Article timely! Just flew into Madrid on Iberia in business. Horrible dinner menu to choose from. But knowing how dangerous fish in the air is, I would rather starve than take the chance.
Passenger behind me who heard me diss the fish to FA opined how he had ordered it. I suggested he carry Imodium and Pepto Bismal! Next morning, several hours after landing, I saw him at the business lounge coming out of a bathroom stall, rather pale.
I’d say this ONE doctor is in an island of their own. Why?
How many thousands of fish dishes get served every day and no issues?
Exactly.
No offense but what was the purpose of this article. No doctor was mentioned nor their qualifications on food borne illnesses. Certainly anyone can get ill on an aircraft for a variety of reasons, food being one.
You have the teaser but that was all. No answer, no details. However there are lots of hot deals.
May we shouldn’t eat????
I like the comment that the writer appears to have not read the article! LOL just read the title and go.
I’m a retired airline pilot and never heard of anyone getting sick off of airline food. Besides, food poisoning can take up to 3 days for symptoms. Try pinning that down to cause and effect.
If you don’t want to risk it, don’t. Extra leftovers for me!
LOLOL, the heck with the article…the clip from “Airplane” was PRICELESS!!!
Many of times I’ve had braised salmon on a plane never gotten sick, not once. But then again I always flew American.
The only fish you should eat on a plane is flying fish.
Flew LAX to SYD first class on American last week for 15 plus hours
All excited when I read poached lobster on the menu unfortunately not even close to real Lobster.I spit it out.Someone call the food police
Not sure what that smelly threadlike mushy atrocity was but it wasn’t any lobster I’ve ever eaten
Qantas did better Sydney to Melbourne on a one hour flight in business class
by far