Tag Archives for inflight meals.
A passenger brought their own picnic on board a flight, laid out a table cloth and even a battery-powered candle. They had a table tent with their name. And then they laid out a charcuterie board with sliced meat, cheese, crackers, pickles and it looks like maybe some mustard?
People often forget that you can bring your own food on a plane! You don’t have to buy it at the airport. Most airport food is horrible, anyway!
American Airlines is in the process of rolling out what’s being called a “complete refresh” of domestic first class meals. Many routes are already seeing new offerings, and it’s expected that these new meals will be served on all meal flights by February 14th – American’s Valentine’s Day gift to premium cabin flyers and those with status receiving upgrades.
United Airlines is pulling back on meal service in domestic first class. Starting January 1, United Airlines will only serve meals up front on flights of 900 miles or longer.
English translations by foreign airlines can turn unfortunate, as this photo of a China Eastern business class menu shows. The airline is offering “imported dog food with okra” as a business class appetizer selection.
American Airlines advertises meals as one of the benefits of first class travel. Specifically, “Meal service on flights over 900 miles during meal times.” They say they are “elevating your dining experience” and that meals in premium cabins “are healthy, delicious” – so it’s not just food, it’s good food that’s good for you, too. Of course airlines advertise one thing to convince you to buy a ticket, and to spend more. And they deliver something else. One of the most common occurrences is advertising their most comfortable seats to get you to spend more to upgrade from coach to first class, and then delivering something entirely different. For instance this was a pitch to upgrade to first class on a standard domestic Airbus A321. They show you that you’re getting their lie flat seat…
Your ticket for a flight with meal service does not, in fact, entitle you to a meal. It only entitles you to food if there’s any left when crew reach your row. By predicting that a certain number of passengers won’t eat, airlines can save significantly on their catering costs.
British Airways failed to cater a transatlantic flight from the Caribbean to London on Monday. While they were on the ground in Nassau, they picked up KFC from the airport. Each passenger in economy and in business class received one chicken leg apiece from a bucket.
United Airlines sells a burger in coach that’s hugely controversial. Some passengers swear by it, and think it’s the best $10 they could ever spend in coach. They’ll even order it up in premium cabins. I wonder if that’s more a matter of individual taste than a statement of quality.
In mid-May United started offering a first class burger, and trying something bold: serving fries with it. That may be a traditional pairing, but it’s something tough to do as a re-heat on board.
Airlines fly ultra long haul flights, such as New York to Hong Kong or Sydney to Perth, and they usually treat catering similarly to a short hop across the pond from Boston to London – a meal after takeoff, and then something to eat again prior to landing, perhaps with midflight snacks available in the galley. Passengers are hungry.
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?
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
