An
airline meal or
in-flight meal is a
mealA meal is an instance of eating, specifically one that takes place at a specific time and includes specific, prepared food.Meals occur primarily at homes, restaurants, and cafeterias, but may occur anywhere. Regular meals occur on a daily basis, typically several times a day...
served to passengers on board a commercial
airlinerAn airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such planes are owned by airlines....
. These meals are prepared by airline catering services.
The first kitchens preparing meals in-flight were established by
United AirlinesUnited Air Lines, Inc., trading as United Airlines , is a major airline of the United States. It is a subsidiary of UAL Corporation with corporate offices in Chicago at 77 West Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop. United's largest hub is O'Hare International Airport, where it has more than 550 daily...
in 1936.
These meals vary widely in quality and quantity across different airline companies and classes of travel. They range from a simple beverage in short-haul economy class to a seven-course gourmet meal in long-haul first class.
The type of food varies depending upon the airline company and class of travel.
An
airline meal or
in-flight meal is a
mealA meal is an instance of eating, specifically one that takes place at a specific time and includes specific, prepared food.Meals occur primarily at homes, restaurants, and cafeterias, but may occur anywhere. Regular meals occur on a daily basis, typically several times a day...
served to passengers on board a commercial
airlinerAn airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such planes are owned by airlines....
. These meals are prepared by airline catering services.
The first kitchens preparing meals in-flight were established by
United AirlinesUnited Air Lines, Inc., trading as United Airlines , is a major airline of the United States. It is a subsidiary of UAL Corporation with corporate offices in Chicago at 77 West Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop. United's largest hub is O'Hare International Airport, where it has more than 550 daily...
in 1936.
These meals vary widely in quality and quantity across different airline companies and classes of travel. They range from a simple beverage in short-haul economy class to a seven-course gourmet meal in long-haul first class.
Contents
The type of food varies depending upon the airline company and class of travel. Meals may be served as "one tray" or in multiple courses with no tray and with a tablecloth, metal cutlery, and glassware (generally in first and business classes).
The airline dinner typically includes
meatMeat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs, livers, skin, brains, bone marrow, kidneys, or lungs...
(most commonly
chickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other bird...
or
beefBeef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle . Beef is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of Australia, Europe and America, and is also important in Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia...
) or
fishFish is a food consumed by many species, including humans. The word "fish" refers to both the animal and to the food prepared from it. Fish has been an important source of protein for humans throughout recorded history.-Word:...
, a
saladSalad is any of a wide variety of dishes including: green salads; vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They include a mixture of cold or hot foods, often including raw vegetables and/or fruits.Green salads...
or
vegetableA vegetable is an edible plant or part of a plant. However, the word is not scientific, and its meaning is largely based on culinary and cultural tradition. Therefore the application of the word is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. For example, some people consider mushrooms to be vegetables,...
, a small
bread rollRoll as a kind of food, snack, or candy may refer to:* Arctic roll* Black sesame roll* Bread roll* Breakfast roll* Bulkie roll* Cabbage roll* California roll* Cheese roll* Chiko Roll* Cinnamon roll*Croquette* Egg roll* Fritter roll* Kaiser roll...
, and a
dessertDessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheeses...
.
Caterers usually produce alternative meals for passengers with restrictive diets. These must usually be ordered in advance, sometimes when buying the ticket. Some of the more common examples include:
- Cultural diets, such as French
French cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of France. It evolved from centuries of social and political change. The Middle Ages brought Guillaume Tirel, better known as Taillevent...
, ItalianItalian cuisine as a national cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political changes, with its roots traced back to 4th century BC...
, ChineseChinese cuisine originated in China and has become widespread in many other parts of the world — from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa. In recent years, connoisseurs of Chinese cuisine have also sprouted in Eastern Europe and South Asia...
, JapaneseThe modern term "Japanese cuisine" means traditional-style Japanese food, similar to what already existed before the end of national seclusion in 1868...
or IndianThe cuisine of India is characterized by sophisticated and subtle use of various spices, herbs and other vegetables grown in India and also for the widespread practice of vegetarianism across many sections of its society. Each family of Indian cuisine is characterized by a wide assortment of dishes...
style.
- Infant and baby meals
Baby food is any food, other than breastmilk or infant formula, that is made for, specifically, infants, roughly between the ages of four months to two years. The food comes in multiple varieties and tastes, can be produced by many manufacturers, or may be table food that the rest of the family is...
. Some airlines also offer children's mealsA Kids' meal is a meal specified to children, usually to preteens, sometimes younger. Most kid's meals come in bags or cardboard boxes, with a special themed promotion, with activities on the bag and a small toy.Typical kids meals include:...
, containing foods that picky children will enjoy such as baked beansBaked beans is a dish containing beans, baked in a sauce. Most commercial canned baked beans are made from haricot beans, also known as navy beans - a variety of Phaseolus vulgaris - and sold in a sauce....
, mini-hamburgerA hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat, usually beef, placed in an open bun or between two slices of bread...
s and hot dogA hot dog is a moist sausage of soft, even texture and flavor, often made from advanced meat recovery or meat slurry. Most types are fully cooked, cured or smoked. It is often placed hot in a special purpose soft, sliced hot dog bun...
s.
- Medical diets, including low/high fiber
Dietary fiber , sometimes called roughage, is the indigestible portion of plant foods that pushes food through the digestive system, absorbing water and easing defecation...
, low fatFats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are generally triesters of glycerol and fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at normal room temperature, depending on their structure and composition...
/cholesterolCholesterol is a lipidic, waxy steroid found in the cell membranes and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes, where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity...
, diabeticThe diet most often recommended for people who suffer from diabetes mellitus is high in dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber, but low in fat . Patients may be encouraged to reduce their intake of carbohydrates that have a high glycemic index...
, peanut freePeanut allergy is a type of food allergy distinct from nut allergies. It is a hypersensitivity to dietary substances from peanuts causing an overreaction of the immune system which in a small percentage of people may lead to severe physical symptoms. It is estimated to affect 0.4-0.6% of the...
, non-lactose, low saltA salt, in chemistry, is an ionic compound, and can result from the neutralization reaction of acids and bases. Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
/sodiumA low sodium diet is a diet that includes no more than 1,500 to 2,400 mgs of sodium per day. People who follow a vigorous or moderate exercise schedule are usually advised to limit their sodium intake to 3,000 mg per day and those with moderate to severe heart failure are usually advised to limit...
, low-purine, low-calorieCalorie restriction, or caloric restriction , is a dietary regimen that restricts calorie intake, where the baseline for the restriction varies, usually being the previous, unrestricted, intake of the subjects. CR when not associated with malnutrition, improves age related health and slows the...
, low-proteinA low-protein diet is a diet in which people reduce their intake of protein. A low-protein diet is often prescribed to people with kidney or liver disease.A low-protein diet would include foods such as vegetables, starches such as bread, cereals, and pasta....
, bland (non-spicy) and gluten-freeA gluten-free diet is a diet completely free of ingredients derived from gluten-containing cereals: wheat , barley, rye, and triticale, as well as the use of gluten as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent...
meals.
- Religious diets, including Kosher, Halal
Halal is an Arabic term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. It is the opposite of haraam. The term is widely used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law...
and Hindu, Buddhist and JainJain vegetarianism is the diet of the Jains, the followers of Jainism. It is the most radical form of religiously-motivated diet regulation in the Indian subcontinent....
vegetarian (sometimes termed Asian vegetarian) meals.
- Vegetarian and vegan meals. Some airlines do not offer a specific meal for vegetarians; instead, they are given a vegan meal.
Cutlery
Before the September 11th attacks in 2001, first class passengers were often provided with full sets of metal cutlery. Afterward, common household items were evaluated more closely for their potential use as weapons on aircraft, and both
first classFirst class is the most luxurious class of accommodation on a train, passenger ship, airplane, or other conveyance. It is usually much more expensive than business class and economy class, and offers the best amenities.-Aviation:...
and
coach class__FORCETOC__Economy class, , is the lowest class of seating in air travel and rail travel....
passengers were restricted to plastic utensils (also known as "Sporks"). This restriction has since been relaxed in many countries.
Other non-food items
Condiments (typically
saltSalt is a dietary mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride that is essential for animal life, but can be toxic to many land plants. Salt flavor is one of the basic tastes, making salt the oldest, ubiquitous food seasoning...
,
pepperBlack pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is a small drupe approximately five millimetres in diameter, dark red when fully mature, containing a single...
, and
sugarSugar is a class of edible crystalline substances, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple , and in many...
) are supplied in small
sachet15th century French, diminutive of sac meaning bag. A sachet is a small disposable bag, often used to contain single-use quantities of consumer goods, such as ketchup or shampoo...
s. For cleanliness most meals come with a
napkinA napkin is a rectangle of cloth or paper used at the table for wiping the mouth while eating. It is usually small and folded...
and a
moist toweletteA wet wipe, also known as a wet nap, wet towel or a moist towelette, is a small moistened piece of paper or cloth that often comes folded and individually wrapped for convenience. Such towelettes are for cleansing or disinfecting....
. First and business class passengers are often provided with hot towels, proper salt and pepper shakers, and other items typically seen in a restaurant.
Breakfast
During morning flights a cooked
breakfastBreakfast is the first meal of the day. The word is a portmanteau of "break" and "fast," referring to the conclusion of fasting since the previous day's last meal. It is widely referred to as the most important meal of the day...
or smaller continental-style may be served. On long haul flights and (short/medium haul flights within Asia) breakfast normally includes an
entréeAn entrée is one of several savoury courses in a Western-style formal meal service, specifically a smaller course that precedes the main course...
of pancakes or eggs, traditional
fried breakfastA full breakfast is a traditional cooked meal, typically and originally eaten at breakfast, though now often served at other times during the day....
foods such as sausages and grilled tomatoes, and often muffins or pastry, fruits and
breakfast cerealA breakfast cereal is a packaged breakfast food. It is eaten cold, usually mixed with milk or water, but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge. Some companies promote their products for the health benefits from eating oat-based and high-fiber cereals....
on the side. On shorter flights a continental-style breakfast, generally including a miniature box of
breakfast cerealA breakfast cereal is a packaged breakfast food. It is eaten cold, usually mixed with milk or water, but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge. Some companies promote their products for the health benefits from eating oat-based and high-fiber cereals....
, fruits and either a
muffinA muffin is a type of bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like small cakes or cupcakes in shape, although they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting. Savory varieties, such as cornbread muffins, also exist...
,
pastryPastry is the name given to various kinds of baked goods made from ingredients such as flour, butter, shortening, baking powder or eggs. Small cakes, tarts and other sweet baked goods are called "pastries"....
, or
bagelA bagel is a bread product, traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior...
.
CoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
and
teaTea is the agricultural product of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods...
are offered as well, and sometimes hot chocolate.
Quality
Food on board the flight ranges in price from free (many airlines, especially those in Asia and all airlines on long-distance flights) to as much as ten dollars (
Midwest AirlinesMidwest Airlines is an airline subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, operating from the city's General Mitchell International Airport...
). Quality may also fluctuate due to shifts in the economics of the airline industry, with private jet passengers receiving the equivalent of five-star food service.
On the longest flights in
first classFirst class is the most luxurious class of accommodation on a train, passenger ship, airplane, or other conveyance. It is usually much more expensive than business class and economy class, and offers the best amenities.-Aviation:...
and
business classBusiness class is a high quality second-tier travel class available on some commercial airlines and rail lines. Its level of accommodation is higher than economy class and domestic first class but lower than international first class...
, most Asian and European airlines serve multicourse gourmet meals, while airlines based in the US tend to serve large, hearty, meals including a salad, steak or chicken, potatoes, and ice cream. Some long-haul flights in first class (from mostly Asian carriers) offer such delicacies as caviar, champagne, and sorbet. The cost and availability of meals on US airlines has changed considerably in recent years, as financial pressures have inspired some airlines to either begin charging for meals or abandon them altogether in favor of small snacks (
Southwest AirlinesSouthwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline. Southwest is the largest airline in the world by number of passengers carried per year . Southwest, the 6th largest U.S. airline by revenue, maintains the third-largest passenger fleet of aircraft among all of the world's commercial airlines....
). Eliminating free pretzels saved Northwest $2 million annually. The carrier lost nearly $3.3 billion since 2001.
Air ChinaAir China Ltd is the People's Republic of China's state-owned and second-largest commercial airline after China Southern Airlines. It is the flag carrier and the only airline in the world to fly the national flag on its entire fleet...
has reported that each domestic flight's meal requires RMB50 (US$7.3) while international flights require RMB70 (US$10). However, this figure varies from airline to airline, as some have reported costs to be as low as US$3.5. Air China is also minimizing costs by loading only 95% of all meals to reduce leftovers and storing non-perishable foods for emergencies.
Taste
Meals must generally be
frozenFrozen food is food preserved by the process of freezing. Freezing food is a common method of food preservation which slows both food decay and, by turning water to ice, makes it unavailable for most bacterial growth and slows down most chemical reactions....
and heated on the ground before takeoff, rather than prepared fresh. Guillaume de Syon, a history professor at
Albright CollegeAlbright College is a private, co-ed, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1856 and is located in Reading, Pennsylvania.-Overview:...
who wrote about the history of airline meals, said that the higher
altitudeAltitude is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object...
s alter the taste of the food and the function of the
taste budTaste buds are small structures on the upper surface of the tongue, soft palate, upper esophagus and epiglottis that provide information about the taste of food being eaten. These structures are involved in detecting the five elements of taste perception: salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and umami...
s; according to de Syon the food may taste "dry and flavorless" as a result of the pressurization and passengers, feeling thirsty due to pressurization, many drink alcohol when they ought to drink water.
Food safety
Food safety is paramount in the airline catering industry. A case of mass food poisoning amongst the passengers on an airliner could have disastrous consequences. For example, on February 20, 1992,
shrimpShrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
tainted with
choleraCholera, sometimes known as Asiatic or epidemic cholera, is an infectious gastroenteritis caused by enterotoxin-producing strains of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Transmission to humans occurs through eating food or drinking water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae from other cholera patients...
was served on
Aerolíneas ArgentinasAerolíneas Argentinas is the largest domestic and international airline in Argentina and serves as Argentina's flag carrier. Aerolíneas Argentinas and LAN Airlines are the only Latin American airlines that fly to Oceania.-History:...
Flight 386On February 20, 1992, shrimp contaminated with cholera was distributed on Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 386, a flight using a Boeing 747 bound for Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, United States from Ministro Pistarini International Airport near Buenos Aires, Argentina,...
. An elderly passenger died and other passengers fell ill.
Technical crew meals
Food safety with technical crew meals (pilots and flight engineers) is sometimes even stricter than for passengers. Many foodstuffs are banned completely from crew meals, including all egg products and often any dairy that has not been
ultra-heat treatedUltra-high temperature processing or ultra-heat treatment is the partial sterilization of food by heating it for a short time, around 1–2 seconds, at a temperature exceeding 135°C , which is the temperature required to kill spores in milk...
. The meals supplied on some airlines are labeled with the position of the crew member for whom they are intended, and no technical crew member eats any of the same products as his or her colleague. This ensures that each pilot eats a different meal to minimize the risk of all pilots on board being ill. This situation was a key part of the plot of the movie "Airplane!"
See also
- TV dinner
A TV dinner is a prepackaged frozen or chilled meal which usually comes in an individual package...
- Bento
is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables as a side dish. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware...
- LSG Sky Chefs
LSG Sky Chefs is the brand name of LSG Lufthansa Service Holding AG, which is the world's largest provider of airline catering and in-flight services. It is a subsidiary of the German airline Lufthansa AG. A part of the company was formerly owned by AMR Corporation parent company of American Airlines...
- Cara Operations
Cara Operations Limited is a Canadian company that provides catering services to airlines and operates several restaurant and coffee shop chains including: Harvey's, Swiss Chalet, Kelsey's, Milestone's and Montana's. The company moved to its new HQ in Nov 2008 in Vaughan, Ontario across from...
- Dnata
Dnata is one of the largest travel organizations in the Middle East.Dnata employs over 6,500 people who handle passenger, cargo, ramp and technical services for airlines at Dubai International Airport...
- Gate Gourmet
Gate Gourmet is an airline catering firm with headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland, and Reston, Virginia, United States.Gate Gourmet was founded in 1992, and is the world's largest independent airline catering, hospitality and logistics company. The company has substantially expanded its products...
- Servair
Servair is a subsidiary of the French airline Air France, specialised in airline catering.Servair is a French company with around 8,000 employees, providing restaurant services, equipping and cleaning. It has 130 customer companies...
External links