Missing the in-flight meal?
Airline food - my view
Several years ago when British Airways served a full meal, in economy class, on the two hour short haul trip to Norway, I began a love affair with airline food.
Since then there have been ups and downs in the relationship but the initial feelings endured.
It was as though addicted. Even after lifting the lid of the container only to find a non-descript ‘curry’ or a dry breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausages, the ritual gave a feeling of tranquil normality to what is essentially a strange event; flying through the air in a tube.
A flight would go by in the blink of an eye.
Low cost airlines, though, threaten to push the in flight meal out of the window altogether. Is this necessarily a bad thing? Well I think so.
The argument may be that a person boards an aircraft with the specific purpose of getting somewhere. This is the line Ryanair and other low cost airlines take and it is a fair point.
I understand that flying to Alicante and back for £35 will never include frills, but for me at least, they are missed.
A professor of history at Albright College, in Pennsylvania, America, by the name of Guillaume de Syon has studied the history of airline food. He stated that although the problems of serving a hot meal at 35,000 feet are vast, people still look forward to eating on the plane.
While the option of eating on a low cost airline is still there, the marked up prices and poor quality of food put most people off.
“Eat before you get on” the airlines say.
A letter published in the Telegraph last year, from a passenger to Sir Richard Branson, berated the quality of a meal served on their flight with Virgin, and judging by the accompanying pictures, was completely justified. It looked woeful.
But Flying to Thailand two years ago with Emirates I was served the most tasty lamb dish that really brought back those nostalgic memories of BA breakfasts.
Although in flight meals are still served with certain airlines, on certain flights, am I alone in missing the certainty of an in flight meal, the once-remarkable feature of flying?
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David Wilkinson, Reigate 8 June 2010, 10:57AM | |
| About 20 years ago, I used to travel regularly to Glasgow from Gatwick on what I recall was British Caledonian. They tried to do a decent in-flight breakfast but it was always a rush as the flight was so short. They then introduced the 'idea of eat before you go' and offered a really good breakfast ( including black pudding! ) in their departure lounge. I think there was an added benefit that passengers got to the airport early (this was before all of the security scares). Sadly, the idea never took off. I do not know why, it might have been airport rules or something like that but it did see to me to be a first-rate idea. | |
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John Daniels, Sidcup 8 June 2010, 01:20PM | |
| I kind of miss the complementary airline food on short hauls, even though it was often bland and dry, you were getting something for nothing, an added bonus. I feel a little short changed with it taken away. I now eat before the flight and take snacks and drinks on board. Airlines are charging way too much for on-board food and drink. | |
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Steve G 8 June 2010, 01:46PM | |
| Perhaps airline food isn't as bad as we all thought. Apparently it is said that the high altitudes of flying alter the taste of food and the function of the taste buds; food may taste dry and flavourless as a result of the pressurization. That is my useless fact for the day! | |
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Felicity, London 8 June 2010, 02:38PM | |
| Personally on short haul flights (for me mainly domestic) I never eat on the plane - I always eat in the airport or before I arrive. Even for a S/H in Europe I'd be more likely to purchase something in the terminal to eat on board.What I do like on a flight is a nice cup of very strongly brewed tea and thankfully that is something BA will still deliver.However, for my domestic flights (many of them) I fly with BMI, easyJet and BA depending on price and times. I have to buy a cup of tea with BMI and easyJet and never eat anything on board any (except the breakfast BA give you in the morning). | |
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Emma Howes, Surrey 9 June 2010, 06:18AM | |
| Years ago, in the late fifties, I traveled as a child with my parents and the airlines even did meals for children. But, then flying was very special and certainly very exciting for a child. | |
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| There is something just so nice about old films where people sat with a napkin and silver cutlery to have a meal served by a uniformed stewardess. Move on to JetBlu the cheap (and efficient) US airline that gives you a paper bag with a can of coke and a packet of foul-tasting blue crisps to take onboard with you.Is this what we call progress ? | |
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Martin James, London 9 June 2010, 01:09PM | |
| I do not really miss the complementary meal on two and a half hour or less short haul flights, if they start cutting back on the long haul then there will be a problem. People measure the standard of their flight by the quality of the food or the size of the portion they get. If a meal is cut back too severely they are going to walk away. | |
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Sarah, Leeds 10 June 2010, 12:25PM | |
| Taking complementary meals away on short haul flights is hardly going to turn passengers away from budget airlines, I would rather see this happening than another sharp increase in tickets prices as airlines look to claw back some of their deficit. | |
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Alex Stack 11 June 2010, 03:50PM | |
| Onboard meals stopped being much fun when they introduced the bendy knife. I find it so hard to eat with this plastic cutlery. I know that we have to avoid giving terrorists the equipment that they need to hurt us but it seems such a shame. | |
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Stuart, London 11 June 2010, 04:53PM | |
| I personally try and sleep on short haul flights, airlines taking away complementary meals is not a problem for me. No more of the cabin crew 'chicken or fish sir?' disturbing my shut eye. | |
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| The BA strike probably tells us that the number of cabin crew will be reduced as airlines fight for competitiveness. A lot of services will go and the crew will be there for safety. I expect the meals will disappear unless you are in business or first class. | |
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Holly Jones, London 14 June 2010, 08:53PM | |
| I for one, always end up with the most awful stomach upset whenever I eat on a plane, so it really puts me off! Much rather purchase something before hand, or better still eat something before I go!! | |
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Reg Sampson, Leeds 16 June 2010, 04:06PM | |
| Am I missing something here? Since when has complementary airline food been a triumph? The vast majority of us complain of how bad it tastes. This is one case of where airlines have actually listened to passengers and made a necessary financial cut in the right area.I do not however agree with them overcharging on drinks and snacks. | |
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Sonya, London 21 June 2010, 10:08AM | |
| All my experiences with on board food have not been good ones. The food is always bland and I would much rather eat in the airport before I fly. Having said that it would be nice to be given a complementary drink and snack. | |
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Marcus Lews, Essex 29 June 2010, 12:07PM | |
| Airports these days are offering a great variety of restaurants/ places to eat. Flying from Heathrow terminal 5, I enjoyed my favourite wagamama meal before the flight; I didn't miss the in-flight meal at all. | |
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Lee, Milton Keynes 1 July 2010, 01:21PM | |
| I agree with Marcus, the choice of restaurants at all the major airports is vast, but still I think some sort of snack should be supplied ny the airline. | |
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Brian Day, Manchester 5 July 2010, 11:43AM | |
| I fear complementary airline food on short haul is likely to never return unless the aviation industry recovers significantly in the future. | |
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Charlotte Walker, Leeds 21 July 2010, 10:27AM | |
| I think the food on airlines is truly disgusting, all plastic, with no taste, nine times out of ten I end up with a dodgy tummy anyway! | |
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