Everyone has heard the classic jokes about (most) airline meals being bad, but these jokes are no longer acceptable as airlines step up their game to compete. Several airlines’ catering plans were thrown for a loop after the COVID-19 outbreak caused many to severely reduce the number of service touch points and remove the good stuff in order to save money. Now, several are working with well-known chefs, while others are adding more plant-based and environmentally friendly offerings apart from the best travel offers that were being given to the airlines. Worldwide, airline budgets vary, and the money spent on the onboard experience is frequently a key component of their branding and marketing strategy.
These airlines employ chefs who take orders from passengers and plate meals in the galley using lavishly crafted, multi-tiered carts. This kind of attention to detail can be beneficial in the social media culture of today. When customers post about their onboard experiences on social media, they accidentally become brand ambassadors. The opposite consequence of this phenomenon may occur for airlines that invest less.
Celebrity Chef Collaborations
Passengers can pass the time by eating in the air while being entertained with delicious food. In order to distinguish their products from those of their rivals, airlines continue to cultivate connections with famous chefs.
Air France for its first and business class flights, is collaborating with renowned chefs and their names and dishes are contributing to the airline’s in-flight menu. The partnership is practically critical to the airline’s identity, especially for a national carrier that originates from a nation known for its fine dining. Beef with pan-seared foie gras in a truffle sauce and chicken supreme with black truffles are among the menu items.
KLM flights that leave from Amsterdam, the passengers witness the taste of food from the hands of celebrity chefs showcasing their skills on business class flights. Every three months, the menu changes and features items like grilled zucchini with cream of tahini and baked fish with broccolini. The airline is upgrading even the service ware (plates, trays, and silverware) to make it lighter and more environmentally friendly.
Qatar Airways also has new cooperation with a Malaysian celebrity Chef for business class meals on a few routes. Qatar Airways operates the largest airline catering facility in the world under one roof. This expands on already-existing collaborations with the chefs who create the dishes for the first-class cabin.
Sky Dining: Sustainable and Healthful
For some of its USA to India flight, which are long-haul flights and can last up to 19 hours nonstop, Singapore Airlines has partnered with a spa. It offers refreshing liquids as well as spa-inspired meals that, depending on your inclination, can encourage rest or revitalize you. To help with meal planning, the airline has enlisted a group of nutritionists and sleep, specialists. They include breakfast porridge with blueberries, quinoa, almonds, and honey as well as citrus salmon over pumpkin dal, basmati rice, and cilantro ghee.
A nearby hydroponic farm cultivates the lettuce served on the airline’s aircraft departing from Newark. Bringing in food from a greater distance ensures the freshest product and eliminates unnecessary emissions.
On flights leaving from Atlanta, the new first class and international Delta One menus include locally produced products. The chef created dishes like short ribs with Kanni sauce, smoked collard greens, and a vegan vegetable tagine for serving at altitude.
On the other hand, Air France has pledged to serve only sustainably caught fish in all of its cabins and 100% French meat, dairy, and eggs on all flights.
Vegans and vegetarians need not worry as they are also included. Alaska Airlines provides a vegan salad. On several of its flights, Delta now offers Impossible Foods meatless meatballs and Impossible burgers in luxury class. Travelers will get these benefits as and when they travel abroad along with the benefits of the best travel offers.
Everything is not Good Yet
Despite the improvements, COVID-19’s effects on inflight dining continue. United has not yet resumed offering the whole Polaris dinner service. Instead, long-haul business class passengers get their entire meal which is a small salad, a main dish, plus an appetizer on one tray. It was once served in a more formal manner, offering a dessert cart allowing you to create ice cream sundaes and select pricier desserts.
After switching from more detailed printed menus to a QR code that occasionally doesn’t work in flight, Delta hasn’t really changed anything. Now, the service delivers a small plate to your seat instead of offering the widely praised, multi-tier dessert cart.
Airlines claim that the changes are the result of reduced manpower in the food kitchens and on board, as well as a passenger (and crew) requests to speed up service. Fortunately, advances like pre-ordering meals on airlines like Air France, American, and Delta, among others, mean that you’ll get a sneak preview of the menu before takeoff. Additionally, it aids in reducing food waste, which benefits the environment.
Eating above the clouds is becoming more enjoyable, making those long-awaited visits that you’ve been planning all the more enjoyable, especially with the best travel offers.
It is the meal on an airplane that offers you the first taste of a new journey more than anything else. As COVID-19 and climate change threaten travel which has become routine, Tipbeam hopes that this information is helpful to the passengers when they are in doubt to select their meals.
