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Topic of the Week: Your Favorite Airplane Food

April 20, 2012 CF 70 comments

Let’s go a little random this week. What’s the best food you’ve had on an airplane? What airline was it?

Meals none

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Written by Nick Barnard on April 20, 2012. Reply

The meal I liked the best was on Pre-Merger US Airways, around 2002. I was flying to PIT(PHL?)-SFO. We were on an A320/1 and the load factor had to be 20% or so. It was this simple cold noodle dish. The sauce just made it quite yummy and I had seconds.

The flight attendants also took a row of coach seats right near me, and I had some very interesting conversations with them about their experiences on 9/11 and the airline biz in general.
Written by Wandering Justin on April 20, 2012. Reply

Bulgogi on Asiana Airlines. They also make a mean bi bim bap. And we’re talking coach, not first class!
Written by Greg on April 20, 2012. Reply

ANA First Class dinner — everything — from the starter to the wines. Actually as good as a proper multicourse meal in a New York restaurant. Except you’re enjoying $150 restaurant bottles of wine without the big hit.
Written by Ellie on April 20, 2012. Reply

These comments are so interesting. As long as I have been in the airline business, I really haven’t flown that much, but sure loved my Premium Economy and First Class meals on Virgin Atlantic (VS)! And further back, I loved the first class meals on America West (HP) – today’s US. My husband loves LH’s first class meals and says that they could not be beat.
I was a flight attendant for Trans Texas Airways (later to become CO) and I can tell you that I cooked those meals and that they too were spectacular!!!!
Written by yo on April 20, 2012. Reply

Swordfish on America West 747 First Class to HNL.

mmmm

Worst?

Jellied carp on LOT ATR72 flight from Warsaw to Helsinki
- Written by Ron on April 20, 2012. Reply
  
  Mmmm, gefilte fish. Can you pass the horseradish (with beets)?
Written by SubwayNut on April 20, 2012. Reply

My best overall food memory on a plane was flying EWR-DEN back in June 2010 on Continental just before they ended free ‘meals.’ (well more like a warm snack on that flight). It consisted of a bag of carrots (not my favorite) and a wonderful tasty warmed item labeled Chicken Enchilada served with hot sauce that made me immediately think I would pay for this type of airline food. I then opened up my real dinner, that I brought on board: leftover ribs and corn on the cob which prompted a ‘That Looks Good!’ from one of the flight attendants.
Written by Southeasterner on April 21, 2012. Reply

1. Midwest Express (in the 90′s). Amazing breakfast and of course the great cookies. Used to fly on a weekly basis and it was always the best part of my trip. RIP Midwest Express cookie :-(
2. Korean Airlines. As has been mentioned the bim bim bap is one of my favorites. Great to see airlines focusing on their national dishes and pulling it off right. Haven’t flown on Asiana but I’ll have to try that next time.
3. Qatar Airways. Have flown several times and never had a bad meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) also great service and constant food offerings.
- Written by Southeasterner on April 21, 2012. Reply
  
  Ohh and the worst bar none was Transaero. I was in business class I wouldn’t have fed that c&$% to my dog…unless of course I was trying to kill it.
  
  A coworker and I also got extremely sick from the Malaysian Airlines chicken satay (it was the only thing we both ate that day that was the same) and it didn’t taste right from the start. I would add that Malaysian Airlines serves the worst airline food of the Asian carriers (even including Vietnam Airlines).
Written by Sanjeev M on April 21, 2012. Reply

MAA-LHR on BA, with food catered by Taj Catering. Some rice, naan, sambar, Indian sweet. Those people really know how to do airline food well.

LHR catering is decent in general. Any catering out of the US sucks. And no matter where in the world Gate Gourmet seems to consistently suck.
Written by Tony Kisley on April 21, 2012. Reply

Singapore Airlines Economy Class meals are amongst the best, as are Etihad’s. The best airline food that we have ever had was with Asiana Airlines in 2007. We have flown (Economy Class) with airlines in the US (the food and service was generally garbage), Europe (the airlines are trying to emulate American standards of service, see above). My wife and I flew Qatar Airways LHR-DOH-BKK-SGN round-trip in April of this year and the food, service, et al was abysmal. Asia is currently our destination of choice for vacations and we plan our our itinerary around airlines that operate Airbus A340 or A330 equipment as we like the two-seat window row configuration – no sleeping person to awake several times on 13-hour flights. This doesn’t work for us on Boeing equipment as the window rows are a three seat configuration.
If it’s Boeing, we aint going.
Written by Scott Shearer on April 21, 2012. Reply

I remember a trip on TWA, first class Ambassador Service, from SFO-IAD, back in the late 70′s I believe it was. We were on a Tri-Star, and the service was impeccable, lobster thermidor was served, dinner-ware was very chic, and they
had a snack bar set up at the front of the aircraft with all sorts of fancy
hors d’oeuvres. In those days, first class passengers were treated as royalty
almost, with souvenir gifts, complimentary cigarettes, etc. Ah, to go back to that era again…
Written by EC Smith on April 22, 2012. Reply

Poached salmon on Scandinavian. Back when they flew SEA-CPH. Took off at SeaTac and was served some of the best salmon I have ever had anywhere onboard an SAS 767 somewhere over the Arctic
Written by Justin on April 23, 2012. Reply

A vote for the Delta business class meals from JFK-SFO / LAX.

Great bold flavors and best cheese plate I have encountered in the air.
Written by drybean on April 23, 2012. Reply

Ozark used to serve steak and lobster on their DC9 DEN-DFW route in the late 70′s. But the best meal was on AA DFW/OGG… a rib eye roast, cooked perfectly medium rare, with a fabulous salad, veggies, desert, great wine, after dinner drinks and real first class service.
Written by Rick on April 23, 2012. Reply

Once in the late 1960s I was bumped to 1st class on Pan Am due to overbooking. I was on the way to Monrovia for a Peace Corps assignment. I was served prime rib individually carved at seat side.

That was the best.