Airplane Food – The Good & The Bad

Between the time it takes to get to the airport and the waiting time for meal service, hunger usually kicks in when it’s time to eat on the plane. That means, whether the food is good or not, you’re likely to eat a few bites for the sake of sustenance. From another full year of airplane food, here is my best and worst airplane meals of the year:

Best Airplane Meal of the Year

Most international airlines offer a continental meal and a regional meal according to the departing country or destination. The western dish is usually beef, fish, or pasta, while the regional dish is more often the better choice.

Because Thai cuisine is one of my favorites (up there with Spanish and Japanese), my meal on Thai Airways Business Class ranks as the best airplane meal of the year. The flavors and spices were authentically bold alongside the proper service from the flight attendants.

Green Chicken Curry on Thai Airways Business Class (screen captures from my YouTube video). While it does not look pretty, it was as flavorful and delicious as some of the better Thai restaurants. Because it was such a refreshing change from the typical continental cuisine, this is my winner for the best airplane meal of the year

 

Worst Airplane Meal of the Year

While I do frequent Cathay Pacific because of their destinations and the aircrafts’ reliability, their food has become worse and worse over the years. In a recent flight, I was upgraded from Business Class to First Class. Fantastic, right? Yes and no. Yes, the seat and service were both first class. And no because with high expectations after tasting the high-quality champagne, I was greatly disappointed with the whole meal experience.

Blah and Bland. Too cold, overcooked, and under-seasoned. And, where’s the sauce? This was a poor excuse for an appetizer plate, especially on First Class. Perhaps it was the expectation of a First Class experience to qualify this as the worst airplane meal of the year
The follow-up to that awful appetizer was a more decent entree. Salmon on top of mashed potatoes. The salmon was not overcooked and the potatoes were properly moist with both elements well-seasoned. However, it was then concluded with a bland trio of desserts. So 1 out of the 3 courses was decent on this First Class meal, which makes for the worst airplane meal of the year

 

Best Airplane Snack

Honorable mention goes to the best airplane snack of the year – Japanese sense (savory rice crackers) from All Nippon Airways. These packs are served in Business Class before the meal service to snack on with your drink. So much better than a little serving of nuts

 

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