
Why is airline food so bad? - yitchelle
http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20161115-why-is-airline-food-so-bad
======
gokhan
I think it depends.

Last year, I went from Frankfurt to SF with United and food was bad. The plane
was old, service was sloppy, no seat-back entertainment etc, almost everything
was bad.

Went SF to Zurich to Istanbul in return with Swiss and food was quite good for
my taste, Swiss also served quality chocolate twice which was a nice surprise.
Along with presents to kids (books, coloring book, crayons etc.) it was more
than OK IMO. Last month, went Istanbul - Bangkok with Turkish Airlines[1] and
upgraded to business in return flight. Food was delicious both in economy and
business.

I don't know Swiss, but Turkish Airlines' profitability fluctuates quarter to
quarter and I know that they're heavily subsidized by government for political
reasons, so the food they serve might not be of reasonable quality for a
company totally moved by market forces.

[1] I'm Turkish. I don't like Turkish Airlines for political reasons.

~~~
jonwachob91
It does depend, and the article address the biggest varying factor - price.

United is a low cost airline, by American standards (united is an American
airline), and thus you get a low cost meal with low cost seat entertainment.
Swiss, is not a low cost airline and prides themselves on quality not
quantity.

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hellofunk
Not all airline food is bad. It is the worst in the States in my experience,
but many of the Asian and Middle Eastern airlines serve food I'd gladly pay
for at a restaurant.

~~~
david-given
One of the best airline meals I've had was with Korean Air: what you got was a
bowl of plain steamed white rice, a bowl of vegetable soup, and a variety of
cold pickles and sauces which you added to the rice (including a tube of
really nice mild chili sauce which I've never been able to track down).

All of which, of course, worked fine on a plane --- there wasn't anything
which could go... weird and crusty... the way a lot of airline food does. And
it tasted good, too.

The worst meal I had was with Air 2000 in probably about 1990. It was a intra-
European charter flight, from Glasgow to Cyprus, and the meal was hilarious.
Everything that should have been dry was soggy, everything that should have
been moist was dry. Teenage me was particularly impressed by the croissant,
which was completely limp (and moist, and greasy).

It did come with a little pot of pink, though. I have a bit of a soft spot for
airline pink, even though I have no idea what it was. You don't get it any
more.

BTW, if you want to be able to eat on a plane without elbowing your neighbour
in the ribs, take chopsticks.

~~~
wmkn
>what you got was a bowl of plain steamed white rice, a bowl of vegetable
soup, and a variety of cold pickles and sauces which you added to the rice
(including a tube of really nice mild chili sauce which I've never been able
to track down).

You most likely got Bibimbap, with Gochujang sauce (the chili sauce). Bibimbap
is one of the Korean signature dishes, and Gochujang a staple ingredient of
Korean food.

On flights to Korea with Korean Air, and other airlines, Bibimbap is pretty
much guaranteed. I agree that it works very well.

~~~
david-given
That sounds plausible. I'll need to try and find Gochujang in my local asian
supermarket.

I miss Korean food [sad face]...

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laumars
What I didn't see mentioned in that article but has come up on other sources
regarding airline food[1] is that the altitude also negatively affects your
sense of smell and thus taste since so much of our perceived taste is actually
smell.

[1] [http://www.channel4.com/programmes/hestons-mission-
impossibl...](http://www.channel4.com/programmes/hestons-mission-
impossible/episode-guide/) (Episode 3 - British Airways)

~~~
kbart
I often take my own food into a plane for the prolonged flights and it tastes
ok, didn't notice any difference from eating on the ground.

~~~
laumars
It's difficult to respond to anecdote but I do think it's worth mentioning
that the effect can alter depending on the specific flavours - some are
affected more than others. I also expect there's some physiological aspects in
play as well (eg some peoples nasal cavities might close up more than others).
So it's possible you might be accidentally eating the right foods or just less
susceptible than most.

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neo2006
I usually fly on Air France cross Atlantic and the food is always horrible.
With air Canada it's slightly better. But once I took a flight on emirate
airlines in Asia, in one way I was in economic class and the food was really
good, on my way back I was upgraded to First class and I was literally eating
in a Michelin stared restaurant. The food was cooked in the plane, the menu is
varied and you have real dishes and forks and knifes. The food was so tasty.
So my conclusion it's just another way for air companies to save money,
period!!

~~~
otar
Praise to Emirate Airlines. My best flight experience was with them. I can
confirm that their food in the economy class was pretty good, in comparison to
other airlines they were serving the real meal.

~~~
smcl
I've flown 4 flights with Emirates and the food was remarkably good. I was
also impressed and surprised with the metal cutlery too (which was chilled for
some reason)

(I know that HN discourages "me too..." posts but in this context I think it's
pretty valid)

~~~
coldpie
> I was also impressed and surprised with the metal cutlery too (which was
> chilled for some reason)

I wonder if it was just stored in a place that isn't heated. The atmosphere
gets pretty cold up there.

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dingaling
One trick I learned from a million-miler was to preorder the vegetarian
option. It usually arrives first as part of "special meal" handling and
usually tastes great. Also much less chance of illness. I haven't had a bad
airline meal since 1999 due to that advice...

~~~
kalleboo
One time the person booking the flight for me thought it would be funny to
choose a Halal meal. Jokes on them, it was spicy and delicious. Got funny
looks when I ordered a beer to go along with it though.

------
tacostakohashi
I think the basic problem is simply that the food is "free". People choose
flights on the basis of schedules and routes, and won't actually pay more for
a better meal. Given the volumes of food involved, and the competition in the
industry, shaving a few dollars or cents off each meal is always going to be
an attractive option for airlines.

If it were like on the ground, where you could choose nothing for $0,
something cheap but edible for $10, of something nice for $30, then the
quality would probably be rather better.

~~~
kalleboo
Tiger Air is an asian low-cost carrier where if you want food you have to pay
for it off the menu. I enjoyed the meal. They also have simple stuff like cup
noodles.
[http://www.tigerair.com/_content/lang/default/travel_info/Du...](http://www.tigerair.com/_content/lang/default/travel_info/During_Your_Flight_pdf/TigerInFlightMenu.pdf)

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spraak
Thai Airways food, even economy class, has been consistently good the from 6
flights I've flown with them in the past two months. Good curries with rice :)

~~~
csydas
I was going to say something along these lines, but with pretty much every
airline I've been on.

Aeroflot, Icelandair, KVM, Lufthansa, Condor, Delta, all of the inflight food
was acceptable. It wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either.

I didn't start flying international flights with meals until very recently
(last 4 years), but I've never been dismissive of the meal offerings. If there
was some change recently, it seems like it's that the airlines have figured
out the best options for foods that are easy to store/move and have acceptable
taste. Usually this seems to be rice+meat in sauce or vegetarian pasta with a
few side dishes (salad, bread + cheese, etc), and for me this is fine. I don't
relish the idea of trying to have a full meal on the tiny seat tray anyways,
I'd rather just kill time with a book or sleep

~~~
spraak
Interestingly Thai Airways served some kind of chicken curry burrito for the
recent flight I took from Bangkok to Northern Thailand, which was only an hour
flight. I was surprised--it wasn't a full meal but way more than the
stereotypical peanuts.

Also I'd like to note that all these meals were included (or free in a way)
which probably makes them taste much better.

And on that, a friend of mine recently flew on American Airlines from London
to New York and had to buy a meal, which I thought was strange

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the_mitsuhiko
I think the trick to good airline food in economy is to specify a dietary
restriction. I have been doing this for a while now and the end result is that
you typically get slightly better food and you definitely get it faster no
matter where in the plan you sit.

Also it turns out that you can have asian style food on most routes in the
world even if it's typically not offered otherwise.

(Experience comes from mostly Lufhansa, Austrian and Swiss flights)

~~~
elcct
I once witnessed airline not having food with dietary restriction in stock.
They said sorry to the guy, but he was starving entire 11h+ flight

~~~
the_mitsuhiko
Never happened to me. When they don't have my preferred meal selection they
usually offer me vegan or vegetarian food.

~~~
DonaldFisk
Vegan suits everyone, and it simplifies things for the airline and the cabin
crew. On a flight from New York I requested a vegetarian meal. The passenger
next to me was Muslim, and he requested a halal meal. We compared what we
got,and they were both the same. If there were any Jewish or Hindu passengers
on the flight that's what they'd have got too. And if they simply ran out of
meat dishes, they would just apologize and offer the vegan dish instead.

------
jpalomaki
I've had pretty decent food quite many times on airplane. I don't think there
are therefore any specific reasons why the food has to be "bad". If the food
is bad, then bad choices have been made somewhere. One typical issue seems to
be to try too hard. Keep it simple chef. Pasta bolognese, meatballs with rice
etc. I'm not expecting culinary experience in coach, I just want to get
something to eat.

~~~
ethbro
Agreed, I recently flew a few trans-Pacific hops on non-American carriers in
business class and service and food was excellent.

Don't expect filet mignon to be thrown in on Big Mac priced tickets with any
carrier though.

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stasm
I found that the one of the best ways to combat jetlag (at last on
transatlantic long-haul flights) is to completely forgo eating on the plane.
Instead, just drink a lot of water.

In fact, I usually try to have my last meal in the origin timezone at least 16
hours before the first breakfast in the destination timezone. I fly quite
regularly from CET to PST and back, and this scheme has worked well for me.

I wouldn't mind if airlines stopped serving free food, thus giving me a choice
of not eating at all for a reduced total price of the flight.

The whole ritual seems rooted in the old maritime traditions, while the rest
of the experience including the travel time and the seating position, are
different and modern.

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chrisseaton
I don't understand why airlines need to try to serve full meals in the first
place. Even on a twelve hour flight why can't people just eat before boarding
and after getting there? You certainly don't need to eat two meals on a short
eight hour overnight flight. And the drinks service in economy on a 45 minute
domestic flight really is a waste of everyone's time.

In first when it's tractable it's a great way to pass the time. In economy I
usually turn it down.

The entertainment system is also a waste of time and space. If I wanted to
watch some movie or listen to an NPR programme I could download it to my iPad
before I boarded.

~~~
Jaruzel
It's not about you feeling hungry, or you needing entertainment, it's all
about the Airline not having problematic passengers.

By providing stodgy food, they are hoping that the passengers will get docile
and sleep (especially on overnight flights) - also eating the food every x
hours gives bored passengers something to do. A busy passenger is a passenger
that won't annoy others.

Likewise the entertainment options, it's all there to keep you in your seat
and disengaged from the plane (and other people) around you.

If the airlines could get away with doping everyone during the flight[1], they
would.

\--

[1] The Passenger Spaceplane en-route to The Fhloston Paradise, Fifth Element.

~~~
overcast
I'd be ok with doping everyone, and then waking them up at the end. Flying
blows.

~~~
r00fus
definitely, Fifth Element style. Of course there's the pesky problem of deep
vein thrombosis...

------
jcfrei
Haven't found this explanation yet so I'm putting it out there: I think the
reason the food is bad (on purpose) in the economy class is simple price
discrimination. You want people with deeper pockets to pay higher prices for
the same flight. Passengers have a varying willingness to pay and the most
effective way to discriminate between them is if they themselves can choose
into which category (economy, business, 1st class) they belong. Narrow spaces
and bad food in the economy class are simply one way to make richer passengers
pay more for the same flight - I don't think the production of better tasting
food would have a significant impact on airline profits.

------
antaviana
I read once in a magazine in an airplane that the 0% humidity in cabin greatly
altered the perceptions of food and wine. But of course that could have been
an apologetic article to try to justify why everything tastes the same when
flying.

~~~
SixSigma
Umami flavours are enhanced, that's why they serve so much tomato juice.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami)

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ebbv
Because they can't have a proper kitchen on a plane and microwave food is
crap.

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CmdrSprinkles
Funny enough, I prefer the cold food for everything but breakfast when flying
(an ice cold Danish is not how I want to be informed that it is 0800 local
time)

Part of that is a lot of what the article mentioned (overcooked and soggy food
is not what I consider good), but it is also just for peace of mind. I don't
need to balance a lot of liquid filled tray compartments and I don't have to
worry about the person next to me somehow flipping theirs (it happened
before...). As long as they still have hot water and can reheat week old
Starbucks then I am set.

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throwaway2016a
What is airline food?

Seriously, last time I had food served to me on a plane was 5 years ago. I
must be using the wrong airlines. Unless you count chips or a cheese and
cracker plate you have to pay $9 for.

~~~
Veen
Cheaper airlines and short-hops don't bother with food any more. I flew
recently with a European budget airline that nickle-and-dimed for everything
including water.

Not really relevant but that was definitely the worst flight I've ever been
on. Half-way through one of the flight attendants appeared to have a breakdown
and burst into tears. A little later she was in the curtained area, and when
someone opened it she screamed at the top of her lungs (not comforting).
Furthermore, as the plane was coming in to land, the flight attendants were
sitting in their seats sharing jokes about YouTube videos they'd recently
watched of accidents when the landing gear gets stuck. They also made rude
comments about bad passengers they'd had in the past (including stuff like
"I'd have thrown the fat bitch out of the door").

Won't be flying with them again.

------
cluoma
I usually fly British Airways, Germany to Canada, and found their food to be
pretty decent even in economy class. Although, after a couple mini-wines it
doesn't matter so much anymore.

------
martin-adams
Or it could be that loud noise affects how you perceive food.

[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3081285/Why-a...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3081285/Why-
airplane-food-tastes-BAD-Loud-noise-flying-affects-way-perceive-flavour-study-
claims.html)

------
hatsunearu
Am I the only one who feels airline food is fine, and at some times delicious?

I've flown in countless airlines and I honestly don't remember a single meal
where it was actually less than "I could eat food of this quality every day."
(of course, the same meal every day regardless of quality will be pretty bad)

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orly_bookz
"So what's the deal with airplane food, amirite?"

Wait... is the beeb starting a stand-up career in the 90s?

Also, I've no idea why they bother with full meals. Just keep feeding people
chips, cookies, nuts... the occasional scotch... I'm much happier with these
than a wet pile of matter that you insist is beef bourguignon.

~~~
conradfr
[http://mentalfloss.com/article/59044/whats-deal-whats-
deal-d...](http://mentalfloss.com/article/59044/whats-deal-whats-deal-did-
seinfeld-actually-say-it)

I like full meals...

------
rwmj
Never having flown on a private jet myself, what do they cook/serve at the
high end of the market?

~~~
ptaipale
That must be completely on the whim of whoever pays the bill. It can be
absolutely anything from a bag of chips to a Michelin-starred professional
cook.

------
jrnichols
Some of the best airline food I've ever had was on Royal Jordanian, Emirates,
Condor, Lufthansa..

seeing a pattern here?

I can't remember the last time that I had a decent in-flight meal on an
American based carrier. The foreign flagged ones have been decent.

------
alexandersingh
I always just buy or cook my own food prior to departing for the airport and
bring it onto the plane. Considering how heinous many in-flight options are
I'm surprised I don't see more people do it.

------
herge
I am big, so I dislike having a seat tray in my lap for an hour or more.
Nowadays I just skip the airline meal and pack a sandwich in my carry-on. Bad
airline food is just not worth the 5$ savings.

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SixSigma
Emirates prepare 38 million meals per year in one facility

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yex-
WMaJTjg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yex-WMaJTjg)

------
simonh
Spicy Peperami x2, variety mini-cheeses, Pringles and/or salted peanuts,
Lipton's ice tea. Done. Don't care what they serve me.

------
tluyben2
Always ask for special meals. I order the Asian vegetarian always and people
look in horror at their food when they see mine arrive...

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saiya-jin
isn't it basically a microwave food unless business/1st class?

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return0
Why do they feel the need to serve full lunches anyway. Maybe its necessary
for transocean flights, but i dislike food beyond snacks in shorter flights.
Bad eating experience, smells etc. I didn't pay to fly on a packed moving
restaurant. And the worst are people who drink a few glasses of wine.

~~~
7Z7
>I didn't pay to fly on a packed moving restaurant.

I don't understand this line of thinking. Ultimately, you did pay for that. If
you didn't want the inclusives there is usually a budget airline that let's
you select every line item as required, and gives nothing for "free".

