We all love a good holiday, but we’re often less enthusiastic about the in-flight food. We’ve all eaten those soggy salads, the occasional suspicious chicken, and now and again, we’ve witnessed a culinary miracle. (Rare, but it does happen!) Let’s take a look at the best and worst of in-flight food.
Qatar Airways
Qatar takes in-flight dining seriously. We’re talking real cutlery, menus with real bite, and dishes that look, and taste, like they were plated by a chef—not a robot. The only downside is that you’ll be eternally spoiled and expect the same on every flight. Don’t get used to it. Qatar is very special.
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines serves up warm bread, highly decent dips, and proper Turkish coffee. Their food is fresh, pleasant-tasting, and delivered with plenty of warm hospitality. Even better, economy passengers get to eat like real-life humans with functioning taste buds. Miracles do happen with in-flight food. Now and again. Don’t get carried away.
Singapore Airlines
With Singapore Airlines, your mid-air rice dish is worth being hungry for. Their menus change seasonally and are designed by actual culinary professionals, not just a random person off the street. Their satay is known for being mesmerizing. Just don’t get too used to it; nothing ruins future travel like being treated too well once.
Emirates
Emirates offers luxe dining with a Middle Eastern twist. We’re talking lamb curry, silverware (no plastic forks here!), and desserts that don’t look depressed. First class is basically a five-star Michelin-starred restaurant in the sky. But even in economy, you might just forget you’re on a plane. Or at least until you use the bathroom.
ANA (All Nippon Airways)
ANA serves up exquisite bento boxes that are as cute as they are delicious. Expect perfectly arranged meals with tons of brightly colored compartments. The fish is fresh, the rice fluffy, and the presentation is perfect. It feels wrong to eat it with plastic forks, even if you need to.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
KLM’s in-flight food is better than you’d think. The airline is a fan of hearty Dutch classics, vibrant flavors, and cute little extras like cheese cubes and mini stroopwafels. Even in economy, meals feel fancy and flavorful. Plus, they cater to diets of every nature, and that’s modern perfection. It’s decent, and that’s acceptable.
Air France
You’d expect France to dominate in food, right? Air France mostly delivers, but that’s in business class where the wine flows freely and the cheese selection is très magnifique. As for economy, the baguettes are average, and the main dish is edible. It’s not Qatar. It’s very basic. But it’s still better than mystery meat.
British Airways
Look, we love the Brits, but their in-flight food is terrible. Really terrible. It’s basically a school dinner in a tin tray. Think gray chicken, overboiled vegetables, and pudding that tastes of damp carpet. BA tries—sometimes there’s tea and a scone, and that’s nice enough—but mostly you’re left questioning your life choices.
United Airlines
United has mastered the art of giving you food you didn’t ask for and wish you could un-eat. It’s not that it’s terrible, it’s just really, really bad. Their saving grace is stroopwafels. If you see any, order them all and refuse anything else. The other passengers will have to cope. We advise a different airline next time.
Ryanair
Ryanair meals are so poor that their airplanes are more photogenic. Everything costs extra, including the ‘food’, and a quarter of a seat. Need the bathroom? You have to pay. (Not quite, but it wouldn’t surprise us!) The ‘meal deal’ is a plain, average sandwich. Tip: When you hear the trolley, feign sleep.
