Travel

Airlines are trying to make in-flight meals better than ever before — for some people

Leanna Garfield

2016-02-04T20:11:00Z

american airlines food — American Airlines' new and improved first class meals. American Airlines/Facebook

Airplane food is often disgusting. After paying hundreds (or thousands) of dollars for a flight, passengers are served sad trays of rubbery chicken, powdered mashed potatoes, and tiny iceberg salads with ranch dressing.

Now there's a growing movement from US airlines to do better — for first class and business passengers, at least.

When American Airlines recently launched a 15-hour direct flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia, it also debuted a new menu. Flight attendants offer first-class passengers complimentary glasses of 2010 Penfolds Grange Shiraz (normally $850 per bottle) and roasted sirloin steak with red wine sauce.

Travelers in the economy cabin are still only treated to peanuts (But hey, at least they now get complimentary spirits — quite the perk).

The improvements in first and business class have more to do with the economics of the airline industry than they do with a desire to provide better service, Richard Foss, culinary historian and author of "Food in the Air and Space: The Surprising History of Food and Drink in the Skies," tells Tech Insider.

Foss has studied the history of airline food for over a decade, from the glory days in the '70s when airlines served lobster to today's inflight tuna sandwiches. Here's a look at that history, and how airlines are trying to bring back the golden age of airline dining for high-paying passengers.

When planes first became a more common way to travel (at least for those who could afford it) in the 1930s, there wasn't a distinction between first and economy class. Inflight dining on US airlines often included free sandwiches — a simple meal to comfort passengers on turbulent flights.

airline food 1935 — An American Airlines flight attendant serves sandwich and coffee to a passenger, circa 1935. Frederic Lewis/Archive Photos/Getty Images

As flight technology improved and planes grew larger after World War II, cabins became more comfortable and meal selections improved, Foss says.

airline 1958 — An inflight chef serves passengers on a flight by German airline Lufthansa, circa 1958. Lufthansa Photo Archive

The meals were often extravagant, because the planes were smaller (and thus easier to serve) and there was only one flight class.

1960s airline — Charcuterie aboard SASMuseet's plane, circa 1950s Courtesy of Richard Foss

Around 1950, airlines created separate first and economy classes, because they realized they could charge more for the better dining experience that came with first class. This was still a challenge for the crew, however, because the meals needed to be prepared separately in two different kitchens, Foss says.

1959 airline — A dessert cart aboard a Western Airlines flight, circa 1950s Courtesy of Richard Foss

Airlines shifted from fresh to frozen food starting in the early 1950s. This helped cut down on waste and allowed attendants to serve larger planes in less time. Pan Am flights laid out white table cloths and hors d'ouevre trays "cooked in five-minute ovens," as noted in this 1958 commercial.

Up until 1978, laws required that every US airline charge the same price for identical routes. Airlines needed a way to differentiate themselves from the competition, and high-quality cuisine in both economy and first class was a way to do that. Even in economy, laws dictated that passengers received a choice of an entree, two veggies, a salad, a dessert, and a cocktail.

airline 1960s — An Air New Zealand flight in the 1960s. Air New Zealand Archive

The 1960s and '70s were the best time for airline dining for economy class passengers both in the US and abroad, Foss says.

airline 1960s 2 — A flight attendant serves a fresh water lobster, circa 1960s. tk

After the deregulation in 1978 and with the rising democratization of air travel, many airlines offered simpler meals or removed them completely from economy class. First class, meanwhile, still got reasonably good meals.

airline 1975 — A Boeing first class flight, circa 1975. Siegfried Himmer/Lufthansa Photo Archive

As planes got bigger and faster, it also became nearly impossible to serve an entire plane a gourmet meal with multiple courses. The airlines launched frequent flyer programs starting in the 1980s as a way to build customer loyalty, despite declining service standards. The quality disparity between economy and first-class meals began to widen.

airline 1998 — A business class meal on a Lufthansa flight in 1998. Ingo Wagner/Lufthansa Photo Archive

Today, inflight cooking technology has never been better. We know more about how to freeze and re-heat tasty meals than ever before, Foss says. The non-existent or low-quality meals in economy serve are mostly a strategy to convince passengers to pay more.

The quality of meals in first and business class continues to improve — as a way to entice people to upgrade from their economy seats, Foss says. If airlines create a big quality disparity between the classes, it becomes attractive to pay more for a better meal.

For example, business travelers will often upgrade their seats with frequent flyer points that could otherwise be used for free travel. Airlines end up making out on the deal: The seat would be empty anyway, and a plane ticket costs a lot more than a rib-eye.

This past December, American Airlines invested more than $2 billion in "the customer experience," completely redesigning its meal service in first class cabins. Depending on the duration of the flight, passengers now enjoy a marinated cheese antipasto, fresh seasonal greens with pepper cream dressing, assorted gourmet breads, chilled prawns with an aioli tarragon sauce, and an ice cream sundae — all at no extra charge.

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Source: LA magazine

Other airlines are enlisting the help of well-known chefs to craft their first class menus. Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal designs meals on British Airway flights, with dishes like mackerel rillettes with sourdough croutes.

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For Delta Airlines' first class passengers, Iron Chef-winner Michelle Bernstein creates items on five-course tasting menus, like pomegranate-glazed lamb and grilled beef tenderloin with chimichurri. By improving the first class experience, these airlines are devaluing the economy one, Foss says.

For the rest of us sitting in the economy cabin, our trays still look like a middle school lunch — if we're even offered a lunch at all.

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