Travel News

Airline Spotlight: In Flight Menu Upgrades

In the past few years, airlines have been trying to raise the bar for in-flight dining.  Upgrading airplane food isn’t just about the ingredients and recipes, it’s also about the people making the food.

Many airlines have started bringing in top chefs to come up with  VIP menus. Air France has teamed up with Joël Robuchon to create the business-class menu featuring traditional French cuisine. Cathay Pacific’s menu from top-tier chefs offers everything from duck noodle soup to fresh rice — it is the first airline to feature a rice cooker on board. Air New Zealand has upped the bar on its wine selection, working with sommeliers to develop some of the best wines on board their flights.

And this fall, Qatar Airways announced that they would partner with four celebrity chefs–Chef Nobu, Tom Akiens, Vineet Bhatia and Chef Ramzi—to prepare a customized menu for Qatar Airways.  The “dream team” menus are served in first and business class cabins. Currently, the dishes are only served on Doha outbound flights, though the program will roll out network wide in coming months.

Innovation is essential to growth for the airline that has expanded from four air crafts in 1997 to a fleet that serves more than 100 countries. CEO Akbar Al notes that the revamped menu is part of his aim to “always be one step ahead of the competition and always providing what is best for his passengers.”

The menus will change periodically, but we sent Michaela Guzy to see what the launch had to offer. Seems like the menu didn’t disappoint. Guzy noted, “all in all, the best plane food I’ve had to date.” Keep watching to see her full report.

For more airport and airline food travel ideas, check out:

By Michaela Guzy for PeterGreenberg.com