The Logistical Tango of Airline Food
A First Class Tuna Meal on ANA
Despite itâs less then stelar reputation, airline food is truly a feat of human ingenuity.
Since the dawn of commercial aviation, passengers wanted to eat. Itâs a natural human thing to do. Weâre sitting in a chair somewhere, bored, for a decent length of time, so we get hungry. The first airline meal was served on May 11th, 1919, served by Handley Page Transport, an airline company operating Handley Page Type Oâs between London and Paris. The meal was a boxed dish, with a sandwich and piece of fruit. According to multiple sources, the fruit of choice was a banana, which was a big deal in that time. Cold chain storage hadnât quite been perfected yet, and only the wealthy could access bananas, since they had to be shipped from Central America to Europe before the spoiled, which was very, very expensive.
Other airlines, from Lufthansa to Pan Am copied this basic idea. It satisfied the bare minimum. There were a couple of noteworthy items that accompanied virtually every meal - a piece of chewing gum (mostly mint, apparently as it âsoothed the nervesâ) and an airsickness bag. In those days, planes cruised at very low altitudes and were often bounced around. Many passengerâs meals made a reappearance shortly after their consumption.
In the late 1920s, the first hot meal was served. Western Air Express handed out fried chicken and cake (interesting combination, but OK) which was stored in insulated bags.
The 1930s ushered in the beginning of the Golden Age of air travel. People dressed up in their nicest suits and evening gowns to take a flight. Food was served on fine china, and often was comprised of multiple sources. United Airlines is credited as the first airline to heat up food in flight. On their Oakland - Los Angeles routes in the morning, travelers were offered a choice of scrambled or fried eggs.
In the 1940s and 50s, meals became more and more elaborate. Customers could tuck into lamb shank, tomahawk steaks, and salmon, which was sliced up right in front of them by flight attendants. According to a Qantas menu from 1954, passengers traveling between Sydney and Melbourne could expect to see ox tongue and asparagus, fingerling potatoes and salmon with hollandaise sauce, and a cake for desert, topped with cream whipped right before their eyes. Flight attendants were trained in the proper way to slice and present food (always cut away from the passengers) and the best ways to describe fine wines.
As the 1960s rolled around, things became much more industrialized. Food was mass produced and highly standardized. A guide for United Airlines catering staff for a steak and potatoes dish specifies â8 and 1/4th potatoesâ and â4 5 inch long spears of asparagus.â For desert, exactly two inch wedges of chocolate cake should be served. Planes began flying farther and longer, so more food was required to be loaded, often for more than one meal. Passengers on a 12 hour service on Northwest Airlinesâs 747 from Minneapolis to Osaka would be served two full meals, plus snacks. Thatâs 900 + meals, plus silverware, dishes, glasses, drinks, and tablecloths. A former Northwest Airlines purser said that one flight could use as many as 2,000 individual forks, all of which had to be accounted for before flight.
The 1970s, 80s, and 90s were when things went downhill. First and business class passengers could still expect elaborate meals, but economy travelers might just receive a basic chicken or pasta option, mediocre quality at best. Prepackaged snacks became the norm, in an effort to cut costs.
You just finished your ham omelette. Itâs a lovely, smooth ride from Anchorage to Copenhagen. Itâs been a long, sleepless night. You didnât get a wink of rest on the first leg from Tokyo. A few minutes after the flight attendant clears the dishes, you get a slight rumble in your stomach. It gets worse. 10 minutes later, your hunched over in your seat, face stuffed in an airsickness bag. Youâre not alone. Hundreds of your fellow passengers are in the same situation, some making a desperate dash for the restrooms, but many, like yourself, giving in to fate.
This nightmare scenario actually happened on February 3rd, 1975 for the passengers of a Japan Airlines flight from Tokyo to Copenhagen. In the kitchen in Anchorage, where the breakfast was prepared, a chef had a small cut on his finger. Unknown to him, it was infected. Whilst preparing the food, he unknowingly contaminated the meals with Staphylococcus, a nasty bacteria that is one of the main causes of gastroenteritis, also known as food poisoning.
Food safety is paramount. The last thing anyone wants is for a planeload of people to suddenly be struck by illness midair. Cold chain storage (the practice of maintaining a temperature at or below 41* farenheight) is now a highly developed system. Keeping temperatures low is critical to halt bacterial growth. The International Flight Service Association has a 120 page guide to food safety for airlines (I read most of it - itâs not very interesting), ranging from the prevention of cross contamination to the safe handling of food waste. It all boils down to the acronym CLEAN:
- C heck for cleanliness: Ensure that all surfaces, utensils, and hands are clean before handling food.
- L ook for proper cooking: Cook food to the right temperature to kill harmful bacteria.
- E nsure proper storage: Store food at the correct temperature to prevent spoilage and bacterial growth.
- Avoid cross-contamination: Keep raw and cooked foods separate to avoid spreading bacteria.
- Never disrupt temperature regulation
If you think about it, itâs amazing we can even pull off airplane food. In the United States, two companies make up the bulk of the catering: LSG Sky Chefs and Gate Gourmet. Airlines sign hundred million dollar contracts with these companies to get their catering logistics done. The first step is to craft a menu. Airlines have a heavy roll in this. Chefs whip up hundreds of food combinations which are presented to executives. Items are whittled down by a number of factors to the final menu. This is a process that can take months.
LSG and Gate Gormet maintain massive kitchens across the globe. They receive shipments of thousands of pounds of food daily. Itâs meticulously prepared and dished out on massive assembly lines. From there, itâs loaded into airline and aircraft specific carts, placed on trucks, and sent out to the airport. There can be zero delays. Food items must be ready by the allotted time. Any sooner, and the food could spoil. Too late, and the flight could be delayed.
Thereâs also the issue of taste. Our taste buds donât work the same in the air as they do on the ground. Tests have shown that the perception of saltiness and sweetness drops 30% at high altitudes. To compensate, chefs increase the spices for the dishes. Spices like pepper loose nearly all their flavor at high altitudes - thatâs why you rarely see peppery dishes on the menu at 36,000 feet. Water rich foods are good for everyone. You dehydrate really quickly on planes, and passengers may be inclined to reach for an alcoholic beverage rather then plain old water. Alcoholâs effects are amplified in the air, so it takes less drinks to make a person intoxicated. Dehydration makes it worse. Drunk passengers present a real issue for passengers and crew alike, so adding that little bit of H20 does actually have an impact on your safety.
Nowadays, you typically donât just get the âchicken or fishâ option. Airlines offer special meals ranging from Kosher, Halal, Indian, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo, Fat Free, Low Sodium, and so, so much more. This adds complication for catering staff because thereâs just more to make. But, more food = more money.
A British Airways business class meal on a flight between London and Cape Town
