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Airline catering is something that has rapidly declined though the years in the United States. Even international Business Class cabins now serve food that would mostly be expected in your average hospital cafeteria. Cost cutting has hit American, Delta, and United through the years and it’s apparent when you dine on these flights and long for the meals of yesteryear.
Now, this is widely discussed and everyone has an opinion on whether it’s part of the experience that you’re paying for or if only the hard product (i.e. seat) matters. One American Airlines exec recently flat out said what folks have been speculating for years: airline management thinks that it doesn’t matter what they serve because there really is nothing better in the United States.
Brady Byrnes, Senior Vice President of Inflight and Premium Guest Services at American Airlines, told CNBC in an interview earlier this year that “it really doesn’t matter what you serve, the number one outlier that is important to our customers is running an on-time operation.” While safety and timeliness are the true factors that really matter, when you’re paying for a premium cabin you want a little bit of luxury.
As US airlines continue to cut to save pennies, foreign carriers are continuing to up their game. Qatar Airways just added caviar to its Business Class offerings. When was the last time you saw caviar on a US airline? I think Reagan might have been in office.
In the 1960s, Economy Class customers dined on beef consommé, sautéed breast of chicken in wine, and a fruit tartlet for desert. That’s a far cry from a Biscoff cookie you’d be served today. Until 1978 (when airline deregulation occurred), every passenger received an entrée, two vegetables, a salad, dessert, and a drink as part of the ticket price. Then the decline sped up until food was scaled way back after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
I’ve had discussions with folks who tell me to bring what I want to eat on the plane (and I often do just that), but when I’m paying thousands or redeeming huge sums of miles I expect to have something at least edible. The carriers in the United States are in a race to the bottom when it comes to in-flight dining. The kitchens that outfit these airlines also cater international carriers and provide them with quality that looks and tastes good. Why? Because the other airlines are willing to pay for the meals and know that this investment builds a brand and loyalty.
Anthony’s Take: I agree with Matt at Live and Let’s Fly that the majority of Business and First Class passengers are not buying tickets based on the menu. But, many of these people also dine out in the best restaurants and know what’s good and what’s not. The race to the bottom is over and US carriers in my mind have bottomed out. Let’s see if this trend reverses at all when planes aren’t as full or if meals in First Class will become an additional fee in the future.
(Image Credit: Qatar Airways.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
3 comments
Yesterday my wife and I flew AA PDX-DFW in first class and the food was impressive. As in impressively good. I had a sort of madras curry with rice and my wife had a vegetarian pasta with a lovely white sauce on top. Both were very tasty. I just figure if we call out problems then we should also bring up successes.
One of the other issues: outside food and beverage makes a huge trash problem (and a mess). When people feel they need to bring lunch on the plane, you end up with families carrying these massive, wasteful take out bags full of crap. Given how cramped it is now, it doesn’t end well. And they just jam all the trash in the seat back pocket because nobody circulates the cabin to pick up trash. Flying used to be so much more pleasant.
I recently flew first form MIA to DCA. Pre-ordered a healthy great-tasting smoked salmon bowl with fresh vegetables, sliced egg and capers. Something you might find on a European airline. The service was excellent. Also, the plane landed on time during the remnants of hurricane Debbie and I made my connection. All my AA flights have consistently been good this summer.