The most decadent airline menus throughout history
Luxurious in-flight meals
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Hampers and fresh fruit with the Handley Page Transport Company
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The first meals on passenger planes were, according to The Guardian, served in 1919 by the Handley Page Transport Company. Stewards, or “cabin boys”, brought hampers of sandwiches and fruit onboard and distributed them among the passengers.
Picnic baskets with Imperial Airways
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In the 1920s, the focus was on cold food as energy had to be preserved for the engine. Meals were presented in wicker baskets, with options typically including dishes like cold chicken, fruit salads, sandwiches, lobster salads and cheese selections. On airlines such as Imperial Airways, (British Airways’ predecessor), these might also have included ox tongue, foie gras and peaches.
“Silver Wing” service with Imperial Airways
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According to The Golden Age of Air Travel by Nina Hadaway, 1927 saw the launch of the world’s first truly luxurious air service, courtesy of Imperial Airways. Their “Silver Wing” service was super-exclusive, seeing a steward dressed in a white jacket, bow tie and cap serving pre-cooked, heated food to passengers. The presentation was second to none, with fine china, small tables with linen tablecloths, silver cutlery and crystal glasses.
Roast beef with Pan Am
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Oysters with Qantas
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If you were lucky enough to travel first-class from Sydney to London with Qantas in the 1930s, that means you paid 85 times the average working wage for your ticket. Passengers enjoyed fresh lobster, oysters, kangaroo tail soup, fried shrimp, caviar and Champagne on board the luxury flights, as well as enjoying cheese boards, plenty of wine and cigarettes.
Frozen food during the war
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According to Travel and Leisure, the 1940s saw airline meals taking a step towards the dishes we’d recognise today, as airlines began using frozen meals aboard flights. The article attributes this to the war, saying the US military began to notice that soldiers were arriving to Europe in an unsatisfactory physical condition, and decided that hot food was necessary on flights. The development wasn’t just economical, but also allowed for more varied dishes.
Beluga caviar with Air France
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Onboard Air France planes in the 1950s everything was terribly chic, not least the meals. Dinner options included Beluga caviar, endive salads, medallions of lobster and more, with plenty of Champagne and liqueurs. Forget about plastic cups and foil trays too: meals were served on china plates with drinks presented in the finest glassware.
Roast turkey with Qantas
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Birthday cake with Trans World Airlines
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According to Food in the Air and Space by Richard Foss, food onboard the now-defunct airline TWA was a sight to behold. One passenger, flying in 1962, had a surprise birthday cake prepared for him, with stewards checking each passenger’s passport in case it was anyone else’s special day. Main courses included decadent dishes such as smoked Nova Scotia salmon, fillet of sole, sirloin steak and fresh lobster.
Thanksgiving dinner with Pan Am
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The development of frozen meals onboard helped luxurious airlines like Pan Am prepare American classics in the air. Food in the Air and Space details how, on Thanksgiving, the airline would serve a full turkey dinner no matter where they were. Staff recalled a day in 1967, in which they enlisted a handsome first-class passenger to don an apron and carve the turkey, which was served with potatoes, gravy, cranberry jelly and more.
Flamed baked Alaska with Cathay Pacific
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Sevruga caviar with Alitalia
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European carriers were no less extravagant. Meals on Alitalia started with canapés and cocktails before several lavish courses followed: perhaps sevruga caviar, lobster with lemon and truffle of fillet of beef in a Barolo sauce.
Beer from a keg with Lufthansa
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Freshly carved ham with Scandinavian Airlines
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Roast mignonettes of lamb with Singapore Airlines
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Havana cigars with British Airways
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Steak with British Airways
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Shimmering noodles with China Airlines
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Lobster with Singapore Airlines
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Brandy, Burgundy and Bergerac with Singapore Airlines
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Nouvelle cuisine with Philippine Airlines
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French fine-dining with Virgin Atlantic
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When Virgin Atlantic first started operating between London and New York in 1984, they partnered with Maxim’s, an extravagant Parisian restaurant. Meals, served by onboard butlers, featured fine-dining classics: Beluga caviar on ice, Parma Ham with sliced avocado, fillet of Dover sole with lobster mousse and boned quail with wild mushrooms. Wines were no less outrageous – straight from Maxim’s cellar.
Guinea fowl in champagne sauce with Air France
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Airline food in the 1990s was getting closer to what we know today. With most people sitting in economy class, portions were smaller and the meals less lavish. However, if passengers sought the luxury of the golden age of flying, all they had to do was upgrade to first class. This Air France Concorde menu from 1992 shows the sort of decadent food passengers of the 1960s would have been used to: fresh caviar, lobster salad with truffles and guinea fowl in Champagne sauce.
Champagne and caviar with Air France and British Airways
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As the world entered the 2000s, everything changed: the September 11 attacks meant fancy cutlery was ditched in favour of plastic, while many airlines who suffered from the financial fallout stopped serving meals on short-haul flights, meaning passengers had to buy food. Luxuries such as black truffle, caviar, Champagne and foie gras became – and remain – limited to the few who could afford first class.
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