How airplane meals are made: inside look at preparation processes

According to Vox, the airline food industry is worth over $6 billion. The Points Guy reports that meal costs for airlines are approximately $4 for an economy-class meal, $25 to $30 for a business-class meal, and upwards of $100 for a first-class meal. How and where the food is prepared may differ depending on the class of air ticket purchased.

Different airlines have varying strategies for their onboard menus. On major U.S. carriers like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines, menus change with seasons or routes. Raphael Girardoni, managing director of food and beverages at American Airlines, commented: “We’re constantly changing out individual items... if there’s a particular entree that isn’t doing well from a customer service standpoint... we’ll replace it with something else.”

Historically, economy class passengers were served multi-course meals in the 50s and 60s. However, following financial losses post-9/11, many airlines cut costs related to in-flight food service or stopped serving meals altogether in economy class.

Most airplane food is cooked in large kitchens near airports by catering companies like LSG Sky Chefs or Gate Gourmet. Staff adhere to strict hygiene protocols including wearing hair nets and protective garments and using air showers to remove foreign objects before preparing meals.

Patricia Green reported on pre-flight preparation: “The caterer prepares the food by part cooking and flash chilling the meals... When the cabin crew arrive at the aircraft... they will check that the numbers from the passenger list and the catering match.” For short flights under 90 minutes, crews pre-heat meals on the ground.

Once onboard an aircraft, meals are reheated in convection ovens located in galleys. While microwave ovens were once used on Boeing 747s operated by Trans World Airlines (TWA), they are no longer common.

Some premium services include onboard chefs who prepare certain ingredients freshly during flights. Carriers like Austrian Airlines and Turkish Airlines offer this service on select flights. Mustafa Can Aydoğdu from Turkish Airlines stated: "Our premium dining service... allows us to source the freshest seasonal ingredients."