Board catering

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In- flight catering (also airline catering , colloquially aircraft meal) refers to the catering for flight passengers and flight personnel on board commercial aircraft and includes not only food but also the supply of beverages . The Lufthansa subsidiary LSG Sky Chefs is the market leader among providers of on-board catering with a global market share of almost 30 percent. Other major competitors are Do & Co , Gate Gourmet and Servair .

The first on-board catering was served between Vienna and Berlin in 1928.

preparation

The food was prepared by a catering service long before the flight . Often the dish is frozen by the caterer and thawed before the flight. The food is usually warmed up with steam in the galley on board the aircraft . For main meals and especially for breakfast, rolls or croissants are often baked on the plane . The dishes are more seasoned than usual on the floor, as the taste sensation decreases in height.

In the early days of commercial aviation, meals were prepared on board like in a real kitchen, with a special cook flying along, e.g. B. at Lufthansa . With some airlines such as Austrian Airlines and Turkish Airlines , at least business class travelers are still looked after by a cook on board.

Serve

Food and drinks are mostly served from dining cars ( trolleys ) that the flight attendants drive through the aisles, except in very small planes and in higher classes. In the case of warm dishes, the food is served first and then the drink in a second run; the reason for this is the insufficient capacity of the dining car. The drinks are poured from bottles or - more often - from beverage cans or cans in drinking containers and served. The majority of cold beverages come from beverage cartons (weight savings). For aesthetic reasons, however, the upper classes mostly serve bottles.

On long-haul routes in economy class, it is customary to provide self-service filled plastic cups between meals and during breaks for the staff in the galley .

Some airlines issue a menu card so that passengers can make their choice in peace.

quality

The quality and selection depends on the airline (quality standards and country of origin), the duration of the flight and the class of transport . On the one hand, in view of many competitors, on-board catering has improved in recent years; on the other hand, it has also become significantly 'simpler', especially on European routes due to increased price pressure from various low-cost flight providers. Meals whose quality is comparable to freshly prepared meals in restaurants are not possible on airliners, as the meals are sometimes 20 hours old. The upper class passengers receive a completely different ( gourmet ) meal, which differs significantly from that of the simple class in terms of both quality and serving ; Menus can be chosen in the upper classes and it is served in courses.

In the upper classes, on-board catering is almost always served on porcelain dishes. Drinks are served in glasses or porcelain cups instead of plastic or paper cups. In the first class, main meals are usually served on tablecloths . In the upper classes there is also a more varied offer than in other classes, and there are considerably more snacks between meals .

scope

The amount of catering depends on the class of transport booked and the duration of the flight. On flights that are too short to serve warm dishes, cold dishes and possibly small snacks such as B. peanuts, pretzel sticks, etc. served. Hot and cold drinks are served on short trips that don't even have time.

First and business class

In the upper classes of some airlines, on-board service begins with a glass of champagne or orange juice before departure. After take-off, the flight attendants take orders, and you can choose between several menus of meat, fish or vegetables. You can also choose the cooking time of the steak (e.g. medium). The wine list is extensive, especially in the First, even if of course it cannot compete with a restaurant on the ground. Each course is served individually, you can order a different wine for each dish.

Economy class

The type, scope and quality of the catering in the economy class strongly depend on the airline and country of origin. For example, while the large US companies have in some cases considerably restricted on-board catering for Economy Class in recent years (especially in domestic transport) with reference to austerity restrictions, some airlines from the Middle East and various Asian countries in particular also offer one in Economy Class high quality, extensive meal service. The design of the various meals also depends heavily on the country of origin. Airlines from countries in which a warm breakfast is common practice often have a warm component in Economy Class; Otherwise it usually consists of baked rolls and corresponding toppings, fruit , pastries or the like. The lunch - and dinner are frequently each composed of a small appetizer , a warm main course with small side dishes (for most airlines you can choose between two, with a few from three different entrees choose) and a dessert . On flights to countries with a high proportion of vegetarians (e.g. India ), a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian component is usually offered as standard.

If you book in advance, most companies also offer various special menus instead of the usual on-board catering, mostly at no extra charge. In addition to kosher and other menus for people with other special religious dietary requirements, this includes vegetarian and vegan dishes. Various menus are also offered for people with various food allergies . Many companies also allow special meals to be ordered for people with special personal preferences, e.g. B. a fruit platter instead of a normal menu. A children's menu instead of the usual board meal can also be ordered from some companies.

costs

While most airlines have factored in the cost of meals in the flight price, food is chargeable for passengers of low-cost airlines , but it is also optional. In the course of the 2010s, many airlines above the low-cost flight level discontinued the free supply of food and beverages and are now only giving them up for quite high payment.

Catering codes

Internally, airlines and caterers provide various menu combinations and special menus with internationally standardized abbreviations:

AVML Asian Vegetarian Meal Asian, vegetarian food with rice (Indian style)
BBML Infant / Baby Meal Toddler meals
BLML Bland / soft meal low-spice , mild food
CHML Childs Meal Kids food
DBML Diabetic Meal Diabetic food
FFML Frequent Flyer Meal personal favorite dish for regular customers
FPML Fruit Platter (Meal) Fruit platter
FSML Fish meal Eat fish
GFML Gluten Free Meal Gluten- free food
HFML High fiber meal high fiber food
HNML Hindu Meal Hindu food
JNML Jain Meal Jain food (all fruits and vegetables that do not grow underground; and dairy products)
KSML Kosher Meal kosher food
LCML Low calorie meal low calorie food
LFML Low Cholesterol Meal low fat food
LPML Low protein meal low protein food
LSML Low sodium meal low-sodium (low-salt) food
MOML Muslim Meal muslim food
NLML Non-lactose meal lactose-free food
NSML No salt meal salt-free food
ORML Oriental meal oriental chinese food (chinese style)
PRML Low purine meal low-purine food
RVML Raw Vegetarian Meal vegetarian raw food
SFML Sea food meal Fish and seafood
SPML Special meal Ordered special meal for passengers (e.g. Jain food)
VGML Vegetarian Meal Non Dairy vegetarian food without dairy products (vegan)
VLML Vegetarian Meal Lacto Ovo lacto-vegetarian food (see: Vegetarian cuisine )
WVML Western Vegetarian Meal vegetarian food (European style)

Illustrations

(Examples)

See also

Web links

Commons : In-flight catering  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ludwig Bölkow (ed.): A century of airplanes: History and technology of flying . VDI-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1990, p. 339
  2. ↑ austrianwings.info
  3. ↑ wiwo.de

This article is largely based on the article en: Airline meal .