What is the food on the plane?

At least once in a life each of us flew by the plane, and the majority of people do it to some extent regularly. Some have the opportunity to relax in foreign resorts several times a year, while others often spend time in airliners because of regular business trips. If your flight does not take more than three hours, then food is unlikely to seriously disturb you. But if you fly somewhere together with the child or you have to spend on board about five to seven hours, then the food on the plane becomes a very serious and important issue. In some situations, it should be thought through and negotiated with the airline a few days before the flight. Therefore, we think, our article will be useful to everyone who wants to know all the secrets of the onboard kitchen.

A few facts about meals on board an airliner

It seems to us that eating in an airplane is an indispensable condition for air travel. After all, since Soviet times, we are used to the fact that after take-off, the friendly stewardesses offer passengers a variety of soft drinks and simple but hearty dishes.

However, few people know that food on board is not free on all flights. And on some it is not provided for by the rules of transportation of passengers. What does it depend on? And how not to stay hungry on board?

Keep in mind that each air carrier independently chooses how to organize meals on board the aircraft. To reduce the cost of an air ticket, some European and American companies include in its cost only a light snack in the form of crackers or chips and one soft drink. Also work and low-costers, providing passengers with the cheapest air tickets in different directions.

Specialists say that during the crisis, many air carriers are trying to minimize their spending, and first of all this affects the diversity and quality of food in the plane. For example, at the beginning of zero, many Russian companies removed desserts and pastries from the menu, and on short flights they limited themselves to a number of snacks.

However, at the moment this trend has long been replaced by the struggle for the passenger, and not the least role in it is played by food on board. Air carriers try to attract attention to themselves by monthly menu updates, a variety of dishes and even including in the diet of unusual recipes taken from the national cuisines of the world.

Sometimes it seems that airlines are trying to outdo each other in the art of feeding passengers. However, be careful when buying a flight ticket, be sure to specify whether the meal is included in its price and how many times you will be fed during the flight.

Factors affecting nutrition

If you often fly by plane, then you are well aware of how much food on different flights can be different. Several factors influence this:

• Airline status;
• Ticket class;
• Duration of flight;
• Direction of flight.

Each company has its own ideas about nutrition in the airplane. Aeroflot, for example, owns its own shops, where all the food that gets on board the airliner is prepared. In addition, the company monthly adds new dishes to the menu and sensitively listens to the wishes of passengers left on the official website. According to the latest information, it is Aeroflot that tops the list of air carriers that are very tasty to feed their passengers.

For those who fly in business class, a very diverse and even exquisite food is provided in the plane, the economy can not boast of the same choice of dishes. After all, in business, passengers have the opportunity to choose from several varieties of dishes, each of which provides a list of twenty-five points. Quite often for such a category of travelers, food is prepared in separate shops by famous chefs or directly on board the aircraft. It is served on beautiful porcelain dishes from famous designers with real cutlery.

Keep in mind that a short flight is considered to be up to three hours, during this period you can count on refreshments and snacks. But on long routes the food in the plane is full-fledged - soft drinks, hot and cold snacks, lunch consisting of meat or fish and garnish, dessert, and tea and coffee. That is, you can be absolutely sure that during a long and heavy flight you will not remain hungry and will always be able to choose something delicious for yourself.

Not the least role is played by the direction of the airliner's route. After all, before departure, the aircraft is loaded with boxes of food prepared at the airport of the city of departure. Therefore, for example, a chicken on the route Bangkok - Moscow will differ significantly in taste from what you are served on a flight from Moscow to Bangkok. Of course, the cooks try to cook the most neutral food, but still can not do without the national color.

Types of food

Few passengers know that the food on board the airliner has many types and can be ordered individually. For example, the usual classical menu is divided into several subspecies, implying a separate pre-order:

• Low-calorie food;
• Diabetic;
• Salt-free;
• Dietary and the like.

A special menu exists for vegetarians, which, in turn, is divided into several categories:

• Only plant products;
• Menu with eggs and dairy products;
• Asian vegetarian food and the like.

The airline did not avoid the religious beliefs of its passengers, so the food was thought out and for them:

• Hindu;
• Lean;
• Kosher;
• Muslim and so on.

Particular excitement of parents usually causes baby food on the plane. After all, passengers are also children of several months of age and a two-three-year-old baby. For them, a menu has been developed that takes into account age: up to two years - puree in jars, from two to twelve years - special food with lean dishes.

Ordering special food

If you plan to make a special meal order, you should take care of this in advance. Some companies take into account this fact at the stage of booking tickets, you will have to check in a special box. However, it is usually the air carrier's rules that a special order is made for a maximum of thirty-six and at least twenty-four hours before departure.

Do not forget that each special menu has its own character encoding. For example, for babies under two years, baby food on the plane will be designated as BBML.

Please note that if the carrier changes the departure time, your order will need to be confirmed again. Otherwise it will be canceled.

Where are meals prepared for meals on board?

Food intended for passengers of airliners is prepared in special workshops. There, the same chicken and fish are heat treated on the conveyor, which are most often fed by travelers in airplanes. Here, all dishes are packed in special airtight containers, sent to the chamber for cooling.

Chefs who develop menus for airlines always take into account the fact that the dish should be quickly cooled to the right temperature and at the same time do not change its taste after ten to fifteen hours of storage in the warehouse and heating on board in a microwave oven.

It is because of such manipulations to many passengers that chicken meat seems a bit rubbery and the fish is watery. However, scientists argue that often food in flight seems to us tasteless at all for other reasons.

Influence of flight on human taste buds

There is a category of passengers who are sure that any food on the plane is extremely tasteless. But others with pleasure weave everything that the stewardess brings them. Recently, scientists have found that it does not depend on the vagaries of travelers, their moods, and not even on taste preferences. The fact is that at an altitude of several thousand meters receptors in the mouth of a person begin to behave absolutely in a special way.

The sense of smell and taste are exacerbated, especially the receptors responsible for the perception of acid and saline. Therefore, during the flight, tomato juice and tea with lemon are so much in demand. Sugar, on the contrary, seems less sweet, but coffee - softer.

Thanks to all these whims of our body, many passengers are happy to eat previously unloved food, while others do not have the slightest satisfaction from eating.

Myths about the dangers of food in flight

Some passengers insist that taking food during an air flight is not only harmful, but also dangerous for digestion. After all, in their opinion, food products in the plane at high altitude and in conditions of increased pressure simply will not be digested. This, in turn, will significantly harm the body.

Modern doctors completely refute this version. They proved that the human digestion is not in any way related to pressure and height. In addition, they argue that refusing to eat on long flights is very dangerous for health. Therefore, it is necessary to eat every three to four hours. And to avoid dehydration, you need to comply with the drinking regime - do not hesitate to ask the stewardesses for another glass of water or tea.

In addition, many passengers are distracted from the widespread fear of flying. During eating, the nervous system calms down, and the body begins to actively release hormones of joy.

Nutrition rules in the airplane: ban on certain types of products

If you are afraid to poison yourself with food on the plane, then we hasten to reassure you - the dishes must be checked for microorganisms. Desserts based on butter and custard are especially carefully tested.

International rules prohibit the preparation of dishes from certain types of products. These include, for example, mollusks and crustaceans. Also, flooded, cooked using gelatin, and raw coconut shavings are prohibited. In general, this list includes more than a hundred different products.

Is it possible to carry food in hand luggage on an airplane?

We already found out that some tickets do not include food. But what if you can not do without food? To pay or stay hungry? Not at all. The rules of the flight are not forbidden to carry food to the aircraft. You can place them in your carry-on luggage. However, do not forget that there are some limitations that must be taken into account if you want to eat during your own air travel.

Rules for carrying food to the airliner

Naturally, first of all passengers take with them food, which can be bought in duty-free. In this case, there are no restrictions on the number and type of food carried.

However, you can put other food in hand luggage, which will make a tasty snack during the flight. Often passengers take with themselves chips, crackers, chocolate and nuts. Household supplies are also fairly common, packed in small containers. Keep in mind that during check-in on the flight you will need to show them to the airline's employees.

Do not forget that the volume of any liquid, carried on board, should not exceed one hundred milliliters. And it should be packed in tightly closed containers of no more than one liter. If you take a homemade salad with you in the container, take care that it is placed in a sealed plastic bag. And one passenger has the right to place in hand luggage only one such package.

Therefore, moms, worried about whether it is possible to take baby food on the plane from home, can be absolutely calm. Nobody will forbid you to carry on board the airliner a few hermetically sealed jars of puree for a small passenger of the voyage.

We gather a light snack: the advice of experienced travelers

If you have never taken food with you on your plane from home, we can help you avoid the most common mistakes. Listen to our advice, and then your flight will definitely be pleasant:

• During an air journey, the body desperately needs protein food, so bring a boiled chicken or beef and cheese;
• Food should not have sharp odors (in flight the person's sense of smell is aggravated);
• Products taken with you should not cause inconvenience to you and other passengers (crumble and quickly spoil);
• Excellent for snacking dark chocolate, nut mixture or dried fruit;
• They satisfy hunger with ordinary sandwiches;
• Those who can not do without flying a full meal, we recommend to prepare a light salad (without beans and plenty of mayonnaise);
• Fruit during the flight perfectly quenches thirst and hunger, however they should not be too watery.

We hope that after reading this article you do not have any questions about the food on board. And now even a long flight will not turn into a difficult test for you.