food Archives - TravelSkills

New food options coming at United, Delta, JetBlue

June 23, 2017

New United package: Uno’s pizza and Miller Light. (Image: United)

We recently provided an in-depth look at United’s cheeseburger , introduced in January and now the most requested item in the airline’s Bistro on Board menu. Now United is refreshing its food-for-purchase options starting July 1, Delta is expanding its free economy class meal options on transcon routes, and JetBlue is offering a new set of boxed snacks for sale.

United is rolling out another likely winner in the comfort-food category: pizza. If you’re a pizza aficionado and you travel to Chicago, you’ve probably dined at the iconic deep-dish pizzeria Uno’s (or its sister location, Due’s). And that’s the vendor United will use for its in-flight pies.

The spinach-and-garlic pizza from Uno’s (sorry, no substitutions) will be available for purchase on United flights of more than three and a half hours. They’ll be priced at $9.99 – or you can add a Miller Light for a total cost of $13.99.

Elements of United’s protein box. (Image: United)

Other selections coming to United’s Bistro on Board menu July 1 include a Thai-style chicken ciabatta sandwich, an egg-white flatbread, and a “protein box” with hummus, tabbouleh salad, almonds and pretzel sticks. The cheeseburger will still be there, and so will United’s breakfast sandwich (egg, cheese and sausage).

Delta just announced it is increasing the number of free Main Cabin meal offerings on a dozen transcontinental routes from the current six options to 18. The airline said it will offer “distinct breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that vary on eastbound and westbound flights.” Some of the items on the new menu include a cheese plate, a Luvo Harissa roasted veggie wrap, a Greek Meze plate, a beef pastrami sandwich and a sesame noodle salad. You can see the full menu here.

A fruit, cheese and cookies plate from Delta. (Image: Delta)

In March, Delta started offering free meals in coach on its prime transcon routes between JFK-San Francisco and JFK-Los Angeles. A month later, it expanded the service to Boston-San Francisco, Boston-LAX and Boston-Seattle; Washington Reagan National-LAX; JFK-Seattle and JFK-Portland; Seattle-Ft. Lauderdale, Seattle-Orlando and Seattle-Raleigh/Durham.

JetBlue, meanwhile, is coming out with new “EatUp” boxed snack selections July 1 on flights of more than two hours, available for purchase by passengers who can’t seem to fill up on the airline’s free and unlimited snacks.

JetBlue’s new boxed snack selections. (Image: JetBlue)

The new boxed snacks include the Big Up (an RXBAR bar, coconut toffee candy, turkey jerkey, roasted chickpeas and parmesan cheese crisps); the MixItUp (a KIND granola bar, ranch crackers, a turkey stick and fruit snacks); the AmpUp (gluten-free, vegan and kosher items including red pepper hummus Mary’s Gone crackers, a MadeGood chocolate crispy rice square, Greek olives, roasted almonds and a fruit bar); and the CatchUp (salt and pepper cashews, popcorn, brownie crisps and jellybeans).

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Meals & snacks in coach: Which airlines are best for you?

December 23, 2016

Delta’s food got healthier with things like wraps from Luvo. (Image: Delta)

A nutritionist rates Virgin America’s and Delta’s main cabin food as the healthiest.

Do you care about the calories and nutritional content of the food and snacks you eat on airlines? Charles Platkin PhD does. He’s a nutritionist with the online nom de plume ‘The Diet Detective’, and his latest annual study of airline food content for economy class travelers has Virgin America and Delta ranked at the top.

Virgin America’s offerings rated 4-1/4 stars overall in his study (on a 1 to 5 scale), while Delta pulled down 4 stars and a “most improved” designation. The bottom-dwellers in the study were Frontier and Spirit, each earning just one star and a “shame on you” catcall.

Platkin says Virgin America – which also took top honors in his 2015 study — continues to do “a very good job of creating interesting, thoughtful food in all categories except for individual snacks.” In fact, he says, “all the airlines could do better with their snack choices – there is no clear leader in this category.” (His data was gathered before Delta’s recent announcement of new snack choices.)

An edamame wrap on Virgin America. (Image: Virgin America)

Overall, “This has been a slow year in general for innovation in terms of healthy foods, transparency, and food consciousness (no GMOs, organic, lighter and sustainable foods),” he wrote. “Airlines other than Delta and Virgin America seem very slow to catch on to the food awareness that is going on around the country and around the world. I’d think it would be good business for them to provide better, healthier and more conscientious food.”

Air Canada matched Delta in earning 4 stars; ratings for other airlines were 3.75 for Alaska (making us wonder whether Alaska’s or Virgin’s menu planners will dominate after their merger); 3.5 for JetBlue; 3.25 for United; 3 for American; 2 for Southwest (peanuts, anyone?), 1.75 for Hawaiian and Allegiant; and 1 for Spirit and Frontier.

Economy class snack items on American. (Image: American Airlines)

For serious foodies, the best thing about the Diet Detective’s research is the comprehensive nutritional information he provides for every individual snack and meal offering on every airline, including calories, fat, sodium, protein, carbohydrate and fiber content, along with the number of minutes you’d have to walk to burn off each item. He also provides caloric totals and general conclusions for each carrier. Click on the above link to this year’s study and you’ll see what we mean.

For instance, here are his thoughts on United for this year: “United is the 4th largest airline in the U.S., they should be thinking about healthy food. Years ago, they were number one in this area. The breakfast, lunch and dinner menu has many new options; however, healthy meal choices fare limited. It’s too bad United eliminated the oatmeal for breakfast; it was a good choice. The good news, nutrition-wise, is that they did put eggs back into the lineup.”

Readers: Do you care about the content of economy class food items? What’s your favorite single snack or meal, and on which airline?

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Delta’s new domestic food-for-purchase menus

May 26, 2016

A mesquite smoked turkey and apple sdandwich highlights Delta's new Flight Fuel menu. (Image: Delta)

A mesquite smoked turkey, cheese and tomato sandwich highlights Delta’s new Flight Fuel menu. (Image: Delta)

If you fly Delta a lot and you’re getting tired of seeing the same old in-flight food options, get ready for a change: On June 1 the airline will roll out a whole new slate of menu offerings.

Called Flight Fuel, the new menus will be available for purchase on North American and Hawaii flights of more than 900 miles.

The new offerings come in three menus: regular Flight Fuel for most domestic routes; Flight Fuel Premium for Delta’s New York JFK-San Francisco and JFK-Los Angeles flights; and Flight Fuel Hawaii. The airline said the menu offerings will be revised every six months. The menu offerings will focus on “healthful options” and “fresh ingredients,” Delta said.

Transcon options include a premium fruit and cheese plate. (Image: Delta)

Flight Fuel snack boxes will provide full labeling with information on ingredients and allergens, and will include a new Tapas Snack Box ($8.99) with all non-GMO ingredients. Breakfast options include a continental breakfast (yogurt/fruit and a Kind bar, $6.99); a turkey and apple sandwich ($8.49); and a fruit and cheese plate ($8.49). The fruit/cheese plate is also on the Flight Fuel lunch/dinner menu, along with three options priced at $9.99: a turkey, cheese and tomato sandwich; a southwest grilled chicken wrap; and a sesame grilled chicken wrap. Here’s the actual Flight Fuel main menu.

A chicken and couscous salad option will be on Hawaii flights. (Image: Delta)

Additional options on the Flight Fuel Premium menu include a couple of breakfast wraps and a “breakfast medley” of various ingredients, all $10.99; and lunch/dinner offerings like a Black Angus burger ($9.99) and a Mediterranean whole grain veggie wrap ($10.99), as well as an all-day fruit and cheese plate option ($12.99) from Murray’s Cheese, New York’s oldest cheese shop. The Hawaii flights will also have a chicken and couscous salad option ($8.99) and a pepperoni pizza ($8.99).

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Healthy eating for travelers: LAX, Virgin America top 2015 ratings

December 8, 2015

Virgin America’s Protein Plate breakfast. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

Do you try to eat healthy when you travel? Lots of road warriors figure it’s easy to lower the bar and indulge themselves on the road, because why not? Still, plenty of travelers are trying to keep their health in mind. But the availability of healthy menu items can be inconsistent; some airlines and airports are much better than others when it comes to serving up nutritious food.

A pair of new studies show just how inconsistent they can be– and which ones are doing the best job.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has come out with its 2015 study of menu options at major airports, and it finds things are continuing to get better overall: 71 percent of the restaurants at the 30 biggest U.S. airports now offer “at least one high-fiber, plant-based vegan meal option,” the group found — a 25 percent gain from 2001.

The committee gave Los Angeles International the number one ranking, with healthy menu options offered at 44 of 49 restaurants there, or 90 percent. The group cited one LAX outlet in particular — Real Food Daily — for a good selection of entrees with “a mix of vegetables, beans and grains.”

Newark Liberty ranked second with an 84 percent rate, followed by San Francisco International and Philadelphia International, each with 82 percent.

At the bottom of the list was Minneapolis-St. Paul, where only 56 percent of the eateries served up at least one dish that met the committee’s standards; Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson wasn’t much better, with a 57 percent rate. The committee said those two airports had “a high proportion of fast-food restaurant chains, including Burger King and McDonald’s, clogging their airport terminals.”

Meanwhile, the website Diet Detective has come out with its 2015 analysis of in-flight food on U.S. airlines, and once again Virgin America was at the top of its list, earning four and a half out of five stars. The site said Virgin “is still doing a fantastic job of creating healthy food and offering strong choices in all categories except for individual snacks” — but it noted that “all of the airlines could do better with their snack choices.”

The site put Delta and JetBlue in a tie for second place, each with four stars. It noted that Virgin, Delta and JetBlue all deserve special credit for starting to share nutritional information on some of their offerings.

At the bottom of the rankings, Diet Detective gave “shame on you” ratings to Alaska, Spirit and Frontier, and noted that “Hawaiian Air was not much better.”

The best thing about Diet Detective’s study is that it gives calorie counts and nutritional data for specific menu items at each airline; it even tells you how many minutes of walking you’d have to do to burn off a specific in-flight meal. And it makes you realize some things are counter-intuitive — e.g. if you think you’re saving calories on Delta by ordering a snack box instead of a meal, think again: The average Delta meal is 546 calories, the average snack box 712.

Sadly, the Diet Detective observed that the calorie count per in-flight food item has been on a steady upward trend in recent years, from an average of 360 calories in 2012 to 400 this year. What’s more, the airlines “appear to be decreasing the number of choices they offer,” the site said.

Readers: What’s your favorite airport restaurant/in-flight meal option for healthy dining? Otherwise, what’s your biggest eating indulgence on the road? Post comments below.

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Trip Report: A heaping helping of SWISS inflight food

July 2, 2015

First course: Marinated prawns, salad and cheese plate. (Chris McGinnis)

First course SFO-ZRH: Grilled shrimp w cilantro, anise daikon, celery & fuji apple salad, and cheese plate. (Chris McGinnis)

Last month I flew on the SWISS “Roche Coach” between San Francisco and Spain in business class. I posted my first report about that journey here.

But since I get such a kick out of the food and wine onboard (and taking photos of it) I’ve decided to start splitting my trip reports into two parts– one about the plane and service, and a separate one about the food.

See how I split up my SFO Dublin trip into two reports here: Aer Lingus flight | Aer Lingus food in flight

The SWISS inflight dining experience is, as expected, very European. It’s also very Swiss, which to me means it’s very filling and satisfying, heavy on cheese and cream, and served in a very sophisticated way.

Meals in both transoceanic legs were really outstanding, but I liked the service on the return (ZRH-SFO) flight best because it’s a long, spread out, relaxed and convivial experience. While the food on the flight to Zurich was great, I always feel in a bit of a hurry to eat lightly and try to get in some zzzz’s on the way to Europe.

So let’s take a look at these tasty morsels!

First off, take a look at that shrimp starter above… then move on to the next courses…

My economy class roundtrip fare was $1,380, but my contacts at SWISS were able to finagle last minute business class upgrades in both directions for this review.

Main course: Spaetzle. Heavy, hearty-- more sleep inducing than Ambien! (Chris McGinnis)

Main course: Swiss spaetzle gratin w mushrooms, leek, fried onions, Gruyere. Heavy, hearty– more sleep inducing than Ambien! (Chris McGinnis)

I chose to go native and have the spaetzle- but other main course choices were seared beef tenderloin or grilled chicken with mushroom cream sauce, rosti and green beans.

A nice light berry tart for dessert. (Chris McGinnis)

A nice light berry tartlet for dessert. (Chris McGinnis)

What seemed strange to me is that the cheese course was served with the appetizer at the beginning of the meal instead of afterwards with liqueurs and coffee. Is that a Swiss thing? To eat the cheese first? I’m not sure. In any case, the berry tart for dessert was delightful and light after that creamy spaetzle.

And of course, a selection of fine Swiss chocolates to end the meal service (Chris McGinnis)

Fine Swiss chocolates served after the meal– which I declined, sadly, because I think chocolate might affect my sleep on the plane. But they sure look good, don’t they?

On this flight I was able to get several hours of sleep on the nice SWISS lie flat business class seat. Details on the SWISS seat here.

Breakfast eggs, mushrooms, tomato and asparagus (Chris McGinnis)

After some good shut-eye, I awoke to a service cart in the aisle with a pile of french pastries, bircher muesli, fruit and these nice little cups of eggy delight. However, I was still full from the night before, so got by on a few bites of muesli and some coffee.

A lovely light supper salmon salad on Zurich-Madrid leg (Chris McGinnis)

After the overnight flight from SFO to Zurich, I changed planes for the trip to Madrid. While it still felt like morning to me, it was about 5 pm in Europe. This light salmon salad was perfect as I was now getting hungry. Note the ever present strip of Swiss Gruyere 🙂

A light spongy and delightful strawberry something-or-other SWISS ZRH-BCN (Chris McGinnis)

That’s it for my flight over. After getting off the plane in Madrid, I spent 4 days there and in Barcelona. Here’s my story about taking a new type of tour in Barcelona here.

Now, let’s take a look at the meals on my Barcelona-Zurich-San Francisco flight, which began at about 9 am in Barcelona and ended around 5 pm in San Francisco.

It was a very long day of eating SWISS food- and taking photos of it!

A very Euro breakfast: Meat, cheese, bread, fruit and bircher meusli (Chris McGinnis)

Breakfast on BCN-ZRH– perfect portions, and yep, more gruyere! 😉 Then it was on to a SWISS A340 in business class for the Zurich-San Francisco leg.

Breadsticks and Bordeaux to start (Chris McGinnis)

Why not try all three of the reds? (Chris McGinnis)

The flight attendant could tell I was very interested in the wine list, so he pulled out two more glasses and said, “Why don’t you try all three?” And I said, “Why not?” We have nine more hours to go 🙂

I tried: Oro Rosso 2011 Tenimento dell’Or – Arzo (a Swiss blend); Red 2013 Heinrich-Gols from Burgenland Austria and Chateau Lauriol 2011, a French Bordeaux.

I really wanted to like the Swiss red the best, but the French Bordeaux clinched the competition.

Starter: Salmon trout tartare with horseradish cream, beetroot and goat cheese (Chris McGinnis)

Corn-fed chicken with Sbrinz sauce, potato puree w truffle, gnocchi & green asparagus (Chris McGinnis)

Other choices for this all day flight included a braised lamb shoulder with dumplings or perch meuniere with lemon and sun-dried tomato butter.

Cheese plate and dessert to finish- that jammy looking item packed a punch w horseradish (Chris McGinnis)

Cheese plate, natch, and dessert to finish- that jammy looking item is a super hot fig mustard (Chris McGinnis)

In the background is Tiramisu Tentazioni with salted chocolate crumble. YUM!

My sophisticated European dining experience was marred by this site (Chris McGinnis)

My sophisticated European dining experience was marred by this sight (Chris McGinnis)

Just as I was feeling like I was dining at a classy European restaurant, these feet popped up across the aisle. I could not resist taking a photo.

After a few hours of digestion, a nap and some work, flight attendants rolled out a cart of ice cream. I’ve had ice cream sundaes, but never a cone inflight.

A few hours later…. Ice cream cones! (Chris McGinnis)

A little mid flight strawberry ice cream, then back to work on the blog (Chris McGinnis)

After all that, flight attendants fit in one more very nice meal service just as we were flying over northern California before landing at SFO.

Final meal: Sliced cold beef over a bready arugula salad (Chris McGinnis)

Final meal: Panzella salad with cold sliced roast beef (Chris McGinnis)

What do you think? How do you think the SWISS meal service you see here compares to your business class dining experiences? Please leave your comments below!

Last month I flew on the SWISS Roche Coach between San Francisco and Spain in business class. I posted my first report about that journey here.

–Chris McGinnis

Disclosure: Paid economy class fare on this flight was $1,380 and SWISS provided Chris with a complimentary standby upgrade to business class.

How airlines make inflight fare beautiful [photos]

June 1, 2015

Singapore Airline's executive chef inspects 95 meals at an airport catering kitchen (Chris McGinnis)

Singapore Airlines’ executive chef inspects 75-95 meals at an airport catering kitchen (Chris McGinnis)

Three times a year, Singapore Airlines’ food and beverage executives create new seasonal menus for all its flights worldwide. These menus are sent from Singapore to about 60 inflight catering facilities around the world.

The catering kitchens source ingredients for the meals, then practice making and plating the meals in preparation for a visit from a Singapore Airlines executive chef.

On the day the executive chef arrives, the kitchen has prepared every single dish on the menus, which are laid out for inspection.

Kitchen staff gather around and watch as the chef reviews each dish, inquires about ingredients and preparation, and then plates the dish in the manner that the airline would like it served.

Once the dish is perfectly plated, the staff take several photographs of the dish. These photos are then reproduced and placed in manuals used by flight attendants to ensure that each dish matches the executive chef’s exacting specifications for preparation and plating.

This catering and menu review is a very detailed, very intense (and very hunger-inducing) process and last month Singapore Air invited TravelSkills out to a nondescript catering kitchen about a mile south of San Francisco International Airport to witness it.

When we arrived, Singapore Airlines top food and beverage executive, Chef Hermann Freidanck was already engaged with the staff from the Flying Food Group kitchen. He was inspecting first class meals for the summer season. Here’s what we saw and heard during an hour long visit.

Flying Food Group chefs and staff taking orders from the firm-yet-fun Chef Freidanck (Chris McGinnis)

Thick seafood chowder served with prawns and bacon bits starts out like this (Chris McGinnis)

Thick seafood chowder served with prawns and bacon bits starts out looking like this (Chris McGinnis)

Food is delivered to planes in “foils” that are heated in a convection, steam or microwave ovens onboard.

Chef works his magic (Chris McGinnis)

Singapore Airlines has two flights a day from SFO- one to Seoul, then Singapore. The other to Hong Kong, then Singapore.

Here’s how a first class passenger sees that seafood chowder (Chris McGinnis)

Two flights per day with three classes of service means that Chef Freidanck must inspect almost 95 plates during his two-day visit.

The kitchen preps and cools this lamb shank, and delivers it to the plane like this (Chris McGinnis)

Food is cooked about 40% at the inflight kitchen, then finished off onboard.

When it gets to the table of a first class passenger, it looks like this! (Chris McGinnis)

When it gets to the table of a first class passenger, the lamb shank looks like this! (Chris McGinnis)

Chef Freidanck: “Fat is good to eat but not to look at.”

Iberico ham with burnt fig looked like this at first (Chris McGinnis)

Iberico ham with burnt fig looked like this at first- but chef thought the portion size too large, some pieces too fatty (Chris McGinnis)

So he fiddled around with it, came up with a proper portion size (Chris McGinnis)

So he fiddled around with it, came up with a proper portion size, and re-plated it (Chris McGinnis)

Here’s the final product, ready to be photographed for the manual (Chris McGinnis)

It’s important to pay attention to regional differences in the Asian palate. For example, we learned that Singapore Air packs one type of soy sauce to serve on flights to Seoul, another on flights to Hong Kong, and yet another on flights to Taipei. Chef said that if they serve the wrong one, passengers will let the airline know.

Wagyu Beef comes out of the kitchen looking like this…. (Chris McGinnis)

Chef: “Is this wagyu beef from the US or Australia? What is the marble count? If it’s from Australia, can’t you get better meat in the US?” “What about the lamb shanks… American or New Zealand lamb?”

Here’s what the Wagyu beef looks like when plated to Singapore Airlines’s specifications (Chris McGinnis)

When flying from the US, Chef said, “we make sure our beef is on the rare side, but when flying from Asia, we tend to go more toward medium. Over there they don’t like to see pink or blood on the plate.”

Congee is comfort food in Singapore- here you see the before & after (Chris McGinnis)

“Sixty percent of our passengers are NOT from Singapore. Plus Singapore is a very diverse place, so we need to get a lot of different dishes prepared and plated just right.”

Here’s what a business class breakfast of hotcakes, sausage and eggs looks like in the galley (Chris McGinnis)

Some dishes sit for 8-10 hours before they are served.

Delicate dim sum dumplings kept moist with wilted cabbage leaves (Chris McGinnis)

All that beauty is created in this not-so-beautiful building just south of SFO (Chris McGinnis)

–Chris McGinnis

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: New airline routes + 10 more airports get immigration pre-clearance + Hotel chains’ Wi-Fi service ranked + Toronto Airport’s new rail link

Trip Report: Aer Lingus business class meals best in class

May 26, 2015

Surprise hot samosas on Aer Lingus (Chris McGinnis)

Back in March, Aer Lingus invited TravelSkills along for the maiden voyage of a big green A330 outfitted with its new lie-flat business class seat and enhanced service. In our first Trip Report you find all you need to know about the hard product— what the best seats are, inflight entertainment, sleep quality, etc.

But today, let’s take a look at the food service, which I must say was some of the tastiest, most satisfying and beautifully presented business class fare I’ve had in a while. Highlights include big healthy portions, a nice express option for those who want to sleep, and some off-the-menu surprises, like the warm samosas pictured above.

NEWS: Aer Lingus to be taken over by British Airways parent IAG (and likely switch to Oneworld from the Star Alliance)

There’s very little negative news to report here… about the only thing that went wrong with the meal service was that hot towels came after appetizers were served… in both directions. Seemed odd to touch food with airport- dirty hands… but anyway…

Let’s take a look! First, the SFO-DUB leg (about 9.5 hours) was on a Friday evening (departing at 6:30 pm) and the mood was festive because many of us were flying to Dublin for St Patrick’s Day weekend. So the pre-flight champagne flowed freely.

Preflight champers on Aer Lingus (Chris McGinnis)

But I wanted to get some sleep since I had meetings planned as soon as we landed, so I opted for an orange juice and the express meal, which was prompt, beautiful and delicious. That meant I got several hours of good sleep on the lie-flat seat.

Service was excellent with some nice touches that I noticed. For example, before placing a white linen table cloth on the tray table, busy flight attendants would ask, “May I dress your table?” or before pouring wine, “Would you like to try the Valpolicella before I pour?” This was all the more impressive because there were only two flight attendants hustling to serve the sold out business class section (23 seats). What was even nicer is the kind way that they worked together, saying things to fellow attendants like, “Can you fetch another bottle of fizzy water from the galley, darling.”

Best sure to read the first Trip Report about this Aer Lingus flight.

Beef and eggplant canapes provide a nice start to meal service on SFO>DUB Aer Lingus departing 6:30 pm (Chris McGinnis)

Express meals served on a single tray, all at once- this is grilled oregano marinated chicken in alfredo sauce (Chris McGinnis)

A fine selection of warm bread, oregano marinated chicken breast with a tomato alfredo sauce with a nice touch- sprigs of fresh oregano and ravioli.

All food served on Wedgewood China (Chris McGinnis)

Hefty wedges of cheese, fresh fruit and Carr’s crackers- express meal gets this or dessert (Chris McGinnis)

One of the best parts about a trip to Ireland are opportunities to taste the country’s fine cheeses- flights on both directions provided several.

Full dinner menu on Aer Lingus SFO>DUB (Chris McGinnis)

After my express dinner, I slept soundly for a few hours and awoke to a light continental breakfast (Bread, fruit, yogurt, coffee/tea) just before landing.

Nice white china, and robust dark roast coffee in the morning (Chris McGinnis)

Continental breakfast lacked eggs or meat, but was fine considering the ample dinner service (Chris McGinnis)

Here’s what the business class section looks like without passengers (Chris McGinnis)

Okay, so that concludes the SFO-Dublin portion of the trip. Now let’s fly back to SFO and dine exquisitely!

On the return DUB-SFO flight, I went to the Aer Lingus business class lounge for a look and a bite (Chris McGinnis)

A nice bright business class lounge at Dublin airport (Chris McGinnis)

A full selection of breakfast breads at the Aer Lingus business class lounge (Chris McGinnis)

Fruit and yogurt and a full bar for breakfast (Chris McGinnis)

Okay, let’s get onboard for the 11-hour flight back to SFO!

Aer Lingus champagne pre-flight (Chris McGinnis)

Hot samosa surprise! Flight attendants passed these around to the delight of hungry passengers. Went well with Champagne! (Chris McGinnis)

More canapes! (Chris McGinnis)

Smoked chicken salad beautifully presented (Chris McGinnis)

Smoked chicken salad beautifully presented kicks off this food fest of a flight (Chris McGinnis)

The beef was beautiful, but regrettably overcooked and tough but the mushrooms, beans and potato and bernaise were tasty (Chris McGinnis)

Four choices for lunch. Nice (Chris McGinnis)

A french lemon tart served with berry coulis. Perfection! (Chris McGinnis)

A french lemon tart served with berry coulis for dessert. Perfection! (Chris McGinnis)

Still room for cheese after all that? Barely! (Chris McGinnis)

Still room for cheese after all that? Barely! The dark one is Irish Cheddar made with Guinness, natch (Chris McGinnis)

After an 11 hour flight, there's room for more. This is a nice cold beef open faced sandwich served as we flew over Mt Shasta (Chris McGinnis)

After an 11 hour flight, there’s room for more. This is a nice cold beef open faced sandwich served with tart grainy mustard as we flew over Mt Shasta (Chris McGinnis)

I’ve never seen allergy information presented on a business class menu (Chris McGinnis)

This is Part 2 of our Trip Report on Aer Lingus SFO-DUB. Best sure to read the first Trip Report about this Aer Lingus flight.

–Chris McGinnis

Disclosure: I was a guest of Aer Lingus on this roundtrip flight.

4 ways foodie culture impacts our trips

October 17, 2014

This hamburger served on a Delta ATL-SFO flight was really good! What's the best Delta meal you've ever had? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

This hamburger served for lunch in first class on a Delta ATL-SFO flight was really good! What’s the best Delta meal you’ve ever had? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The newly fervent foodie culture has truly defined the last decade, primarily fueled by a big increase in coverage across all media. So it was inevitable that airlines would soon come around to using food experiences as a differentiator.

Following that trend, airlines have jumped on board in an effort to provide a culinary offering that at least attempts to match what travelers enjoy at home. Here are a few of the most recent rollouts of interest to any traveler interested in enhanced culinary experience. Hungry? Then read on.

Pop-ups at 35,000 feet

The popup concept has changed the way we eat by allowing chefs the creative license of a limited run in a temporary space.

There’s nothing more limited than a flight from point A to point B, and SWISS has laid claim to be one of the first airline pop-ups. The airline has hired Michelin-starred Swiss Chef Andreas Caminada, of Schauenstein Schloss, to create a meal for passengers traveling in SWISS first, business and even economy on November 21 from Zurich to New York.

One of Chef Caminada's creations (Photo: SWISS)

One of Chef Caminada’s creations ready for the oven (Photo: SWISS)

The Chef will bring his own crew from his restaurant to cook in the pop-up galley. This means that the kitchen staff will personally serve the one-off creation to the flight’s passengers. Providing this personalized culinary experience can also build demand for a specific routing – for example, a Chef could be brought in each week on one route to serve a temporary pop-up meal to travelers, creating a brand-new route differentiator for foodie-focused airlines.

Would you alter your travel plans to get a popup meal onboard a flight? Leave your comments below!

Delta’s farm-to-tray movement

If there’s one airline that is pursuing a pure path straight into the heart of foodie heaven, it’s Delta. Earlier this year Delta enlisted top Atlanta chef Linton Hopkins (Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch) to deliver on a “farm-to-tray” ecosystem, where each ingredient is sourced in the vicinity of the Atlanta airport from small purveyors.

The idea here is that airline food must also adhere to local, small-batch principles in order to support the surrounding vendors and farms. For flights originating outside of the Atlanta hub, chefs are encouraged to consider the local environment when designing menus.

For the fall, the first class menu on flights from Atlanta to Paris, London-Heathrow, Amsterdam and Frankfurt includes African squash soup, Sunburst Trout Farms smoked trout, and Gulf shrimp with heirloom white grits, among others. Certain flights will feature meals created by Chef Hopkins, while other routes headed south will come from Miami Chef Michelle Bernstein. On domestic flights in first class the fare is not as high falutin’, but still satisfying… like the burger pictured above.

What’s the best meal you’ve ever had on Delta? Please let us know in the comments below.

Order your meal to carry onboard in one of these "hampers" from Heathrow (Photo: Gordon Ramsay)

Order your meal to carry onboard in one of these insulated “hampers” from Heathrow (Photo: Gordon Ramsay)

Or…a picnic, perhaps?

London’s Heathrow airport is experimenting with a way to boost business in-terminal by providing passengers an easy way to grab a meal to eat on-board. The initiative provides passengers with a veddy-British-sounding “bespoke hamper,” a non-disposable cooler bag containing a variety of meal items, which can be ordered from all 188 food vendors at the airport.

49 brands are participating in this foodie-forward service, meaning that transiting passengers now grab a wide selection of on-the-go food options. By providing a means to deliver a culinary experience on-board, the airport is slicing business away from on-board retailing and making food taste better.

To promote the new service, Heathrow has built a “pop-up park” in the brand new Terminal 2 (home to Star Alliance carriers) for travelers to sample the meals. So stop by and listen for the sound of birds and a enjoy a full-on faux park experience. 🙂

Bringing groceries home

In the “now-that’s-a-good-idea” department, some companies are now targeting homecoming travelers with empty fridges. Passengers arriving into Finland’s Helsinki airport can now pre-order groceries online that they pick up at the airport and to take home upon arrival. This ensures that a traveler is able to avoid the dreaded “empty fridge hunger” syndrome that plagues many business travelers, especially singles with no one home to buy the groceries.

Would you like to pick up groceries at the airport? Please leave your comments below!

–Nick Vivion

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ATL ranks last + more Delta devaluations + 747 refurb complete + loaded guns

November 12, 2013

Tempting, yes. Healthy? Not so much. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

ATLANTA AIRPORT FOOD RANKS LAST. First, the good news: Overall, airport fare has become a lot healthier in recent years… we’ve come a long way from those wizened wieners and dried out triangles of pizza from years gone by. According to a new study from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 76% of airport restaurants offer at least one cholesterol free, plant-based entrée such as salads, veggie soups, wraps or burgers—that’s up from just 57% in 2001. Now the bad news… all those yummy Chick-fil-a sandwiches with waffle fries, Varsity dogs and rings with F.O.s and IHOP pancakes have put our airport at the bottom of the list when it comes to healthy food. According to the study, only 51% of the restaurants at ATL offer at least one high-fiber, cholesterol free option. ATL has ranked last for the past three years. Airports in Denver, Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles ranked first, with over 80% of restaurants offering healthy options. What’s your favorite restaurant or food stand at ATL? Does it offer anything “healthy?” Please leave your comments below.

One Flew South at ATL Concourse E has some healthy options (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

IN SEARCH OF HEALTHY FOOD? Here are some suggestions from the Physicians Committee for finding healthy food at ATL: Fresh Healthy Café (Concourse C) may be travelers best bet with fresh kale wraps, dairy- and gluten-free salads, mega berry smoothies, and spiced apple oatmeal bowls. Try cauliflower and parsnip soup, edamame, and garden mint sushi at One Flew South (Concourse E) or stop by D8 Grill for a black bean burger. Checkpoint Grill (Concourse T) offers fire-roasted tomato soup and a grilled Southern vegetable plate, overflowing with grilled asparagus, collard greens, and a side of sweet potato fries.

AWARD CHART CHANGES PART DEUX…Following United’s move last week to drastically increase mileage prices, Delta has taken the knife to its SkyMiles chart yet again. Despite already announced increases beginning June 1, 2014, Delta is raising rates for awards for travel on or after Feb. 1, 2014, clearly an opportunity Delta did not want to miss for snatching away more hard-earned miles. Take a peek and you’ll see increases on popular awards including low-level awards in first class to Hawaii (up 5K from 85,000 to 90,000 miles) and business class to the South Asian subcontinent (up 20K from 120,000 to 140,000 miles) and in low-level economy to Hawaii (up 5k from 40,000 to 45,000 miles), the Middle East (80,000 to 85,000 miles), and the South Asian subcontinent (80,000 to 85,000 miles). And if you are crazy enough to redeem high-level awards for business class travel, increases to Africa and most of Asia are also in place. These are additional increases set to take effect before the third devaluation in June. Confused yet? There are now THREE charts to muddle through: current, interim (Feb 1-May 31, 2014), and new. Good grief! Thoughts please at the bottom!

DOUBLE MILES FROM SEATTLE…Delta is really sinking its teeth into the Seattle market and is offering double miles AND double MQMs on all Delta-operated flights between SEA and Anchorage, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego, and San Francisco. In what is direct, head-to-head competition with partner Alaska Airlines, this is certain to get some attention from local flyers. Even better, the promotion lasts until October 31, 2014. When was the last time you saw a year-round promotion? Maybe it’s time to move to Seattle! Register here

Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouse spa at London Heathrow Terminal 2 (Josh Friedman)

Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse spa at London Heathrow Terminal 3 (Photo: Josh Friedman)

DELTA MAKES BIG LONDON CHANGES…In partnership with Virgin Atlantic, Delta is moving its JFK, Boston, and Seattle nonstops to terminal 3 at Heathrow beginning April 2, 2014. This is a big plus for passengers excited about using Virgin’s famous Clubhouse lounge. All other Delta flights will continue to operate from the newly-renovated-but-still-not-as-sexy terminal 4 including the nonstop flights to Atlanta. This may cause some initial confusion, and passengers connecting at Heathrow from other SkyTeam flights (a minority of travelers overall), will have to switch terminals. Delta is also adding a second nonstop from Heathrow to Detroit beginning June 1, 2014. Virgin and Delta are also re-timing some of their flights to spread out frequency on the London-New York route with a total of nine departures daily including departure every 30 minutes during the early evening peak from New York.

AMEX POINT TRANSFER BONUS. American Express is offering a 20% bonus on points transfers to partner British Airways through Dec 31… and a 30% bonus on transfers to Virgin Atlantic through Nov 30.

All of Delta’s 747’s now refurbed (Photo: Redlegsfan)

DELTA COMPLETES 747 REFURB…All of Delta’s 747s are now equipped with comfortable flat-bed seating in BusinessElite. With 16 747s in the fleet and a full schedule between the U.S. and Asia, it is no easy task to pull them aside for interior refitting. The main deck biz class features 1-2-1 seating in the main section with 1-1 seating upstairs and in the lower deck’s nose section. These aircraft also received new economy class upgrades with entertainment systems installed at all seats, which was a much-needed and, now appreciated, overhaul.

HILTON OFFERS DOUBLE MQMs…Earn 250 MQMs with every two-night qualifying stay at a Hilton family property between now and Dec. 13, 2013. Plus, you will receive double SkyMiles if you have opted to receive points and miles with your Hilton HHonors account. Click here to register.

TSA SETS NEW RECORD FOR GUNS FOUND; ATL #1…The total tally for guns found year-to-date in coat pockets or in carry-on bags at airports across the U.S. comes to more than 1,500. The majority of the guns were loaded, and a third of them even had a bullet in the chamber. Atlanta is still the number one airport for guns discovered at TSA checkpoints with 91 found so far this year. Plans are in place to increase the signage indicating that weapons are not allowed. Perhaps these people forget they have them with them? Or are they trying to prove a point? Or were they living in a cave for the past decade? What do you think?

EXPERTFLYER LOSES UPGRADE DATA…If you use ExpertFlyer.com to access upgrade data, both Delta and United have nixed some of this information from public view via the service. Both airlines prefer to keep this information private, but for Delta frequent flyers searching for certain upgrade availability, it was often the best way to find RU/OU classes (complimentary domestic and Caribbean/Central American upgrades). If you are a Medallion and buying a ticket within your upgrade window, Delta.com will still show if upgrade inventory is there, but ExpertFlyer gave this information in advance of the upgrade window. Luckily, the inventory for systemwide certificate or mileage upgrades (RP/OP) still shows on ExpertFlyer.

NEW FLAT-BED SEATS ON JFK-LAX…Delta is placing three Boeing 757 aircraft equipped with new Business Elite flat bed seats onto the premium JFK-LAX run beginning July 1, 2014. Tickets are now available for purchase. By 2015, all flights on this route will feature the flat bed seats up front. These aircraft are primarily used on long-haul flying to Europe and South America plus these premium transcontinental flights between JFK and LAX, SFO, and SEA. LAX will be the first to see officially these on the schedule; if you know your summer plans, the beds are open for booking!

—Chris McGinnis & Ramsey Qubein

*****

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Delta backs down + Better food? + New ATL lounge + New Delta plane

July 28, 2013

DELTA BACKS OFF SAME-DAY CHANGE RESTRICTIONS…But just barely. Following significant feedback from customers, Delta has made the decision to soften the blow of recent changes to same day rules. Now, same-day confirmed changes can be made any time 24 hours prior to flight time. No fee will be required for Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallion members, but the same booking class must be available. This booking class restriction remains in place from the initial change, but the window for free changes has been extended to 24 hours (rather than within the previous three hour window). If your same fare bucket is not available, the free standby option remains. If you were upgraded on the original flight, going standby only puts you in the running for a seat in coach since the upgrade list is generally cleared first. This new policy is expected to be fully in place by late August. How do you feel about this slight “giveback”? Please leave your comments below!

Hugh Acheson of Empire State South

DELTA HOLDS COOKOFF FOR NEXT CHEF…Delta is teaming up with Food & Wine magazine to look for the next celebrity chef to provide input on meals for Atlanta-departing flights. The culinary video series, named “Cabin Pressure Cook Off,” features four contestants including two Atlanta stars: Hugh Acheson of Empire State South and Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch Public House. The Cabin Pressure Cook Off, which will air in October on Delta flights, will feature culinary challenges filmed at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. Delta prepares more than 110,000 inflight meals daily.

NEW LOUNGE OPENS IN ATLANTA… As mentioned on The TICKET Facebook page, The Club at ATL lounge on Concourse F has opened. It welcomes Lufthansa and British Airways premium passengers in addition to full Priority Pass members. Other passengers can buy a day pass for $35, which is cheaper than the Delta Sky Club $50 fee for general one-day access. Complimentary beverages (including wine and beer) in addition to light snacks and free wi-fi will be on offer, but the lounge is still little competition for the flashy new Sky Deck at the neighboring Delta Sky Club. Similar The Club lounges are located at airports in Raleigh-Durham, Las Vegas and Dallas. Have you visited one yet? Thoughts?

FIRST CLASS SNACK BASKET CHANGES…Noticed a few changes in the Delta snack basket recently? Delta is now stocking Fritos chips instead of SunChips (some flights may still have the latter until stocks run out). Other new items include Pirouette cookies and Hershey’s chocolate bars. Luckily, fresh fruit and Biscoff cookies are still here to stay in addition to other favorites like Pretzel M&Ms, Quaker granola bars, and peanuts. What’s your snack basket pick? Please leave your comments below.

Some of the firearms found in hand luggage and confiscated by the TSA

TSA FINDS MORE GUNS AT ATL THAN OTHER AIRPORTS…Atlanta TSA agents discovered more travelers attempting to pass through security with guns than any other U.S. airport last year. TSA didn’t keep statistics on guns intercepted before 2011, but the government agency says there is an upward national trend in recent years. In the first six months of the year, screeners found 894 guns nationwide either on people or inside carry-on baggage. Atlanta set the record last year with 96 guns found. Do these people not watch the news? The help build awareness, the TSA now has an Instagram page with photos of confiscated weaponry. Take a peek— you won’t believe what you see.

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O’HARE CREEPS UP ON ATLANTA’S TITLE…Since Atlanta stole the title of world’s busiest airport from Chicago O’Hare in 2005, the race has been fierce, and O’Hare is finally gaining traction again. This year, Chicago’s largest airport has seen an increase in flights, and according to a recent Chicago Tribune article, many believe it may steal back the title with the most flights in the coming years. In the first half of 2013, Atlanta handled 453,800 takeoffs and landings, while O’Hare accommodated 426,800 flights, a preliminary FAA tally shows. Atlanta carries also more passengers than O’Hare. In 2012, Atlanta was the busiest airport in the world for total passengers, and O’Hare clocked in at number five. But just wait…airports in China should supersede ATL or ORD any day now…just wait.

Southwest B737 at ATL. (Chris McGinnis)

ATLANTA A WEAK PERFORMER FOR SOUTHWEST? In a recent earnings call Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly included ATL among cities where it’s struggling. Here’s the quote: “In terms of what I think we would be comfortable sharing for competitive reasons, the markets that are in more of a transition from AirTran through some step process into Southwest, those are the ones that are in more development. So, if you sort of think about the Atlanta, Baltimore, Milwaukee where there’s a lot of change taking place. Those markets are not performing as strong as markets that aren’t affected by that kind of transition, that’s very clear.” How would you gauge Southwest’s performance in Atlanta so far? Have you tried Southwest? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below.

Buh-bye Pinnacle, hello Endeavor Air

ENDEAVOR AIR FLIES FOR DELTA CONNECTION…Never heard the name? Troubled Pinnacle Airlines has rebranded as Endeavor Air with a fresh logo. The Delta Connection carrier, a subsidiary of Delta following its investment in the bankrupt Pinnacle, will continue flying about 1,000 flights daily. The airline had its headquarters in Memphis, but it has since moved to Minneapolis. Only a handful of Endeavor’s flights touch Atlanta, and most flights are operated by CRJ-900s. The airline also operates CRJ-200s, but these are being phased out quickly.

WATCH YOUR MOVIES LONGER…Notice something different on your last Delta flight with inflight entertainment? Delta has decided to switch on the entertainment system upon boarding rather than after takeoff to allow people to watch live TV, movies, and other programming from the moment they sit in their seat. This will ease some of the stress from summer weather delays although it will be difficult to sell headsets in the main cabin before takeoff so stash a pair in your carry-on. Have you noticed the change?

Simulated look at a Delta Boeing 717 (NBflightsim.com)

DELTA DEPLOYS NEW AIRCRAFT TYPE. Remember the news last year when Delta agreed to buy all of AirTran’s Boeing 717s from Southwest? The first of those planes will be deployed on Delta’s ATL-Newark route starting Sept 19. By the end of October, all flights between ATL and Newark will be on the 717. The aircraft will feature Gogo wifi, 12 first class seats, 15 Economy Comfort seats, and 83 economy seats. More 717 destinations will be coming online soon.

UNITED TEAMS UP WITH MARRIOTT…United copied Delta’s move to team up with a hotel brand. While Delta offers Crossover Rewards with Starwood allowing flyers to earn hotel points and hotel elite status (Starwood elites earn Delta benefits too), Marriott and United now provide similar benefits. Marriott Rewards Platinum Elite and Platinum Premier Elite will receive complimentary United Premier Silver status. Good advice from reader LH: “This may offer ATL AirTran business travelers, that meet the Marriott Rewards Platinum-level qualification, an elite status option over the pending switch to all-coach class Southwest. While it may be United’s lowest tier, the instant elite status will provide an alternative for those not wanting to start from the bottom with Delta. United Silver status brings complimentary upgrades, 25% mileage bonus and free Economy Plus seating within 24 hours of departure. Register here. United elites will also benefit from special benefits and elite status with Marriott as well; United Gold Premiers and above get automatic Marriott Gold Elite status, which offers club access, free breakfast, late checkout and more. What do you think about these instant elite partnerships? Are they fair to people who work to earn status the hard way? Please leave your comments below.

SEATTLE TO HEATHROW NONSTOP…Delta has announced nonstop Seattle to London Heathrow nonstop service beginning March 29, 2014. The flight will be operated using a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with lie-flat seats in the pointy end of the plane. The flight is part of the new code share with Virgin Atlantic.

SOUTHWEST ON ATL-DCA. Southwest will operate one of the six daily Atlanta to Washington Reagan National flights beginning Feb. 13 with AirTran continuing to fly the rest.

Can you ID this plane type? Please leave your comments below!

DELTA HERITAGE MUSEUM GETS A MAKEOVER…Delta is investing in memories and updating the Heritage Museum located near the Atlanta airport and corporate headquarters. The $6.3 million in renovation funds are coming from The Delta Air Lines Foundation and corporate sponsors and will restore the historic hangars, which house significant amounts of important airline memorabilia. Its most popular items on display are the Spirit of Delta, a Boeing 767-200 aircraft purchased through employee contributions in 1982 as a sign of appreciation and now housing an interior cabin mockup display, and Delta’s first 1940s era Douglas DC-3 aircraft. Tours, event space, and a gift shop will all be part of the revitalized facility when it reopens in the summer of 2014. Have you ever taken a look a the Delta Heritage Museum? Why or why not?

—Chris McGinnis & Ramsey Qubein

*****

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