What is the difference between food in the economic and business class?

Airplane food isn’t famous for its quality and taste. Food preparation on an airplane is always a challenge. Most of the airplane meals are precooked and heated during the flight and they are rarely prepared from scratch. This has an influence on the taste and the texture of the meals.

But the things are entirely different with the food served in business class. The foods and drinks menu offered on business class flights is considerably different than  this on regular economy in terms of quality.

Economy and business class have their specific features and advantages and disadvantages. One of the main differences between the two air travel classes is the food offering and its quality.

Each air travel class has its benefits. The advantage of economy class is the fact that it’s cheaper and more people can afford to travel on it.

But the food offering is of lower quality than the quality of the food offered on business class flights. Business class flights offer foods and drinks with a quality that is above average and this guarantees their excellent taste.

As you may already know, the tickets for business class flights are more expensive than those for regular economy flights.They are 2.5 times more expensive than economy class flights. The quality of the foods and drinks is one of the main things that differentiates business class from economy class.

Business class flights are an ideal option for those of you who value comfort and privacy. Business class offers premium quality in-flight services and amenities. The food offered on business class flights is also with excellent quality and it tastes great.

One of the reasons business class flights are worth their money is because the food served on business class flights is of excellent quality and it has a great taste.For this reason is worth spending a little more money on an expensive ticket for business class.

 

Economy class food

Quality

The quality of the food is not that high as this offered on business class flights. But this is understandable as the ticket price for economy class is lower than business class ticket price. 

Economy class cabins don’t feature on-board chefs. Instead they rely on flight attendants to prepare the meals at the galley zone while the other part of the flight attendant staff serves them to the passengers.

Most of the food on airplanes is read-made and the dishes are just preheated before serving. Some foods are an exception such as eggs.

 

Variety of choice

The variety of food and drink options available in economy class is not that rich as the offering in business class. It’s pretty much limited compared to the menu on business class flights.

The most common meal options you can find in economy class are small portions of pre-packaged salads and fruits, bread,pastry, butter, jam, processed cheese, different sauces, crackers, croissants,biscuits. The main meals include pasta, soups, noodles, meat, ham, rice, vegetables.

The light snack options are complimentary snacks such as chips,cheese,dips, yoghurt, finger sandwiches.

The variety of drinks is also not as rich as this available on business class flights.Economy class has the standard drinks offering such as bottled water, coffee, tea, white and red wine, fruit juice.

 

Packaging

Another main difference between economy class and business class is the food packaging. Economy class serves mostly pre-pack meals and they include mainstream flavors so that they suit the taste of most passengers.

Some of the food options come in wrappers or take-away style paper or plastic boxes and wrapping. The meals are served on a single tray with individually-wrapped plastic knives, forks and spoons and there are paper napkins.

The drinks are served in plastic cups and paper packages with salt and pepper. The meals in economy class can be served on small trays and they are usually pre-heated in a microwave.

 

Business class food

Variety of choice

There is no doubt that eating on a plane is definitely worthy in business class. If you are a fan of good food and cannot handle poor quality food during your air travel, then business class is absolutely for you.

Business class passengers can choose from maximum 2-3 main meal options. Business class menu includes full-course meals, gourmet meals and signature meal options. There are starters, breakfast, lunch, dinner options and also desserts.You are unlikely to leave the airplane hungry when traveling on business class.

Besides a standard menu with coffee drinks, tea, mineral water on business class you can also choose from a wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks such as premium champagne, selected red and white wine, beer, liquor, whiskey, cocktails, spirit drinks.

There is also a fresh fruit juice.The drinks are served in champagne glass. Business class offers a rich selection of high quality champagne and curated wines.

The business class menu includes also baked breads, fresh green salads, fresh fruit selection, yoghurt, eggs, muesli, original cheese selection and meals with different types of fish and meat (chicken, beef, pork, lamb), seafood (shrimp),fish (salmon), potatoes, soups, pasta meals,  appetizers, canapés, olives, sushi, fresh bread.

The dessert options include pastry, croissant, soufflé, macarons, chocolates, muffins, ice cream and other.

 

The main meals include regional dishes depending on the flight’s route, hors d’oeuvres, gourmet dishes. Also, the menu you will find in business class flights changes by season. You can also find regional specialty dishes on some business class flights depending on the airline, the route and the destination.

 

Quality

The quality of in-flight meals in business class varies depending on the airline and the route you are flying on. The business class meals and drinks have quality similar to those of restaurant meals. They are fresh and consist of high quality ingredients and spices.

Some airlines even have their own professional cook on -board who prepares the menu on the airplane. This guarantees the great taste and quality of the meals.This service is called “The Flying Chef”. On-board chefs have the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity in the meals and offer passengers mouth-watering meal options.

When an on-board chef is available in business class cabin, this can really guarantee an elevated experience for each passenger and make their flight special. Having a professional chef on-board isn’t necessary for a business class flight but it’s a great way to add a special touch to an airplane meal service.

When it comes to serving food in business class the main focus is on catering and the creation of an appealing food presentation. Sometimes the meals are catered in aluminum containers and then it’s served on plates for the passengers.

When a business class cabin has an on-board chef, the meals are plated on-board too. They have pantries where they can use individual ingredients to prepare meals. The result is tasty meals with fresh ingredients and sophisticated appearance.

Business class meals include interesting ingredients and they are prepared with special culinary techniques. Their quality and way of serving is similar to this of restaurant meals.

After taking the meals from the chef the flight attendants just add some final touches to the meals before serving them to the travelers.

One of the greatest advantages of business class is that the staff-to-passenger ratio is higher than this in economy class. This allows the flight attendant staff to plate the meals individually.

Another great advantage of flying with  business class is the fact that passengers have the option to pre-order their meals even before boarding their airplane. Business class passengers can also order a meal whenever they want during the flight and in any order they choose.

Packaging and portion size

The foods and drinks in business class are served on real plates and in real glasses. There are also additional utensils for the food, cloth napkins, salt and pepper in mini shakers.Sometimes business class meals are served on delicate China dishes.

The meals offered on business class are not only of better quality but they are also represented in a more attractive way. That’s because the flight attendant staff on business class flights has a special training in culinary presentation and serves the dishes in an restaurant fashion.They heat up the food and properly laid it out  on platters before serving it to the passengers.

Another important detail is that the meal portions in business class are usually bigger than the meal portions in regular economy class.This also depends on the type of meal you order.

So, if you want to enjoy good food and drinks, spending a larger sum of money on a business class ticket will really pay off. Your choice of air travel class depends on your personal preferences and budget.

Economy class passengers can enjoy foods and drinks with a decent quality for a low airplane ticket price.

 Premium cabin passengers can enjoy food and drinks of higher quality that is appealing and served with attention to detail.

If you can’t make a compromise with the quality and the taste of the food you eat and spending more money on an airplane ticket isn’t a problem for you, business class is the most obvious choice.