The Top 10 Airline Meals

5. Scandinavian Airlines

Scandinavian Airlines pampers premium-class passengers on long-haul flights with a pre-takeoff cocktail followed by a full meal and breakfast before landing. In between meals a buffet bar serving drinks, fruit and snacks is available. For dinner, the airline features ‘humanskost,’ traditional Scandinavian home cooking. Meals include salmon with mashed mustard-potatoes and dill, reindeer stew with sauteed chanterelle and Swedish meatballs with potatoes and lingonberry preserve. Another Danish tradition is smorrebrod — an open-faced sandwich with various toppings like roast beef and potato salad, shrimp and eggs, and gravlax and mustard.

4. Jet Airways

Passengers flying on India’s Jet Airways can request meals specifically tailored to their dietary needs. Kosher meals, low-calorie, no sodium, vegetarian, and diabetic meals are all options. For its first-class travelers Jet Airways serves Dom Perignon champagne and delights such as the Indian meal featured here: Bharwan paneer tikka, which is stuffed piccatta of marinated cottage cheese cooked in a clay oven.

3. United Airlines

United Airlines enlisted the help of top Chicago chef Charlie Trotter to make its seven-mile-high meals tastier. Apricot curry-braised lamb medallions with Israeli couscous and spicy roasted eggplant are offered on select international flights to first and business class passengers. Other main course options include grilled sea bass and stone ground grits, and orange and ginger cured duck confit with roasted shallot vinaigrette.

2. Singapore Airlines

If you’re flying first or business class on Singapore Airlines, you can order a meal in advance with the ‘Book a Cook’ option. Main courses include lobster thermidor, roast rack of lamb and Thai red curry chicken. The airline also has a panel of nine chefs from eight countries and three wine consultants to ensure that meals are both tasty and unique. Pictured here are sea scallops and mixed vegetables over noodles.

1. Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines perfected the soba noodle at 35,000 feet: not too soft, not too firm. The airline spent two years getting its onboard preparation just right. Zara soba, which are Japanese buckwheat noodles, served cold with a dipping sauce, are just one option from the airline’s traditional Japanese menu. It also offers a Western menu with low-cal options for those watching their figures.