lisa

I have never understood why so many travel magazines, advice columnists, etc. recommend ordering a "special" meal from the airlines. When I have seen vegetarian and kosher meals served to other passengers seated near me, I have never been any more impressed with what I saw on their plates than I was with what was on my own. In fact, the kosher meal served as dinner on one flight consisted of a bagel and lox (seriously), which that passenger declined upon seeing it. I have seen vegetarian "meals" consisting of carrots and celery served with ranch dressing and crackers. Am I missing something? <BR> <BR>At any rate, the worst airline meals I have had have always been any dish with pasta or noodles, which inevitably seem limp and gluey. The best was some kind of barbecued beef on a Continental flight last year. To be honest, I usually don't mind most airline food that much and am just happy if they're serving anything at all, which they seem to do less and less these days.

Cass

Best: on Midway when it was still based in Chicago -- small, medium-rare filet with pea-pods stuffed with salmon cream cheese, a meringue with chocolate-covered strawberry for dessert. That was LONG ago, mind you. <BR> <BR>Worst: probably shouldn't qualify, but on Jugoslav Aero Transport (JAT) in a Martin 440 prop-jet from Dubrovnik to Skopje, the "attendant" (a scruffy guy in sandals and shorts) passed a basket of mint hard candies, saying "one, please, just one) and handing out one plastic baggy per person. I wasn't sure what the baggy was for (I put the candy wrapper in it, which seemed like overkill) until we took off over the Montenegran Alps in thunderstorms. <BR>

Thyra

Well this is easy since it's still so appallingly clear in my mind. Although I must congratulate Virgin Atlantic on their wonderful service, my husband and I both voted this last trip "worst food ever" They served this bizarre saled thing, at first I thought the dressing was puce brown, then I realized that it was the lettuce. The vegetarian meal I ordered was crunchy pasta globs in salty cream sauce, suplimented by green peppers, mushy onions, and apparently seasoned with some kind of vomit, since that was the after taste it left on ones palette, the only saving grace was the Cadbury chocolates that accompanied every meal. Once on a B-A flight every creamer anyone in my row opened came out solid and smelly... we all sort of bonded on that one. Best meal was on an Air France flight in 1985.... three inch Salmon filets in white wine sauce to die for.... sadly I flew them again in 1998 and found they had downgraded considerably.

Al

I have a suspicion that all airliners have a hidden box just outside the plane where they keep the eating utensils. When the plane reaches 30,000 ft. and the outside temperature is about 50 degrees below zero, the attendant (using thick gloves) reaches in and brings out the forks, knives, and spoons. Knocking off the frost, she/he delivers these objects to you. That's called "service."

KT

I agree with Lisa about the "advantages" of ordering a special meal. One of my worst airline meals was a vegetarian meal: it was just three scoops of very overcooked plain vegetables -- as I recall, it was limp peas, limp carrots, and limp green beans. I know someone who got a kosher lunch that consisted entirely of a bagel and cream cheese with a (cold, Elvira) roll on the side.

still

hands down the worst food i've had was on SAS. my cat's hacked up more appetizing looking substances. i took one nibble from a dinner on the flight over to copenhagen and was sick all day (and i love different foods and spices).

Brian in Atlanta

Al, I find those sub-zero utensils pretty handy on overseas flights. As I can't seem to sleep on planes, a quick touch of the spoon to my sleeping wife's cheek makes sure I don't have to suffer alone.

Patrick

I'm an American Airlines frequent flyer, and a lot of people complain about their "bistro meal" on a lot of short haul flights. That's a little paper shopping bag you pick up yourself from a big container as you get on the plane. Frankly I think they're great --usually a sandwich, some of those great "sun chips" and either an apple or a banana. I think they stopped the bananas however, as too many people were dropping them in the aisles and it was sort of like watching a keystone cops movie. But I'd rather have one of those simple little snack meals than the usual cheap attempt at a regular meal. I have no complaints about AA food on overseas flights -- I think it is remarkably good for airplane food -- especially in business class, but even in coach. And, Elvira, those rolls are kept ice cold so that if you used your ice cold knife to cut one, it won't heat up the knife. I thought everyone knew that!

yippee1999

ALL of them!

SharonM

Well Gee, Patrick, don't I feel stupid!!! <BR>No WONDER I was getting all those dirty looks! (re: arctic rolls)

elvira

Al, I've think you've hit on something with the flatware - I've used the spoon in a cup of hot tea to turn it into the official drink of Arizona. And while we are on the subject of drinks - I've found airplane coffee to be absolutely foul, and I'm not a gourmet type who insists on Starbucks. It tastes like the stuff that comes out of the machines at bus terminals and police stations. Do they make it at the beginning of each month and just reheat it? Even AirFrance has poisonous brew. Has ANYONE had a good cup of coffee on a flight? <BR>Wait, I take that back - I did have good coffee on People's Express, and we all know how that ended. <BR>I will also add that I've ordered special meals on flights - years ago, TWA served a fantastic seafood plate (haven't flown them recently to see if it's still the same), and the fruitplates on BritishAir are really good (hmmm, come to think of it, Patrick, no banana). <BR>The funniest meal I ever had (taking into consideration the nationality serving it) was on an early morning flight from London to Paris on British Air. Everyone got a lovely fluted paper cup - filled with prunes. When I mentioned it to my British hostess, she said "yes, well, we British do take our colons very seriously".

Patrick

Speaking of funny meals. . .remember years ago when the British Air pilot was sucked out of a broken windshield of his plane? They even made a TV movie about it. Anyway the morning after that happened we were taking an early morning "businessman's" British Airways flight from Edinborough to London. As we took off they served breakfast and on each tray was a newspaper. What was the giant picture on the front page? The plane exactly like the one we were now sitting in with the giant hole in the windshield and the story about the pilot getting killed. Wouldn't you think they would have quietly forgotten to put the newspapers on the trays that day?

amy

I don't feel so bad about the half a mystery meat and cheese sandwich (made with stale bread) I just got on a Delta flight. Kinda makes me wish I had one right now. Think I'll go book flight.

Rudy

My worst airline meal was one which I actually ended up not eating. It was chicken, and it was green. After several complaints from passengers, the hostesses decided that the chicken might be rotten, so they announced that they would come around to retrieve everyone's meal, because they were worried that people might get sick if they ate the chicken. What was amazing was that some passengers were incensed, saying that they had paid for the chicken, and would therefore eat it, no matter what!

elvis

Aviateca (Guatemala) Great breakfast!

lola

Worst was on Aeroperu in the mid 1980s. The tray was wobbly, was offered nothing, asked for some coffee and the flight attendent said: "No!"

fred

The worst airline meal was on Swiss Air. <BR>It was supposed to be some form of chicken, but it looked dark round and gross. And it tasted worse than it looked! The meals overall were so bad that we will NEVER fly Swiss Air again. It left a bad taste in our mouth so to speak.

Michael

My wife and I were flying to Hawaii for our honeymoon and requested a vegetarian meal to experience a little something special...boy did we. Flaccid steamed vegetables with all traces of flavor extracted, rice that could have passed for cajun "dirty rice" in color but not flavor, it was horrid. The attendant even grimaced when serving us. It was so bad we both asked for the beef dish that they were serving the other passengers. The attendant was so apologetic I think she was worried it was bad enough to convert a few vegetarians to beef.

Joanna

In June this year, coming back from Norfolk Island, we were supposed to have a "meal". My partner and I skipped lunch because we thought we'd be well fed on the plane, as we were on the way over. <BR> <BR>No way - all we got was a small square of tasteless fruitcake in plastic and a miniscule tetrapak fruit juice. By the time we got home we were starving.

stephanie

Aeroflot - hands down. The domestic flights are usually VERY late at night or VERY early in the morning. Not sure why they even feel obligated to serve a meal at 4:00 am, but it's almost ALWAYS some kind of fish in jelly, with some kind of smoked fish on the side. Blah!