Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
these are unavailable on most air-
craft. Many airlines prohibit flight
attendants from preparing for-
mula, so it's best to pack your
baby's food premixed.
TASTELESS: DEALING WITH
AIRLINE FOOD
Most airlines have cut back on food
service recently—and even if you do
get a “meal” on a domestic flight, it's
likely to be a limp turkey sandwich.
Your best bet is to brown-bag home-
made sandwiches. Unlike fruit, for
example, they have no leftover parts to
throw away, and you won't have to
tussle with airport security over silver-
ware. But if you insist on eating econ-
omy-class cuisine, some tips:
•
Order a special meal.
Most air-
lines allow coach-class passengers
to order from a range of special
meals, including low-fat, low-cho-
lesterol, vegetarian, and children's
meals (usually a hamburger or hot
dog). These meals aren't necessar-
ily fresher than the standard ones,
but at least you'll know what's in
them. Call your airline 2 days
before your flight to secure your
meal. Then double-check when
you check in.
•
Become a vegetarian.
Dieticians
and frequent fliers say vegetarian
and vegan meals are often better
than standard airline fare. Vegan
meals skip cheese and sweets, lead-
ing to a healthier but more spartan
platter.
•
Fly a tasty airline.
The Zagat
organization rates airline food
annually. For 2001, Midwest
Express had the best economy-
class meals (including fresh choco-
late-chip cookies and real plates),
while America West rated the
worst of the airlines that actually
serve meals (think that aforemen-
tioned turkey sandwich.)
In general, coach-class passengers
now only get meals on flights crossing
two-thirds of the country or more;
everyone else gets peanuts or other
minibags of snacks. (Continental and
Alaska are welcome exceptions, but
“meals” on Continental flights under
3
1
⁄
2
hours are of the dreaded turkey
sandwich variety.)
Most low-fare airlines generally only
serve snacks (except for Midwest
Express), even on cross-country flights.
But some offer better snacks than oth-
ers. Southwest offers a nonyummy bag
of salted peanuts. But JetBlue serves up
classy blue potato chips, and Frontier
goes even further with chicken wraps
and specialty bagels.
Zagat's Top-Rated Airline Meals
Economy Class
1. Midwest Express
2. Alaska Airlines
3. National Airlines, United Airlines (tie)*
5. Hawaiian Airlines
Premium Class
1. Hawaiian Airlines
2. Alaska Airlines, Continental Airlines (tie)
4. United Airlines, American Airlines (tie)
*National Airlines is no longer in business.
Source: 2001 Zagat Airline Survey, found at www.zagat.com
