On the Menu | Is it time to get excited about in-flight meals, as airlines try their hand at fine dining, or is it all pie in the sky?

After years of spoiled or foiled plans, air travel is bouncing back, and some airlines are working on improving their in-flight meals

Even beleaguered Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific is putting on its game face, collaborating with Michelin-star restaurant Duddell’s on its premium menus

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A typical economy class meal, much of which typically goes to waste. As air travel gets back into full swing, airlines such as Cathay Pacific are working to improve their in-flight meals. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:45pm, 2 Mar 2023Updated: 12:31pm, 3 Mar 2023

When the quarantine restrictions in Hong Kong were scrapped and one could freely fly in and out of the city without having to paying the equivalent of a small mortgage to be stuck in a shoebox-sized space for up to three weeks upon one’s return, it was a whole new world.

One of the earliest signs of travel recovery from Hong Kong was when people started posting the same damn photos of the famed dan dan noodles at the Cathay Pacific airline lounges again.

While not everybody could be uploading an enviable photo of their legs stretched out in business- or first-class seats, the tiny bowl of chilli-speckled broth and thin wheat noodles was a good enough sign of your frequent-traveller status.

For many of us, the thrill of travelling again may have softened our distaste for the aeroplane meal. We’re just so happy to be up there that we may not notice that the cost-cutting continues for our beleaguered airlines.

Cathay Pacific’s flight kitchen at Cathay Pacific Catering Services, Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Tsang

A cabin crew member recently confessed to me that it’s all smoke and mirrors, where smaller portions or lower-quality food can be made up for with a big smile and more flourishes when it comes to plating and service (wait, doesn’t that happen on the ground too?)

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}On the Menu | Is it time to get excited about in-flight meals, as airlines try their hand at fine dining, or is it all pie in the sky?

On the Menu | Is it time to get excited about in-flight meals, as airlines try their hand at fine dining, or is it all pie in the sky?