7 Delicious Airplane Meals That Are Totally Worth The Flight

The only thing worse than a crowded airplane is usually the icky smell of airplane food  wafting throughout the cabin. But every once in a looong while, we’re surprised with an impeccable in-flight meal that makes the whole darn trip worth it. 

Expert traveler Nik Loukas has circled the world 17 times in the last four years , documenting and reviewing every last piece of airplane food on his blog InflightFeed . We asked Loukas for his all-time favorite dishes, and his answers include seven entrees that hardly look like they came from a plane.

Some of these meals are offered in economy while others are served only in business or first class, and meals may differ from flight to flight. In any case, though, the picks prove that everything we know about airplane food can be completely and deliciously wrong. Take a look:

1. Breakfast plate on Scandinavian Airlines (Business class)

“What a yummy Scandinavian breakfast.”

2. Pasta with tomato sauce on Aegan Airlines (Economy class)

“A very Greek inflight meal experience, and the taste is spot on!”

3. Latvian roasted chicken, salmon salad and chocolate cake on AirBaltic (Economy class)

“You can actually pick and choose your own inflight meal tray (for a fee) in economy class, it’s quite a novel concept!”

4. Potato salad with salmon, cheese and coffee mousse on Swiss Air Lines (Economy class)

“You can’t beat the Swiss for great quality and traditional Swiss products inflight, even in economy class.”

5. Chicken salad, cheese sandwich and chocolate mousse on Turkish Airlines (Economy class)

“Best economy class food in the world I would say!”

6. Traditional four-course Japanese dinner on Singapore Airlines (First class)

“One of my favorite dishes here is this Japanese Kyo Kaiseki meal in first class. But even in economy and premium economy you can expect great-flavored meals.”

7. Chicken schnitzel, parsley potatoes and chocolate mousse on Niki (Economy class)

“This Vienna-based airline lets you pay to upgrade your inflight meal in economy class. They offer an amazing chicken schnitzel.”