Yesterday, I flew Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Munich in order to catch a longhaul home to Los Angeles. Expecting a light snack, I was surprised when a hearty meal was served…on a 35-minute (wheels up to wheels down) domestic flight departing at 10:15a. That’s the subject of this week’s Meal of the Week.
Last time I flew from Frankfurt to Munich in business class, I was served a slice of cake with coffee and a plastic fork…a traditional German afternoon meal and perfectly suitable for such a short flight.
I was expecting the same thing yesterday. Instead, however, I received a platter containing several lunch items. The tray included four courses.
First, a chicken liver pate with orange sauce and cole slaw.
Second, potato salad with mini shrimp and chives.
Third, cheese with preserves.
Finally, a tapioca cream dessert.
Unlimited hot bread was also offered.
And even a box of chocolate commemorating the World Cup:
Quite a meal for such a short flight, isn’t it? I had just enjoyed a large in the meal in the lounge and did not eat much, though I don’t think this tray would win any health awards.
CONCLUSION
I love that full meals are still served on such short flights within Europe. In an age of cutbacks on domestic U.S. flights, it’s always a novelty to me, and refreshing, to see full-service. I’d still trade it for “real” business class seats instead of simply economy class seats with blocked middles.
I personally would rather let the airline cut such frivolous costs, and get some of it back in a lower fare. Nobody is going to starve after 35 minutes. Airline meals are a waste of resources for anything less than 2 hours.
@WR2. I have the precise opposite view. Business class caters to busy business people. You rush from a meeting to a plane, leaving the meeting perhaps at 12 with a flight at 1:30. You then rush from the first plane to another plane leaving FRA at say 3:30. When are you going to have lunch? That’s why food is catered on business class flights.
Contrast that with the appalling “First” Class on US airlines where you get given a banana if you are lucky. Instead you have to arrive at the airport with extra time in order to buy some disgusting processed slop in the airport fast food outlet. Having catering is the only reason to fly a premium class on a short flight.
@NB That is very well reasoned. Its really the only benefit to euro biz.
Also, not terribly unhealthy either with the small portions. Its at least not a cheese sauce or other such US entree!
Saddened you ate none of it. Was it all just thrown away?
I ate some of it.
It’s a shame you didn’t know to save room.
Smart!
Chicken liver pate, not patty
When LH installed the current NEK seating on the shorthaul fleet they acknowledged that for business class it was a downgrade on what had gone before. At the same time and to make up for that they promised to upgrade the catering and did.
Now quite a few years down the line the improved catering remains so they have kept their part of the bargain and their catering is generally well above average. Like many I expected the improvements to last for a short while and then be ‘enhanced’ but that hasn’t happened.