Have you ever been given a special meal when you did not order one? That happened to me on a Lufthansa flight in economy class…and I didn’t mind one bit.
It was November 2011 and I was traveling from Beirut to Frankfurt. Since business class was simply the same economy class seat with a blocked middle, I opted to remain in economy class. Dinner was served shortly after takeoff.
I was seated in the bulkhead row of economy class and beyond the usual pasta or chicken choices, a FA offered me fish. Now fish in economy class can be quite a bad gamble (I’m thinking about you South African Airways…), but I figured if anyone could pull it off it might be Lufthansa out of Beirut.
When the tray was handed to me, it was clear that I had been given a seafood special meal. Instead of cake there was fruit and instead of green salad there was a tuna fish salad. Also included was a nice baguette along with the fish main course.
The tuna was fairly disgusting, but the main course of white fish topped in pine nuts with dill-infused rice was outstanding.
CONCLUSION
If you are ever offered an extra or unclaimed special meal on Lufthansa, consider taking it. I was quite pleased with my fishy meal from Beirut.
My Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago.
Matthew, glad you enjoyed the fish. I myself am still leery of eating fish on a plane ever since the 1980 movie “Airplane” bit about anyone who had fish!
LOL! Yes, still one of my favorite movies of all time.
Ah, yes, I remember. I had the lasagna.
The movie Airplane! was based on the 1958 book, Runway Zero-Eight, which was written by Arthur Hailey. It’s a great book.
Be informed that the 1980 movie Airplane! was not directly based on a standalone book; instead, it is a nearly word-for-word comedic remake and parody of the 1957 drama film Zero Hour!. Zero Hour! was written by Arthur Hailey, Hall Bartlett, and John Champion. Hailey—who later wrote bestselling novels like Airport and Hotel—originally adapted his script from a 1956 Canadian television play named Flight into Danger.
The movie “Airplane!” was based on the 1958 book, “Runway Zero-Eight,” which was written by Arthur Hailey, It’s a great book.
Yes great book! I believe it was based on Arthur Hailey’s script for the 1956 Canadian live television play called “Flight into Danger”. That was then remade into a 1957 movie called “Zero Hour “ also co-written by Hailey.
I also believe that the British title for the book published in 1958 was “Flight into Danger”.
Funny how almost line for line the script for the 1956 movie “Zero Hour” was actually used in the movie “Airplane” taking a serious disaster film into a satire parody.
To be more precise, the 1956 Canadian television play Flight into Danger was written by Arthur Hailey and John Castle. It first aired on CBC Television on April 3, 1956.
Thanks, good to know. While I was aware that John Castle (a pseudonym for Ronald Payne and John Garrod), with Hailey receiving credit as co-author, wrote for the later novel “Fight into Danger” (Republished in North America under title “Runway Zero-Eight”), I was not aware of John Castle’s involvement in the earlier original 1956 live Canadian play of same title.
Greetings to tasty and healthy tuna fish salads made with the right ingredients!