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.
Lufthansa business class catering is generally satisfactory, but I often find the German airline tries far too hard to be far too fancy. Sometimes a simple breakfast is preferred over a “gourmet” one and I was quite thankful to receive exactly that on a short flight within Europe.
Shorthaul Business Class Breakfast On Lufthansa
This meal was served over 10 years ago on a flight from Paris to Frankfurt that left at 6:00am. I was seated in business class, half asleep, but I was awakened by the clanking of glasses and that unique sound of the trolley brakes being turned off and on as flight attendants rolled down the aisle with food and drinks.
There was no choice – just “Frühstuck” (breakfast) with a choice of drink.
Breakfast was served covered. Today, we’d call that protecting against COVID-19 by reducing unnecessary touch-points, but back then we just called it being lazy.
No matter, I unwrapped it and appreciated how simple it was.
No fancy Heimat menu with ingredients I cannot pronounce or exotic mixtures of food that most folks would never consider mixing. Nope, just a simple plate with meat and cheese, a hot bread roll, fresh fruit, and plain yogurt with a dash of pistachios and a dried apricot on top.
CONCLUSION
For a 280-mile flight that took less than an hour in the air, this was a very adequate breakfast.
I had to look 10 years back in the archive to find this. That’s not to denigrate Lufthansa food today, but simply remark that sometimes simple is better.
Have to agree, @Matthew. Will say that some of the best meals I’ve had on planes were just relatively simple dishes such as KE’s bibimbap. Not saying that it’s bad for airlines to mix things up or have a certain theme for their meals, but making things utterly complex or exotic can be a risk where the passengers are the ones suffering with a terrible meal on a ticket they’ve paid for one way or another.
280 miles translate to 40 minute flight. I think any meal is acceptable. If someone thinks otherwise they are just entitled and greedy
You obviously haven’t had a Lufthansa short haul breakfast recently, the offering of ten years ago is ‘gourment’ in comparison to the current shadow of orange juice, cereal pot with milk, bread bun, butter and single piece of cheese now offered on LHR-MUC week in and week out. The spoon supplied for the cereal is so shallow that it’s difficult not to spill the milk while eating it. There remains a choice of hot drink in a handleless mug too hot to pick up when served. Refills are few and far between.
Fares are much higher.
Gosh, that sounds horrible! My last few flights in LH C were in the evening and I caught myself thinking ‘that’s surprisingly acceptable’. Last two segments they brought some pastrami with pickles and potato salad, it was very pleasant if not exactly filling.
I was not aware Lufthansa was still flying . The last five out of my last six flights were canceled. And no lousy meal will encourage me to book with them afain.
Meal Of The Week – it’s back!
My comment was deleted because I pointed out that 5 of my last 6 Lufthansa flights were canceled. I don’t think some disgusting cheap breakfast in Business Class will convince me to fly them again
Your comment was not deleted.
Wow I have flew Lufthansa Business Class and would agree the above breakfast is superior to what I have been offered these days (though I did love the Chocolate Santa on a pre Christmas trip one year)
We just flew from Seattle to Frankfurt with Lufthansa Business and the breakfast was similar to what was described and perfectly adequate and enjoyable after a long overnight flight.
That’s a normal German breakfast. Meat, cheese, pickle, brotchen. Some jam. Maybe a boiled egg.