For this installment of Matthew’s Meal of the Week, we look back to my trip to Kyiv, Ukraine in 2011. I shared a photo essay from that trip here, but want to focus on the flights today, specifically the meals served onboard Lufthansa.
Dining Onboard Lufthansa Frankfurt – Kyiv, Ukraine Flights
Back in 2011, Lufthansa would run 99€ round-trip specials to cities all over Europe and I took full advantage, using the year to visit 46 countries including most of Europe. It was an amazing time of life and one weekend my travels took me to Ukraine.
While Lufthansa has shifted to a buy onboard product for its medium-haul flights, it used to serve meals on most flights over two hours, including the 987-mile, 2 hour, 25 minute journey from Frankfurt to Kyiv.
My outbound flight was LH1490, departing Frankfurt at 9:35am. After takeoff, a hot breakfast was served that included scrambled eggs with potatoes, chicken medallions, and peppers. It made for an odd combo, but was filling and the flavors actually meshed well. It was served with a hot bread roll on the side as well as an orange juice box and a packaged slice of cake.
Beverage refills were offered prior to landing. Notice the tea – this was in my pre-coffee days.
For the return on LH1491, departing Kyiv at 1:50pm, lunch was served after takeoff. It appeared that the flight was double catered in Frankfurt, as the pasta option is a staple of Lufthansa’s economy class dining menu ex-Frankfurt. The linguini pasta was served with tomato sauce, cooked tomatoes and olives. Another bread roll was offered on the side along with some German chocolate and a bottle of water. Beverages were free flowing.
These meals make me think of better times: an era of complimentary meals on Lufthansa, but far more importantly, a time of peace for Ukraine. I am in touch with many on the ground in Ukraine and while the resistance is fierce and admirable, Russia’s brutal war of choice has resulted in tremendous economic damage and loss of life.
I look forward to the day that LH1490 and LH1491 can resume…
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.
I don’t see anything worth writing about.
Care to ‘splain?
I don’t think it was double catered. bread roll is definietly different, but what makes it more suspicious is the so-called ‘german chocolate’, which is in fact Roshen, one of the biggest Ukranian companies, its the proterty of oligarch Petro Poroshenco, who was in fact the president of Ukraine between 2014 and 2019.
I think you are right! I can’t imagine them just loading the chocolates.
Well, that solves that. You are correct.
Ten years ago Lufthansa was almost always catered from outstations for return sectors. It was particularly good at IST and ADB. Now it’s a shadow of what it was as it aims to offer less than easyJet and Ryanair but charge far more for it.
Funny story: Back in November we flew out of Odessa, Ukraine airport to Warsaw, Poland via the new airport built across the street from the old one. It was quite nice and with a small child in tow, we didn’t have a lot of time to waste. We went to the departure area before check in and had to go through what I would call a “duty free gauntlet”. We didn’t have the option (I think) to just walk to the gate. Perhaps we did and I missed it but I felt we had to walk through the duty free shop and this included various chocolates on display and my 5 year old daughter threw a fit. I had to then look like Bad Dad and put it back and drag her kicking and screaming to the gate.
Tons of fun. I wonder how often that scene is repeated?
It reminds me of how theme parks often discharge people through the gift shop with the kids screaming to buy stuff. Or casinos with electric walkways to go into the casino, but you’re on your own to get out.
My wife’s cousin is guarding a shopping mall built next to the Lviv airport lest bombing happen and looting occur. The mall was built by a West German investor and I said it (maybe?) is insured? Is war covered by insurance or do that come next to “acts of God?”