If you have never flown on international carriers, chances are you are missing out on some of the food options that can make the inflight experience a little better. This does not just apply to business and first class but also in economy. While they are not meals I would write home about, many times international carriers beat US carriers for coach meals.
A Funny Comparison: Tale of Two “Snacks” on Short-Haul Flights
But, what about the short-haul flights? I mean flights around the 1 hour mark. On the same trip this year, I flew Delta first class on a regional flight and business class on a regional flight with Turkish. Both of them served “snacks” but the difference was stunning in both the quality and quantity.
Delta Snack on Short-Haul Flight in First Class
The photo of the Delta snacks are from the manufacturer as I didn’t even think to snap a photo of the typical Delta snack basket at the time.
Snack offerings on short-haul Delta flights
The Delta snack basket for first class passengers on these short regional flights consist of things like candy bars, chips, fruit, and Biscoffs. For a flight that is under an hour, that is pretty much all you can expect in first class on those flights!
Turkish “Snack” on Short-Haul Flight in Business Class
While it may not look appetizing in this photo, this local Turkish food was amazing!
Yes, that food above was for a 1 hour flight in business class! Hard to be served and eat all of that in that time!
On the other hand, when flying in Turkish business class on regional flights of around 1 hour, the “snack” is actually a full-fledged meal! I have flown like this on Turkish many times and it is always the same – great quality food that is served quickly and is very plentiful. To be honest, on these flights from Istanbul, it is almost not worth it because you could always enjoy some amazing, local-styled food in the beautiful Turkish Airlines CIP lounge. But, you get this type of food anyway!
Takeaway
I know, I know – Delta has several hubs and thousands of flights so they cannot possibly compete with Turkish on meals like this. Especially when Turkish has a single hub that they are flying from and not the same number of regional flights that Delta has. Still, it is a funny comparison to see how international carriers serve their customers!
And this holds true in coach as well! I have flown Aegean between Athens and Thessaloniki (about 35-40 minutes) and have enjoyed things like a hot cheese pie, yogurt and honey, and other very good types of food – in coach! With food like this, I don’t mind missing out on the Fritos.
Some of the best food I’ve ever had on a plane was on two shorthaul TK J flights IST-ESB and ESB-IST. The first was some really fantastic lamb on an A330 and the second was the best airplane omelette I’ve ever had on a 737-800.