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TWA even served birthday cakes for passengers. Pictured is Kentucky Colonel Ward Elmore on his 100th birthday.
Currently, regular in-flight meals are rather uninspiring when compared to those served during the heyday of aviation. Sure, those traveling in first class do have access to a higher standard of food, but in general, it's not comparable to the menu items served in the 20th century.
In this gallery, we take you on a journey through the history of airline food, from the light snacks to the extravagant dishes. Click on to find out what passengers ate during air travel in days gone by.
In 2011, Delta Air Lines took their Business Elite service to another level with chef Michael Chiarello's recipes. Dishes included pan-seared fillet of beef, fusilli Michelangelo, and chicken Vendemia.
In 1996, McDonald's teamed up with Swiss air carrier Crossair and tour company Hotelplan. In-flight meals were obviously McDonald's menu items.
Back in the 1960s, Pan Am served a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including turkey, potatoes, gravy, and cranberry jam.
Scandinavian Airlines found a creative way to promote their winter flights during the '50s and '60s—by serving delicious food. Dishes were prepared on the spot and served to passengers. They included salmon, ham, and salad.
Back in 1992, Air France passengers had quite a nice menu aboard the Concorde. This included guinea fowl in Champagne sauce and lobster salad with truffles.
Etihad Airways also teamed up with a top chef. In this case, it was Emirati chef Khaled Alsaadi. The airline's special Ramadan menu included dishes such as bulgur salad with date vinaigrette, goat cheese curds, and cheesecake.
Sources: (Love Food)
Virgin Atlantic had a respectable menu in economy class in the 1980s. In-flight meals included sautéed fillet of salmon, pork chow mein, lentil pasta, and Mediterranean vegetables.
By the 1970s, Singapore Airlines was offering a variety of foods to passengers. These included dishes such as prawn curry, spiced chicken, roast mignonettes of lamb, Malaysian salad, and stuffed mushrooms with crab meat.
Singapore Airlines continued to make its first class a luxurious dining experience. Some of the meals served included lobster cooked in Pernod, beef carved at the table, roast pigeon served with grapes, and caviar.
If you happened to be onboard a British Airways flight from Oslo to London in 1977, you'd have had quite a choice when it came to food. The menu included smoked salmon with scrambled egg for starters, and fillet of beef with pimento sauce and poached halibut with lobster sauce as main courses.
In the 1960s, Cathay Pacific introduced a luxurious flame-baked Alaska to its in-flight menu.
Lufthansa introduced its Senator Service in the late '50s. This was a luxurious first-class service with menu items such as steak, fresh lobster salad, and caviar.
Passengers looking for a nice steak could get one cooked to order on Pan Am's flights in the 1960s. Roast beef was also on the menu.
Alitalia innovated in the 1950s with the introduction of canapes and wine, which was followed by a variety of Italian dishes.
British Airways' predecessor, Imperial Airways, offered its Silver Wing service, where stewards dressed in white jackets and served afternoon tea in fine china.
In 1936, United Airlines introduced its "world's first flight kitchen." The menus included scrambled eggs and fried chicken.
German airline Lufthansa was the first to serve a hot meal to its passengers. This was done aboard Lufthansa's Flying Dining Car in 1928.
The introduction of TV dinners in the 1940s set the tone for plane meals. Towards the end of World War II, they were being served in military planes.
Food was first served aboard a plane on a Handley Page Transport Company flight from London to Paris in 1919. The meal consisted of sandwiches and fresh fruit.
In the 1930s, Imperial Airways extended its menu and started serving dishes such as foie gras, roast chicken, and ox tongue.
Qantas flights from Sydney to London were not cheap in the late '40s, but passengers could enjoy kangaroo tail soup, caviar, fresh lobster, fried shrimp, and oysters.
Lufthansa's Senator Service continued for a number of years. In the 1960s, they were serving meals such as saddle of veal with curry cream sauce and pistachio rice, as well as fillet steak with dauphinoise potatoes.
In the 1970s, China Airlines served traditional Chinese food, including spring rolls, sweet and sour pork, and Mandarin chicken with noodles.
Concorde meals were pretty special, with foods such as lobster on the menu. For instance, on a flight from Bahrain to London in January 1976, caviar and smoked salmon canapés and guinea fowl with foie gras and asparagus spears were served.
Air France passengers in the 1950s were treated to Beluga caviar, medallions of lobster, and endive salads.
Trans World Airlines (TWA) also had an impressive in-flight menu in the 1950s. An example includes roast beef au jus and fresh fruit.
On its 70th anniversary, Scandinavian Airlines released a number of pictures of passengers eating in first class from the 1950s to the 1980s. Foods included caviar, lobster, and salmon.
In 1984, Philippine Airlines introduced nouvelle cuisine to their first-class passengers. They served exquisite canapes such as pumpernickel with smoked trout mousse and sea perch salad in vine leaves.
Airline menus: what passengers ate during the golden age of aviation
From chicken to lobster
FOOD Travel
Currently, regular in-flight meals are rather uninspiring when compared to those served during the heyday of aviation. Sure, those traveling in first class do have access to a higher standard of food, but in general, it's not comparable to the menu items served in the 20th century.
In this gallery, we take you on a journey through the history of airline food, from the light snacks to the extravagant dishes. Click on to find out what passengers ate during air travel in days gone by.