Do you eat before a flight or do you chow down on board?

Frequent flyers have markedly different opinions on food when travelling. Some people will chow down on everything in sight (guilty as charged!) while others wouldn’t touch airline food with a barge pole.

Whether you have airline lounge access or not, there is a dilemma. Do you feast on the goodies at the airport or save yourself for the flight?

Delicious Airport Food

Airports of the world have a myriad of choices when it comes to eating. You can get standard fast food from global chains, all the way up to bespoke offerings from celebrity chefs. The only restriction is your budget really.

When flying airlines that don’t offer you food in first class, or those that ask you to pay for meals in coach, eating at the airport becomes even more attractive. You will likely get a larger amount of food for less money than you would buying something on the flight. Arguably, the quality will also be better.

Chow Down In The Lounge

Those with lounge access, whether paid for or as part of frequent flyer status, have a dilemma. Eat the free food offered in the lounge or wait until you’re on board? Clearly if you’re flying economy with no food service, chow down hard! It’s a bit trickier when flying in business class or first class, as the on board offering is generally of a very high quality.

Some airlines actively encourage business class passengers to dine in the lounge before flight. For example, British Airways operate sleeper services on certain flights from the USA to London. A full dinner is offered on the ground and a more stripped back meal is delivered on board, to help people maximise their sleep.

Eating On Board

On the flipside, some prefer to chow down on the flight. It goes without saying that those flying first class or business class will likely take the meal as it’s usually fairly elaborate. On daytime flights, it also helps to pass the time.

Economy class food is also very decent on leading airlines, so skipping that burger before flight is often worth it. You will probably get something relatively tasty on board, especially on long haul flights. Airlines have also improved the buy on board offerings in recent years, with some airlines offering quite nice food for purchase.

Overall Thoughts

Personally, I virtually never eat in the airport proper. For one, the general atmosphere is not particularly pleasant and also keeping one eye on the clock does not make for a relaxed experience. I’m told that the food at Tokyo Haneda is especially worth eating, so that is on my list, but otherwise no.

When I have airline lounge access, I will always eat a plate of something as it would just be rude not to. On those few occasions where there has been a first class dining room involved, I’ve eaten four courses on the ground before flying. On board, I eat everything put in front of me and it is very rare that I am not satisfied.

What say you? Are you like me and chow down on everything in sight because yolo, or are you more particular about where and when you eat while travelling? Thank for for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image via oneworld alliance.
Gordon Ramsay image via Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food.