Meals on plane

[Firstshoes]

Does anyone still pre-order meals on the plane when going on holiday? I'm in two minds ......

Yes, I'm vegetarian so have to. Don't always eat them though.

I never travel anywhere where its included in the price and its not something I'd pay extra for.

I usually get a Boots or WH Smith meal deal at the airport to take on the plane with me. Costs about half the price and I can choose exactly what I want.

Yes, as I'm vegetarian, but the food is usually rubbish. I always get a sandwich from Pret, Ginger Beer, and a flapjack before boarding.

Me neither. If it's long haul you get a meal. If it isn't then just take something nicer than you would get on the plane.

We didn’t last time and regretted it. Our flight was delayed so, by the time we got to our destination at 11pm, we were exhausted, starving and everywhere was shut. We hadn’t eaten since lunch.

Unless you can/will eat anything, do pre-order.

And take more food and snacks with you.

If you fly short haul, you won't get anything unless you pay for it and then it's often that they had no time to re-stock and don't have half of what they offer on paper.

Even BA stopped serving free drinks/food apart from some water and a pack of biscuits.

We always pre order the mains, but tend to just pick starter / dessert on the plane! I always take back up snacks that could sub in for a meal if it's terrible, normally some forms of breakfast bars / a few sweets / some fruit just incase. Luckily there's been snack zones on the last few planes just to go and grab bits from!

We were deciding whether to pre-book last night. I don't mind plane food and I find it kind of breaks up the journey (4.5 hours this time) . I noticed last time we had it that not many other passengers did so I wondered if it's unusual. There is a 20% discount at the moment so comes to just over £70 for 4 meals out and back. I didn't think that was too bad. (But I do remember the days when seats and food were included even on short haul!)

We always take food with us. Lots of snacks and usually do a meal deal at the airport ‘just in case’.

We never eat plane food unless it's a long haul flight and the food is included in the ticket price.

We always get nice sandwiches or a salad and a drink from Pret and I usually pack some Pringles and chocolate in my hand luggage (bought from the supermarket as much cheaper than at the airport )

We did once have a problem on the way home where we didn't get a chance to buy any food at the airport because the check in and security queues were so long . We had to buy food on the plane and It was so expensive and the quality was awful.

If I'm going long haul and it's included, happy days. I love plane food.
Shorthaul, not only do I not pre order, I don't even buy an airport meal deal. I'm not paying £30 for some soggy sandwiches and crisps for me and DC.
I make a pack up and bring it from home. Full on picnic. Cobs, Pringles (Aldi ones!) snacks, cucumber sticks, all sorts.
I didn't realise this was odd until I mentioned it last year to a friend and she thought I was bonkers-she'd assumed you weren't even allowed to take that through security.
Luckily my kids haven't realised it's not normal and as soon as we sit down on the plane they're asking what I've brought for them
I don't think it's usual nowadays for people to pre order for shorthaul. £70 for four meals, but they'll be tiny!

(But I do remember the days when seats and food were included even on short haul!)

I was pleasantly surprised when I flew to Lisbon with TAP as late as 2018 to get a full hot meal with wine!

Like most I eat the meals provided on long haul flights. I take a bottle of water but nothing much else.

Short haul I buy food at the airport and take it on board. I might buy a hot drink on board depending upon flight time/length but they generally aren't worth bothering with

I don't have meals for European short haul. I regularly fly long haul (12 - 24 hours), and they usually serve two meals. I don't prebook them and just have whatever is served from the food trolley.

Do you mean pre-order of free/ included food, or pre-order pay for food e.g. on EasyJet? I'm assuming the latter from your follow up posts?

No, we don't bother, we take our own with us and have an aeroplane picnic for a fraction of the cost. DC love it because they get more treats than they normally would.

I buy a meal deal on the way out. On the return I refuse to spend money on the rubbish that is served in some of the airports so I will get a toastie on the plane.

Yes I preorder.

It's normally complete shite but it's part of the holiday experience and we still look forward to our little piping hot foil trays haha.

No, the food on short haul is not really nice and I prefer getting something after security when I get my very much needed coffee.

On short haul flights where food is sold on board I usually get something from Pret at the airport & take it on board. So much nicer than anything the airline sells.

On long haul flights where the airline feeds you, I am happy to eat whatever is on the menu.

No, never. But you get served first so I could be tempted. But I don’t have any dietary requirements, so it would be daft.

A lot of long haul carriers don’t automatically give you a meal now. You have to order and pay extra. Norwegian Air (or something like that) were £17 per meal last year.

I prefer S Asian vegetarian meals when I'm flying to and from Thailand because they are by far the best meals! Light and flavourful and you get served first.

Nope not a chance. They bring the meal within half an hour of takeoff. I was once presented with beef stew and dumplings at 10.45am on a 5 hour flight. We had breakfast at the airport before boarding and were expecting this meal to be served at lunchtime. Needless to say we didn't even open it. Never again. That was a well known holiday company too.

We usually order one for DH who bizarrely likes airplane food, and one for DD as something to do/break up the journey. I get a meal deal and take it on with me.

Not for short haul as it really poor quality.

They weren't so bad back in the day when we all got one included but the paid for ones are pretty poor.

I take a meal deal and get a gin and tonic on board

Long haul I love the airplane food! Especially business class