What do they give you to eat on an Aeroflot plane? Food onboard Victory Airlines. What is usually included in the Aeroflot menu on different flights

A negative answer to the question “Do they serve food on board the Pobeda plane?” no longer surprises anyone, although many passengers express dissatisfaction with this. The fact is that the specific work of low-cost airlines is aimed at reducing air ticket prices due to the lack of many standard services for other airlines. Including the lack of food on board.

Unfortunately, the paid meal service on Pobeda flights has also not yet been implemented, although the company promises to consider this issue positively in the near future. There is no food on board the Pobeda plane. By the way, they don’t offer drinks either. The maximum you can ask for is clean drinking water; the flight attendants will not refuse you this.

However, the lack of food on board is not a disadvantage for many passengers. Quite the contrary. During a flight lasting 2 - 3 hours, you can endure it if you eat in advance. And unnecessary fuss with carts, fuss, and blocking of passages to the toilet during feeding sometimes irritate, disturb peace and cause some discomfort. And the quality of food on short-distance flights is most often not satisfactory, so many passengers agree that it is better to fly without food at all.

IMPORTANT: consider the time it will take to get to the airport, check in, and so on. Together with the flight time, this can take quite a few hours. Therefore, it is recommended to eat well at home, take a snack with you, and, if possible, eat at the airport before departure.

Is it possible to take food on board?

Since there is no food on board the Pobeda aircraft, according to the airline's rules, you are allowed to take food on board. However, there are some nuances and subtleties here.

On Pobeda flights, sometimes passengers complain in reviews about the smell of sausage, pies, and so on “coming” from their neighbors. Therefore, try to take food on board without unnecessary strong and persistent odors.

Thus, Pobeda Airlines does not provide free or paid meals on board the aircraft. The only drinks offered are water. Therefore, before departure, take care of your nutrition: you can eat in advance at home or at the airport, take a snack with you on board, or buy food just before the boarding gate in a specially designated place.

After safety, schedule accuracy and in-flight comfort, airline passengers place food in fourth place. We learned from experts how the on-board menu changes during a crisis and how not to leave the plane hungry.

Double set of rules

“General rules for air transportation of passengers, baggage, cargo and requirements for servicing passengers, shippers, and consignees” have been developed for Russian airlines. This document obliges passengers to be provided with food and cold or hot drinks during a flight of more than three hours. But he also allows passengers not to be fed at all if the company informs about this at the stage of purchasing tickets.

The probability of remaining hungry when flying on a foreign flight is very high.

Most American and European carriers do not include full meals in the ticket price. For domestic economy flights in the United States with an average duration of 5-6 hours, a glass of water/juice and a small package of chips or peanuts are considered normal. European carriers can limit themselves to just a chocolate bar or a pack of chips. But growing competition is forcing some foreign companies to reconsider the established principles of approach to passenger nutrition: snacks are being replaced by full hot meals.

By the way, as a rule, they do not feed passengers for free, providing the opportunity to fly inexpensively, but without additional services.

The crisis brought further adjustments to the on-board menu. Russian passengers, accustomed to eating heavily on domestic flights, note a trend towards a decrease in the amount of food they eat, especially in economy class on popular Russian airlines.

What do Russian air carriers feed?

Aeroflot's economy class menu increasingly includes sandwiches. First, snack boxes with dessert, sandwich and juice were removed from short flights lasting up to two hours. Later, passengers flying up to three hours were deprived of cold lunches and dinners; in return, they were offered those same snack boxes.

S7 Airlines changed the menu in the fall of 2014. The new tortilla dish is offered to passengers on flights lasting up to 2–2.5 hours. Previously, depending on the destination, passengers were either not offered a snack at all or were provided with a box of food.

As for Utair, which once offered economy class passengers even on short flights a full hot lunch with cold cuts, salad and dessert, this is a thing of the past. For a flight of up to three hours, you can be content with a glass of water; beyond this time, you can have a sandwich and a hot drink. The UTair press service emphasizes that “the decision to reduce food rations for passengers was made in order to maintain existing prices for air tickets.”

Director of Communications at Andgo.travel Konstantin Parfenenok noted two trends: simplification of meals on short flights and the systematic introduction of paid meals. “If previously the plane was in the air for 2–3 hours, and you could count on a tray with cold appetizers, dessert and drinks, now only a sandwich and water (examples are Aeroflot and S7 Airlines). And on long flights of more than eight hours, the second diet - most often breakfast - has become less varied. Rossiya Airlines continues to feed its passengers for free, but at the same time offers to purchase chocolates, snacks and drinks on board for additional money.”

Marketing expert and business coach Alexander Levitas, who has to make up to 100 flights a year, points out that you should choose an airline that doesn’t skimp on food. “I stopped flying long before the newspapers wrote about the crisis in the company. I discovered that the flight attendants I know from this airline prefer to take sandwiches with them rather than eat what is served to passengers.”

How not to stay hungry?

The choice of meals on board is influenced by the season, the airline's budget, class of service, national characteristics and duration of the flight.

Since full meals are initially included in the price of tickets for passengers who prefer first and business class, airlines will be the last to save on them. In addition, the loss of a business-level client can be more expensive than an economy passenger. Flying first class is a surefire way to eat well on board.

As for seasonality, it is worth knowing that “winter” food is higher in calories than summer food. Spring, in a sense, is the season of fish.

There is also a “trick” already known to many - ordering special meals 24–36 hours before departure on the airline’s website or by phone.

By the way, not all air carriers offer it free of charge. And in most cases, it is only available on long flights of three hours or more. But many passengers note a much greater variety and volume of special dishes compared to the regular portion. By the way, a pre-order children's menu is available on every flight of all airlines.

“I usually order kosher food, because it is not only the largest portion among all special food options, but also, in my opinion, the highest quality in terms of composition,” Alexander Levitas shares his experience.

Book instead of lunch

It is useful to treat meals on board during short flights as a way to take your mind off the flight rather than as a vital necessity.

“I noticed that I wanted to eat on the plane out of boredom. Therefore, an interesting book or movie during the flight brightens up the inconvenience. And my personal recipe is to do work during the flight. When I get “head over heels” in what I love, I completely forget about food,” agrees transformational trainer, coach, healer Eva Efremova.

Provided that a modest “snack” is provided for a fee, it is sometimes better to organize it yourself.

Yulia Kurets, PR manager at Kupibilet.ru, notes that the main thing is to know what products and in what quantities you can bring on board. All of them must be packaged in sealed bags or containers. This is a security requirement. “As a snack, it is better to choose foods rich in protein: beef, poultry, hard cheese, nuts. Avoid perishable foods, ingredients with a strong odor (onions, garlic, fish) or those that increase gas formation (beans, eggs, cabbage). The ideal option would be nuts, a salad or a sandwich packed in an airtight container. Do not take liquid products on the plane - jams and preserves, honey, yoghurts, cottage cheese, jelly, soup, pate, peanut butter, etc. If you are flying with a child under two years old, you can take baby food for him - puree or pate - in volume of more than 100 ml, but provided that this portion is designed only for the duration of the flight - no more.”

“I usually have a bag of mixed nuts and dried fruits in my hand luggage. Light in weight, nutritious and not harmful to health, unlike chocolates or snacks,” agrees Alexander Levitas.

If you are about to fly with a low-cost airline and you expect that you will be hungry by the time you board the flight, it is better to order food in advance through the website. It will be about half the price of buying it directly on the plane.

On carbohydrates

Many people know the story of how American Airlines managed to save $40,000 in a year on one olive, which “disappeared” from every salad of first-class passengers.

Russian air carriers claim that changes to the menu do not allow significant savings. At the same time, food is reduced with enviable regularity.

Probably the changes in the in-flight catering of Russian airlines will not end there - the crisis. Preference will be given to potatoes, pasta and cereals, but there will be no increase in meat and fish dishes and vegetables.

The average cost of a passenger's portion on an airplane, including packaging, as before, reaches 200–300 rubles. But with rising food prices, attempts to stay within the stated budget force you to either replay the range of dishes offered, or replace ingredients and reduce the size of portions.

“As I understand it, the figure remained in the same range as before: 200 - 500 - 700 rubles. Another thing is that this amount can now afford a completely different range of products,” confirms Konstantin Parfenenok.

Formally, passengers are not allowed to bring food on board, although the flight attendants are not strict with this. In any case, it is better to take care of meals during the flight in advance: choose the airline or flight class carefully, and arrange special meals. And, as an option, eat directly at the airport terminal.

When choosing air tickets, passengers usually clarify as much information as possible about the flight and whether there is food on board the plane, so that the trip is as comfortable as possible. Will they be fed at night, is it possible to somehow adjust the child’s diet, and what to do if, due to religious beliefs, regular food on an airplane is not suitable? Let's consider all these issues using the example of one of the leaders of domestic air transportation, S7 Airlines.

History of aircraft nutrition

Airplanes of the early 20th century were not particularly comfortable; passengers constantly found themselves in a kind of “challenge”, they were shaking and in such uncomfortable conditions there was no talk of food, the main thing was to fly, not to feed.

When flight conditions became more comfortable and people began to fly more often, a real battle for passengers began. To attract new customers, airlines made in-flight meals more and more delicious, thereby increasing sales.

By the early 60s, most airlines were already working with companies that equipped their own 24-hour production facilities and provided catering services. Food is becoming more “mass”; we talk about delicacies only when we mean VIP transportation.

Currently, airlines share meals based on the class of ticket purchased. First and business have a separate menu and a wider range of drinks, including alcoholic ones. Regardless of the class of service, each passenger has the opportunity to order special dishes - dietary or children's, for example, this should be done at least one day before the flight.

Note! Passengers who have chosen special dishes will receive their meals first, because the distribution of dishes begins with special orders.

Since food that is familiar to us, such as cutlets, sausages and pates, is perishable, it may not always be provided. Most airline catering plants follow the blast freezing procedure, which allows the full taste of the dish to be conveyed to the passenger after it has been heated. Salads or dishes that require sauce are served semi-annually - oil, spices and mayonnaise are supplied in individual packaging.

Is there always food on board?

S7 always provides food for its passengers on board the aircraft, regardless of whether the flight is day or night, but its quantity and type depend on the flight distance.

However, it happens that in the airline ticket or in the comments for the flight on the company’s website there is a special note “meals on the plane are limited.” Such notes are on flights with a short flight duration, up to 3 hours. This means that during the flight, meals on the economy class plane will not include hot dishes. Passengers will be offered water and soft drinks, as well as a light snack menu - sandwiches, usually with a choice of chicken or cheese.

Due to their short duration, you can order food on these flights only once, however, at the request of the passenger and if possible, the flight attendants will be happy to repeat the drinks.

How many times can you eat during the flight?

On s7 flights, passengers will not go hungry, but how many times are they fed on the plane during the entire flight and what can a passenger expect?

Refreshments are provided to passengers according to the following scheme:

• lollipops against motion sickness - provided when greeting passengers, before takeoff and landing;
• soft drinks - 15-20 minutes or immediately after takeoff;
• main meals (snacks or hot food) - within 30-60 minutes after takeoff.

If the flight duration is more than 6 hours, the airline must provide full meals twice, with a snack provided in between meals. Drinks will also be offered again. A combined option is also possible - 1 full hot meal and one snack menu meal - with appetizers or sandwiches.

Diet on the plane

So what exactly is the in-flight food offered on s7 flights?

Flights with a flight duration of less than 3 hours:

• Drinks (tea, coffee, juice, water - to choose from)
• Light snacks - sandwiches with chicken or cheese (your choice).

Flights lasting more than 3 hours:

• Drinks - according to the same scheme (double serving possible).
• Hot food - meat and fish dish of your choice, with salad and side dish.
• Dessert (sweet bun or fruit).

Important! Every few months, chefs update airline menus. However, many passengers say that food on planes seems bland and tasteless to them. This is not the fault of the airline; studies have proven that the activity of a person’s taste buds changes under the influence of altitude. This, for example, determines the love of passengers for salted tomato juice during the flight.

Ordering special menu items

s7 business class passengers can receive free special meals during the flight by contacting the company's call center in advance. For economy class, the additional payment for a special order on flights lasting more than 3 hours will be 150 rubles. The order must be made and paid by bank card at least one day before departure.

What are the special menu items:

• For babies - vegetable and fruit puree in separate packaging, a sweet bun, a bag of milk.
• Children's set - vegetable salad, pieces of stewed chicken with pasta, individually packaged bread, sweet waffles and assorted sliced ​​fruits, drinks as for other passengers - juice, water, tea.

• Meals low in lactose - vegetable salad, potato cutlets with stewed vegetables, individually packaged bread, assorted sliced ​​fruits, berry or fruit jam, drinks.
• Vegetarian set - does not contain animal fats and meat products - vegetable salad, rice with steamed vegetables, tomato sauce, assorted sliced ​​fruits, individually packaged bread, jam, drink and sweet waffles.

• Muslim menu - vegetable salad, chicken bugs with rice and stewed vegetables, individually packaged bread, assorted fresh sliced ​​fruits, sweet waffles and a drink.
• Low gluten content set - vegetable salad, chicken bugs with rice and stewed vegetables, assorted fresh sliced ​​fruit, jam and drink.

Interesting! If you want to show off your knowledge during the flight, a useful fact will be what the food on the plane is called - order a casserole or a diner box from the flight attendant and you will definitely not leave hungry.

The S7 company has always valued its reputation and passenger nutrition is one of the important factors for the air carrier. During the flight, comfort and food will be taken care of.

Most airlines provide passengers with free meals, the cost of which is included in the ticket price. Food on board an airplane differs only in quality and variety of types, depending on the time of day, direction of movement, flight duration and other indicators. Typically, carriers use catering companies to feed passengers, which prepare food in advance, quickly cool it and seal it tightly. During the flight, it is only heated before use. For first and business class visitors, culinary masterpieces can be prepared directly during the flight in the kitchen equipped on board the aircraft.

In large companies, food on airplanes is usually good and free; on charter flights and on budget airlines it is much more modest, and often only paid. As the class of service increases, the dishes become more refined. In the cold season, lunch is richer in calories and consists of more meat dishes; in spring and summer, preference is given to vegetables, fruits and fish. Passenger transportation companies in a competitive environment are constantly striving to improve the level of service, including improving the quality and expanding the types of dishes offered.

The menu usually depends on the following factors:

1. Funds allocated by the airline;
2. Passenger service class;
3. Flight time and destination.

The list of services offered can be found by contacting the airline. Along with standard food sets, you can receive special meals presented in several options. Sometimes, due to a change in time zone or climate change, medical workers recommend that individual passengers refrain from eating during the flight. Then you don’t have to eat food on board, and you need to have a hearty lunch some time before the flight.

Special food

Often, in addition to the standard set of food, it is possible to order special food, which is divided into several categories:

• Religious;
• Dietary;
• Vegetarian;
• Children's.

Both higher-priced passengers and economy class passengers can order special meals on the plane free of charge. You can do this by ordering a ticket on the website or by calling. The deadline for accepting an application is set by the company itself and ranges from 24 to 48 hours. Economy class passengers have the opportunity to order only the type of food provided by a given airline, but the set of dishes is created by the carrier itself.

To order special meals, you do not need to present any special documents; anyone can do this. When serving such passengers, attention is given first and foremost, and portions are often larger than standard ones. Special meals may be free or with partial additional payment.

Important! If the flight or destination changes, special meals are ordered again.

Religious food

Meals on the plane, depending on religion, can be:

1. Muslim;
2. Kosher;
3. Hindu;
4. Lenten.

Muslim implies the absence of components such as pork, alcohol and gelatin in food. Kosher food provides meals prepared according to kosher rules. Mutton, fish, poultry and milk can be used in Hindu non-vegetarian food. It is usually hot and spicy. Lenten food includes vegetables, fruits and cereals.

Diet food

In accordance with the diet you are using, you can choose one of the dietary options:

1. Sugarless;
2. Without salt;
3. Low in milk protein: milk, cheese, butter, yoghurts, etc. are not served;
4. With a small amount of fat, only lean meat, low-fat dairy products, and fresh vegetables and fruits as a priority;
5. Low calorie diet;
6. Gluten-free food that does not contain grains.

Each type of food has its own code. All that remains is to make the necessary choice.

Vegetarian food

It could be:

1. Strict;
2. Asian;
3. Fruity.

Strict vegetarian dishes do not use dairy or meat components, or eggs. In the Asian diet, dairy products are used in small quantities, and meat and fish are excluded altogether. Fruit nutrition is formed depending on the flight distance.

Baby food

Food for children is divided into two groups;

1. For babies;
2. Children from two to twelve years old.

Children's foods are easy to chew. The food does not include hot spices and herbs, has an attractive design, and sometimes a toy is included as an addition. For infants, this is heated baby food.

Note! The price of the air ticket already includes a pre-order of a menu for a child.

Most people prefer budget flights. At the same time, they are interested in the opportunity to eat during such flights, especially if their duration is more than 5 hours. Are passengers fed on the plane in such cases, and how many times - this question often arises among people who use the services of a particular airline for the first time.

Business class users have the opportunity to choose a menu and receive restaurant-style meals. For economy class the choice is limited. This is a standard set of food, not inferior in its calorie content and quality. It is served in plastic or paper packaging with plastic cutlery. It is possible to order dietary or religious meals in advance, but in some cases there may be a charge.

The nature of food on an economy class airplane depends on the following main factors:

• Flight duration;
• Departure time;
• Flight directions;
• Seasons.

On short flights lasting less than three hours, they may offer sandwiches and pastries. On low-cost airlines this could be fruit and breakfast cereal. For flights longer than three hours, hot meals are served; for flights longer than six hours, the option of two hot meals a day and light snacks between meals is provided.

If the flight lasts the whole day, passengers will receive three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner; at night only cold snacks will be served. For a long flight, the required products are:

• Meat products;
• Fish;
• Vegetable salads;
• Side dishes with a choice;
• Sweets.

Drinks such as water, tea, coffee, juices are served free of charge. Sometimes they may offer beer, wine or champagne. Additionally, alcoholic drinks can be purchased at the bar for an additional cost.

Note! On board charter flights and low-cost airlines you can only get drinks and some baked goods for free. Perhaps you should think twice about bringing food from home to save money, especially on a long flight.

What kind of food can you take on a plane?

On board an airliner, you can use food that is permitted by the carrier’s rules, and for international flights, also by customs regulations. Food allowed on board should not be very liquid or loose. It must be placed in a plastic container. The use of plastic bags is not recommended due to their unreliability.

This means that you can take fruits, vegetables, cookies, pastries, chocolate and candies, cheese and meat sandwiches, sealed salads, chips and bread rolls. You should not take food that has a specific smell or perishable dishes. Yogurts and kefir belong to the group of liquid products. Their use should be confirmed with the carrier. You can take baby food for your child.

Food on Aeroflot planes

Meals on all Aeroflot flights are provided to users regardless of the cost of the purchased travel document, but it will vary depending on the duration of the flight, destination, period of day and class of service.

There are three classes of service:

1. Economy;
2. Comfort;
3. Business.

They have their own appropriate assortment, which is improved once every month and a half. In economy class you have the opportunity to drink hot and cold drinks throughout the flight. Wine is provided with a hot meal in certain destinations, for example, to some cities in Vietnam.

Comfort class provides menu cards depending on the destination. For business, food is divided into two categories: for long and short flights. Special meals can be ordered 36 hours before departure for economy class for flights lasting from three hours, for business – from one hour. This may not always be possible.

It is important that during the flight passengers are fed high-quality and tasty food. Aeroflot serves meals prepared in-house, which is rare. Economy class visitors independently unpack food heated on board the airliner; in business class, metal utensils and exquisite dishes are used, and the cuisine is as close as possible to the restaurant version.

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Additional Information:

1. Food on an airplane may not seem tasty enough, since at high altitudes human receptors become less sensitive;
2. Passengers and pilots eat different foods. Healthy and safe meals are provided for pilots. Each of them is provided with meals in separate packages, so that in the event of poisoning or health problems in one pilot, the second can take control.