LeisureFirst

Sorry for the same old refrain, but it really does get worse with each passing visit. Most of the food on offer last night at JFK pre-flight dining I would have felt embarassed to give to a pet pig unless he had been extremely naughty.

Really, although I think I'm a fairly discerning eater, I'm not so fussy it's normaly difficult to find something I like. Pick a random restaurant in Manhattan, say on 6th 7th or 8th Avenue in Chelsea, the area I know best (The Village will also do) where lunch is around $20-$40 a head total (incl. tip etc.) and I'll nearly always find something basically acceptable and often praiseworthy.

Last night, not a single one of the starters or main courses fell into that category. Some of the salads looked like they might have turned out to be interesting if the chef hadn't stopped half way through the recipe; everything else was worse than that and in each case I literally pushed it away after one bite.

The only items I could eat at all with any pleasure were the brownies (of which I had one) and pieces of melon (of which I had about four). And to be fair, I did not try the French Onion Soup: Manhattan is very hot right now and it's a totally daft idea to a warming winter soup.

Someone to bound to come along and say
Well I already did during my last visit in March. They wrote back over two months later to say my feedback was valuable and would be reported back. Perhaps they have acted on it and increased the consistency levels by removing the one edible hot item from the menu.


Anyway, here's the question. Do other TATL carriers offer than useful sleep-maximizing combo of pre-flight dining and breakfast in an Arrivals Lounge. If so are they any good?

TRAVELSIG

LH offers this via FRA. If you are flying out of JFK, the food in the *gold/Senator lounge is pretty good, and is absolutely excellent in the HON/First lounge. In FRA the welcome lounge is great- it has 32 showers, pressing facility, and very good breakfast. The only porblem is if you need to be in London, it is not very convenient to transit through FRA.

Earthman

Have they changed caterer in jfk? I havent been there in a few months but their pre flight supper choice used be good.
Recently all I hear is complaints

oxtailsoup

LX F lounge in JFK had very good food.

kered

Yeah, Virgin do ^

Now, que the raft of replies saying that Virgin is not a real airline to be taken seriously, the upper class seat is not comparable in any way to the so called superior seat in CW, the food is inedible, yadda, yadda, yadda

Swanhunter

In the air I don't take them seriously. But they do offer a proper silent sleep zone (useful on short E Coast overnights) and their Arrivals lounge breakfast is as good as BA's if not better.

Capricorn70

BA's CW pre-flight dinner fare at YYZ is not bad IIRC - had that last in Dec.:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25438406@N03/4747958747/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25438406@N03/4748599636/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25438406@N03/4748599712/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25438406@N03/4747958991/

henkybaby

That actually looks pretty horrible...

I have however never understood the need to eat at the airport. Have a bite before you head to the airport and get to it a bit later.

TRAVELSIG

With most airports I agree with you- however there are a few such as GRU and PVG where traffic is unpredictable enough that it is better just to get there asap.

Capricorn70

May not look fab in the pix, but tasted all right - much better than WT food that much I can say!!

Lucifer UK

Having just qualified for Gold, is the food any better in the FIRST lounge at JFK, or is it the same as pre-flight in the Terraces(?) lounge I usually frequent?

Dan72

I don't think it's that bad unless it has rapidly deteriorated in the last few months. Maybe I have lower expectations. Had pre-flight dining in Boston a month or so ago, and was quite pleased, some steamed fish that was not overdone and was healthy, unlike most airline food.

G-BOAC

The JFK lounges are pretty woeful for a flagship station You won't find the Flounge anything special but, regardless, PFD is all out of the Terraces for everyone except those with CCR access - that has its own dining room.

Genius1

Club pre-flight meals are termed 'Pre-Flight Supper'.
First pre-flight meals are termed 'Pre-Flight Dining'.


Not that I'm being picky or anything

Lucifer UK

Here's hoping they do something special for the move to T8 when the lease runs out...I thought I might be expecting something new and fancy in the FLounge as a new Gold. Pity...

Now where's the employer that flies everyone FIRST when you need them?