Airline meals are definitely cyclical, on all airlines, even the best ones. NZ has always marketed having superior meals as a feature, going back to the TE days, but went downhill quite badly circa 2000. To the credit of NZ, they fixed it when they did the service repositioning (abandon F, create J+/Y+). The industry as a whole was on a "pax don't care about meals" trend, and this has now reversed with lots of airlines improving their meal service (even if they are then charging for it). Given this trend, it seems inevitable that CX will be doing another meal revamp later in 2007.

Interesting comments number_6. It is certainly true that when someone is telling you about a flight they took, you invariably ask what the food was like. While it's certainly not a dealbreaker when choosing airlines, but if enough people have told you that the food on airline xyz is terrible, it'd make you think twice about long haul with that airline.

One other observation I have is that the Y - J gulf in food is quite big on CX (from my experience). This is probably a smart move, as it does give prem pax incentive to spend more $ on flights. I was surprised (but pretty happy) that when I flew Y+ with Air NZ over Xmas that all Y+ pax got J meals. Y+ also got the same alcohol and snack menu, as well as priority boarding, so the only real differences were in the lie-flat seat and the amenity kits (which were considerably nicer). Oh, and automatic lounge access. This has of course let to Y+ seats being very hard to get at peak times. Perhaps CX is deliberately keeping Y food so-so and ensuring that J food is very good.

Anyway, just a few thoughts on a Wednesday afternoon...

I do believe NZ is now jacking up their Y+ prices to compensate for their increased levels of service.

Sometimes what you can see can't help either. In the many years I have flown with SQ and CX (SQ more than CX), I have experienced much better food quality on SQ J than on CX J. If I am ever doubtful at SQ, I usually ask to see the picture of the food presentation before I make my choice. To me, ordering chef creation is usually the best choice - especially those from Sam Leong, Ah-Yat, Matthew Moran, Gordon Ramsay, and Yoshihiro Murata.

The problem with CX J pre-plated casserole dish main courses is that it lost on the presentation and it tends to get over-heated / over-cooked. This is unfortunate because all the light entrees (salads) leading up to the main courses are usually served in a nicely design volcanic rock colour and beige plates. To get the main course in a rectangular /oval shape white casserole dish is just so anti-climax of the whole dining experience. The casserole dish just does not go together with the zen-like setting of the tray. It doesn't do justice to the zen shaped salt and pepper shakers either.

No, I am not going to stop flying CX just because of the pre-plated casserole type food but I do want CX to improve its meal quality in J because I believe CX needs this to stay competitive in the J market. Also, if I can have a wonderful dining experience with SQ J, why shouldn't I expect the same from CX J? After all, I am comparing the 2 best airlines in the world.

I would tend to agree that CX food is probably its weakest link in a very strong chain. the Y food is usually ok but never great, and even in J it can tend to be a bit hit and miss. I find QF in Y and J has a more consistent food product, now if only they could make the rest of their product as consistent as CX