Annalisa12

I'm picky. I can't think of anything worse than caviar and Dom. i just eat around what I don't like or order book the cook.

gaobest

I eat at the airport, bring snacks and/or a sandwich and water, and tend to still eat and enjoy the meal on the plane. But there are times when I’m just so happy to have brought food onto the plane. Travel isn’t cheap and I only fly a few times a year.

lhrsfo

I have to admit that I've never experienced the exalted heights of First Class but I do regularly fly business class on a range of *A and OW airlines (but not so much in the Far East). I can't recall anything particularly trendy on any of them - it seems to me that they stay safely about 20+ years behind the food trends in the Business Class cabin. Usually there's steak and two veg or fish and two veg, with a starter, a salad and a pudding of some sort, including cheese and biscuits.

Now, if I wanted something healthy I would be struggling, partly because it would be difficult to achieve in the air where food is necessarily pre-cooked and re-heated and mostly because it seems that the majority of people want large portions of meat and two veg. But I've never seen anything trendy on any Business Class menu.

As for the OP, who I see is based in the US, I'm really not sure that any airport outlet in the US will sell anything more suitable than what is served on the plane, unless a sandwich with lots of gunk is all that is required.

Cloudship

This will be my first true First Class experience. It is short - JFK-LHR and back. I am certainly not going to starve to death or anything like that. It was just as I was looking at a few light reviews and seeing what they offered for menus that I realized a lot of them I wouldn't really care for anything they offered. Which is what brought up the topic of discussion for this thread. I will probably pack away a few snacks anyways. But then what is the real difference between the two classes these days of all lie-flat seats?

Linri

I eat at the airport (just sandwich and water).

Duke787

My wife doesn't love airplane food in general (not a picky eater but just not a fan of airplane meals) -- so when we fly J/F she usually gets something at the airport and then gets the bread and a glass of wine and goes straight to sleep (or if flying F, she'll get the caviar and give it to me after I finish my caviar portion )

For JFK - LHR, I'm assuming you are either on BA or AA (since no one else flies F on the route). In both cases your best bet is to use your F boarding pass to access and eat in the AA Flagship First Dining facility or the BA First Class Dining in their respective lounges at JFK. The food on the ground will be better than what they can make up in the air anyway (and reports are that the AA Flagship First Dining is actually very tasty -- I have not been). Then when you board you can focus on having champagne and any other food that interests you (no caviar on AA/BA) and then head to sleep to maximize the bed.

On the return, you can do the same with the BA First Class lounge at LHR (or go to the CX Lounge and grab some Dan Dan noodles).

Collierkr

I have said this multiple times... regardless of airline or class, if you are expecting food of same quality and experience in the air as on the ground, you will be disappointed. Airplane food is for sustenance and nothing else.

mhy

BA have recently introduced new catering on the JFK <-> LHR routes - Do&Co - which I found to be quite satisfactory in both First / Business. You can find plenty of reviews online and I think the menu was also available on 'Manage my booking' on the BA website. If you do not want to eat on board, eat in the JFK / LHR Concorde Rooms - hopefully they have something you can eat - and pack a snack for a mid-flight meal.

I recently flew BA in both F/J (they also happened to be my first BA flights ever) and they are still relatively fresh in my memory. These are the things that were different between F/J:

• Very nice check-in / security experience at the First Wing. I've only experienced the LHR T5 one but it was really nice and very quick to get through. Took me about 20mins to get through security when I was in J. The JFK T7 version of this looked more like a gimmick, but at least it's better than nothing.
• Much more personalized service in F - there are 3 crew for just (max) 14 passengers. I had some very nice chats with the crew.
• Better amenity kit, marginally. You also get pajamas in F, but not in J. I really like my BA pen with 'First' on it
• Better lounge (JFK and LHR Concorde Rooms vs the Club Lounges). The CCR is not mind blowing but certainly better than the J lounge, and much less crowded. I made the mistake of going to the Club Lounge in LHR T5A which was a complete madhouse. The CCR was serene compared to that.
• More private seat, and quieter cabin in 747 F than 747 J (lower deck at least). The 747 Upper Deck business class deserves to be experienced at least once, though.
• The F bed is longer and foot area is wider, I slept better in F. Not by a huge margin, but it's definitely noticeable.
• Better champagne & food in F - you get Laurent-Perrier in F. But no one flies J/F for the food or drink, I think.

Jay555

If I don’t like the meals I fill up on the cheese course.

Cloudship

I am actually a little worried about the length crossing the pond. 6 hours, figure at least an hour off of either end for take-off and landing, plus at least a half hour for food - that leaves you like 4 hours of sleep. Almost too short. I have flown the route several times before, but I always take the day flights. But jumped on the chance to get into First this trip. I might just give up on the evening meal completely and eat in the terminal and get a little extra sleep.

gfunkdave

Picky eaters drive me nuts. There are so many tasty things that are "weird". If there's something that makes you sick, then by all means don't eat it. But refusing to try new things just because they are new is asinine. My in-laws are like this. All they want is white bread and sweet meat. If I want vegetables beyond some overcooked canned green beans I have to bring a salad. (Their idea of salad is iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese, and drowned in ranch dressing)

Caviar is just salty. I can't shovel it down but in small quantities it's fine. I wouldn't order it though. And Champagne is always in order.

But I digress. I agree with the people who have said to bring your own food or make do with what's available. Airplane food is almost never good, even in premium cabins. I have heard the main exceptions are the ME3 and ANA F, but I've never flown them.

mhy

For the JFK-LHR overnight, definitely eat in the T7 CCR and go straight to bed - I managed 5 hours sleep last time on BA172. You can eat breakfast when you arrive at LHR T5 BA Arrivals lounge (there's a separate breakfast area for F passengers)

OUTraveling

If you are picky pack your own:

LAX to ZHR Swiss Air from Petrossian Caviar LAX

BThumme

I empathize with you OP. I like a lot of plain food (hehe).

I like food dry, not covered in sauces or creams or whatever. I look at a lot of the menus in trip reports, and just kinda shrug.

I've flown AA on LHR-JFK and its been okay (also the sundaes are amazing). But my honemyoon trip will have my fiancee and I in Qatar business and Etihad First, so I'm not sure I will find something as appealing for me.

Even in economy, on some flights that are allow it, I've requested the fruit plate. That's easy enough for me, and then I try to add on whatever I can (nuts, dessert, bread).

lhrsfo

Apart from upgraded food and wine, and access to better lounges, it's all about the seat which is bigger, more private and more comfortable.