WeekendTraveler

If you’re offered a meal on a plane or train, usually in first class but sometimes in any class on a long trip, how often do you decline it?

When you decline a free meal onboard, do you ever get a reaction from the flight attendant or train attendant?

StuckInYYZ

It depends on a variety of reasons why you would decline a meal.... if you have lounge access, time of departure, length of travel, reputation of the airline, previous experience, etc. Most attendants won't give it a second thought...

Case in point... EVA and Cathay leave Toronto at 1-2am for Taipei/Hong Kong (respectively)... in the before times, the suggested pre-departure time to be at the airport is 2-3 hours (check-in/luggage and security line). In general neither line is so slow that you usually need that much time.... so what to do after you get airside? Usually eat/surf. There's not much else to do that late at either terminals (EVA/T1, Cathay/T3). Also, once you get on the plane, you usually want to get to sleep ASAP as you arrive early in the morning at your destination... so many people (especially in J) will defer/decline at least the first meal so they can be well rested when they arrive. The "cabin crew" experience this often. The food in general is not so incredibly good that you can't get something decent at the destination if you have to.

jcf27

I decline meals 99% of the time when flying easbound TATL. I get on the plane, eye shades on, earplugs in and straight to sleep. Domestic US and into south america I decline about 60% of the time.

Never had a reaction from a F/A. Why would that be the case?

BTW, there is no such thing as 'free meal' it's pre-paid in your ticket.

lhrsfo

Basically I decline the meal if I am not hungry or intent on immediate sleep.

BuildingMyBento

This thread amuses me due to one specific anecdote--

Flying from Guangzhou to LA on China Southern years ago, I knew that the in-flight food would suck.

CAN had a buffet restaurant with some relatively innocuous looking dishes. Consequently, I think I ate about five pounds of eggplant, chilies, and pork.
Didn't eat or drink ANYTHING during that entire flight.

Qwkynuf

I am allergic to wheat. If I can't pre-order a gluten-free meal, I decline 100% of the time. Overall, I probably take care of my food needs before I get on a plane at least 70% of the time (because anaphylaxis at 36,000 feet is not an experience that I have a desire to explore, and I don't want to be that guy that gets your plane diverted for a medical emergency). because it's important to me to know what I am eating.

Ultimately, the food on most airplanes isn't even that good. I kind of believe that for most people it is more about "getting something" than any kind of special dining experience - and that includes the "fancy" business and first class meals. Bringing me crap on 3 plates, rather than one, doesn't make it not crap. That just makes it pretentious crap.

enviroian

The only time I eat is when I'm on transatlantic J. When I am upgraded domestically I never eat as I have already ate lunch at a normal time and I don't eat dinner at 4 PM. I find it amusing that people will stuff themselves with food just because it's there.

LAX2Anywhere

Yes, frequently. Inflight meal times often don’t align with when I feel like eating, and frankly most airline food just isn’t that good.
Unless it’s a really long flight, I’d usually rather eat before or after and skip the meal.
On two meal flights, I’ll usually skip the second one or just have a snack.

Eastbay1K

I rarely have the arrival meal on an overnight longhaul. And you want blasphemy? EK F - I only had the initial meal service, and did not have meal two nor meal three. Of course, meal one was quite substantial, and that was after some lounge noshing.

OskiBear

If it's a really late evening departure and/or short red-eye, I'll skip the meal go straight to sleep. Most recently, I was upgraded on a red-eye LAX-BOS after boarding. Didn't expect to get fed so ate plenty in the Admiral's Club prior to the flight. Once upgraded, the FA asked if I wanted the meal and I declined, but did agree to the sundae :-)

Visconti

LOL...Similar experience during the pre-pandemic days where I'd fly out from LAS. While I'm not going to name the carrier specifically, it was one of those where, as you put it, their food would suck, or, at least to my western palates. So, I loaded up on like 8 or 10 small plates of the braised beef (one of the best dishes I've ever had anywhere including restaurants) they used to serve at the LAS Amex CL. So, pretty much fasted during that long flight.

Happens quite often where I'll just skip the meal. There are exceptions of course, but mostly it'll be on certain int'l F TPACs or TATLs.

Orange County Commuter

Probably 90% of the time. Sorry but if I wouldn't eat it on the ground it does NOT suddenly become edible just because it's served at 30,000 feet

Artpen100

On US domestic, rarely decline unless it sounds totally unappealing , but sometimes will just have a bite. If it isn't good, I won't eat it unless starving. For international, if there was pre-dining in the lounge, I do that, and usually skip dinner on the plane. Though last time I flew OS, I ate a little in the Polaris lounge dining room, and then ate again on the plane (because I wanted to try the OS food).

erik123

My kid refuses 100% of all meals and drinks in the air and at the airport. There are a few special exceptions (e.g. Wagamama at LHR).

DeafFlyer

I declined recently because I was busy throwing up into an air sickness bag they have on aircraft. The FA understood when I declined. Does that answer the question?