Overnight transpacific flight -- Elaborate or Quick
 

Hi Everyone,

After my first attempt to deal with food/beverages on red-eye domestic/transborder flights, let moves to a more interesting topic -- redeye on transpacific flight, especially those depart at midnight from West Coast heading towards Asia/Pacific -- Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland... and also from West Coast to Europe.

I am always caught on this dilemma. This flight is no longer a short transcon flight... it is a long-haul, so it will make sense to serve a hot full-course dinner and a hot breakfast prior to arrival. It is a way to combat jet lag. You can eat dinner just like people in Asia/Australia/New Zealand does (maybe a bit early), and watch a movie... then sleep till breakfast time... That makes much sense to me... but some airline decide not... What is your comment?

Following is a list of what airline doing now? Feel free to add to your list... (C class)

Air Canada (one redeye flight to TPE from YVR)
Still serves a full-course dinner after takeoff... snack trolley with pastries and sandwiches... noodles in mid-flights... and breakfast (hot) before arrival. (I can confirm this next Sunday night)...

Air New Zealand
According to trip reports posted here, a full dinner is served after take off, and hot breakfast prior to landing

Cathay Pacific
LAX/SFO/YYZ to HKG service have a supper service, which is a downscaled main meal service. No canape and appetizer... start with a salad (lucky if it's not the typical green salad), three entree choices instead of four, fruit and cheese, no dessert (ice-cream on HKG departure flight), and pralines... then a full hot breakfast before arrival. (First Class has an a la carte service)
From Vancouver, it is only a refreshment service after takeoff, with only a fruit bowl, two entree choices, rolls and coffee. The reason is that most people from NYC has already eaten its dinner on the first leg.

China Airlines
A Light meal service... with a plate of appetizer (no canape and salad), two choices of entrees (instead of usual three), a dessert (instead of two choices), and a giant fruit plate. Breafast prior to arrival. Snacks available, but with only Chinese Dim Sum or Cup Noodles.

EVA Airways
A light supper service... similar to China Airlines but no fruit plate. Breakfast before arrival

Singapore Airlines
Supper service with only hors d'oeuvre, three entree choices, cheese and fruit plate... that's it... Breakfast before arrival. Snacks are available on midflight. Y class still gets the full dinner service...

United Airlines
Full dinner and breakfast service...

I always think that airlines serve those snack or light supper service to cut cost. From what I notice in both F, C and Y class, most people eat the dinner like normal... except ANC-TPE flight (because people eat a supper on the NYC to ANC leg). It is a good way to combat jet lag and Asians have midnight snack... especially Hong Kong.

What do you think?

Happy Flying,
Carfield

UA also has snack cart and mid-flight noodles for its SFO-TPE flight. What interests me is that it serves a western styled breakfast on the SFO-TPO portion and chinese-styled breakfast on TPE-SFO. Is there a particular reason? I am sure the food servicer at both airports are capable of catering both styles.

Unless there is something exception on the breakfast menu for NZ J flights I love the idea of dinner, then fall asleep watching the film. By using the "Do not disturb" sticker (provided in soap bag) I avoid breakfast - just have a crossant, and juice. The full breakfast is often not worth the fluffing around, as opposed to an extra hour or so of sleep.

Mark

hey - flying transpacific west makes me loose 3 meals (dateline!) and I am in the middle of a slimming diet period (so far, since jan-1-99 minus 12 kg! - yes - the swiss-Appenzell-costum fits perfect again!) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif