A flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) can take 13 hours.
Considering that many cross-border flights usually include one in-flight meal in the flight package, how do airlines warm the food before serving passengers?
Kenyans.co.ke shares details of how in-flight meals are prepared and served:
Preparation
For many airlines, meal preparation takes place on-ground in facilities known as flight kitchens. Airlines will either prepare their own meals or contract a manufacturer to supply them.
Food is chilled before it gets into the plane and then it is warmed before it is served to the passengers. Plane food is designed to be reheated.
Onboard
The chilled food is loaded onto the aircraft.
This is a huge logistical undertaking considering that the food has to be packed in an orderly manner so that the meals can be served at separate times during the flight.
The huge logistical challenge is due to the short turnaround time for some flights. The size and capacity of the plane also matter. For instance, a Boeing 777 can have more than 300 passengers on board.
Serving
Microwaves are not used in airplanes even though they were used in years gone by. The ovens on an aircraft are specialized convection ovens with food heating using hot air.
Depending on the length of the flight, there can be two or more servings. Some airlines market onboard chefs for their business class or first-class cabins.
These chefs are usually specially trained flight attendants who will prepare meals using the same ovens but with a wider choice of ingredients and options.
Unfortunately, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that passenger flights generate approximately six million tonnes of waste per year, some of which comes from unused in-flight meals.
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