Normally I would have skipped over the article on page 2 of today's New York Times special "Business Travel" section. Entitled, "Ground-Level Tastings of the Best Food in the Sky," it sounded like a re-hash of all the other articles I've read over the decades that tried to convince me that there really IS good food up there at 30,000 feet.
But today I took a second look at the story because, based on my flight from San Diego to New York last week, I think there may actually be something better being whipped up in the airlines' kitchens. Last Thursday, the breakfast menu in American Airlines' First Class (thank God for frequent flier miles) included scrambled eggs. I said "no, thanks" and dove into my zip-lock bag of Kirkland Cashew Clusters from Costco (I never leave home without them.)
But my husband ordered the scrambled eggs and we were blown away by the fluffy cloud of eggs that appeared. Whipped up with cream cheese and fresh chives and served with perfectly grilled asparagus spears and a smooth goat cheese sauce, it was the first of two lovely surprises AA had for me that day. (The second surprise was our checked bags appearing within 15 minutes of touchdown.) This photo, a little grainy but you get the idea, is from a site called Smugmug.com.
The article, by Mickey Meece, recounts the efforts of major airlines to woo new customers with "roving trucks and pop-up lounges that offer passers-by a taste of what's being served in the air." It recounts how Air France rolled food trucks through Manhattan recently passing out free sample of the buckwheat crepes and French macaroons served on Air France flights. Next week, according to Meece, Austrian Airlines will dispatch chefs on bikes through NYC to hand out wedges of guglhupf, a type of bundt cake.
"The airlines’ deployment of food trucks with social media is an example of what is known as experiential marketing, Mr. Kollau said. “As people are bombarded with marketing messages,” he said, “real-life interaction with products and brands has become increasingly valuable for airlines to get their message across.”
Even if your normal mode of transport is coach, and the skinniest rows of coach to boot, this is an interesting phenomenon. Check it out at NYTimes.com.
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