Food Fight Erupts At 30,000 Feet Airline Experimenting With Better Meals On Some Flights

After years of griping about stingy airline food, some travelers may have to eat their words.

United Airlines and caterer SKY Chefs are teaming up to offer passengers from first class to economy larger salads, more desserts, between-meal snacks and individual bottles of water on transcontinental flights.

The conspicuous consumption stems from an attempt by LSA Lufthansa Services/SKY Chef to prove passengers will fly with the airline that feeds them well.

“We feel that the U.S. airline trend of removing food service from domestic flights is self-defeating,” said Michael Z. Kay, president of SKY Chefs.

SKY Chefs, the world’s largest airline caterer, last April offered $1 million in food and services to an airline willing to study whether better food can help airlines sell more tickets.

Three airlines submitted bids, and United got the contract. The yearlong experiment with improved food service is set to start April 6 on flights from Newark, N.J., to Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.

Some rival airlines say United is playing catch-up.

“We have already put the cheese back on the pizza,” said Continental Airlines spokeswoman Sarah Anthony. “Some carriers are just now turning the corner on this.”

Continental eliminated its “peanut fares” in 1995 and started restoring some meals to flights that previously had only snacks or no food at all. US Airways last year began offering coach passengers a - second meal - breakfast on cross-country red-eye flights, and Delta last summer began serving a larger version of its Blimpie sub sandwiches with lower fat meats on lunch flights.

The airlines also started offering gourmet coffee (Brothers for Continental and Starbucks for United) and improved their beer selection (Pete’s Wicked Ale on Continental and Augsberger specialty beers on Northwest).

Still, on competing flights, United’s efforts could force others to go even further. American Airlines said it will beef up its food service on its Newark to Los Angeles route, and other competitors are likely to follow suit.

The amount spent by U.S. airlines on food has decreased each year since 1992, when spending peaked at $2.73 billion, or $5.78 per passenger. In 1995, the most recent year for which figures are available, the airlines spent $2.42 billion, or $4.33 per passenger, according to SKY Chefs.

Part of the reason for the decline is most flights are shorter with the airline hub-and-spoke route system. Passengers on flights of less than two hours must often resign themselves to eating peanuts only.

Airlines often talk about improving their food, but usually focus on the better-paying first class and business class passengers on international flights. And they never talk about larger portions. Simple garnishes add thousands of dollars to food costs.

John Rothman, a Philadelphia resident who usually flies coach or business class, said food is only one factor he considers in deciding which airline to fly.

“Price is probably the most important thing when I fly,” he said. But “if everything was equal, or even if you’re looking at a $10 to $20 difference in price, I would pick the carrier that had the better food and the better service.”

Studying the SKY Chef experiment won’t be easy. Fare wars and frequent flier promotions can also affect the number of passengers flying with an airline.

But if the experiment works, it may mean friendlier skies for travelers.

“You’re a happier customer when you get off the plane if you have had a good meal,” Rothman said.