Wait, Are Airline Catering Budgets Really This Low?!

Have you ever wondered how much airlines spend on the meals they serve inflight? Obviously this information isn’t typically made public, and there’s also some variance. However, there’s an interesting discussion going on online, and it might explain why inflight meals sometimes aren’t great, even in premium cabins.

First & business class catering budgets are lower than you’d think

There’s a discussion in the Lufthansa forum on FlyerTalk, about catering budgets at Lufthansa Group. Specifically, you want to guess what the catering budget allegedly is for first class on both Lufthansa and SWISS, for the entirety of a one-way long haul journey?

Well, it’s apparently €18. That’s right, under $20. Yes, that’s for both meals served in first class on a long haul flight. One wonders how that’s even possible.

I’d be skeptical, but another knowledgable FlyerTalk member shares some numbers that were provided during a tour of an airline catering facility a bit over a decade ago, where it was mentioned that the typical Lufthansa meal budget for a long haul flight was €2 in economy, €4 in premium economy, €10 in business class, and €20 in first class.

Obviously I can’t personally vouch for this, and there has been inflation since then, but the general sentiment matches what I’ve heard in the past — airline meals are much cheaper to produce than you might expect or hope. Like, you’d be hard pressed to find a microwavable meal for the price of an economy meal, and that doesn’t even account for those meals including sides, etc.

One of the catering facilities near Frankfurt Airport even sells meals to consumers — business class meals retail for €7, while economy meals retail for €2. That includes the 19% VAT.

I’m curious how much variability there is in catering budgets

Obviously the airline industry is incredibly competitive, and controlling costs is important. That being said, it’s clear that not all airlines invest in catering equally. I’d be fascinated to know what the variability is in per passenger catering costs.

For example, I have to imagine that in Emirates first class and Singapore Airlines first class, the catering budget is way (way, way) higher. And of course this all says nothing of the cost of alcohol, where the investment also differs greatly between airlines.

I’m also curious how caviar factors into this. I have to assume that the Lufthansa first class catering budget excludes caviar, since one large tin of that is loaded per flight, and it’s not otherwise a variable service item. I’d assume the catering budget is for the actual food prepared by the catering facility.

So while there are a lot more questions than answers, I think the lesson here is pretty accurate. If you’re wondering why some airlines struggle with actually offering decent catering, it’s because they’re not willing to invest the money. And even when you’re in business class and are served a meal that’s not great, it’s because you’re really eating food that was prepared for a similar cost to a microwave dinner… or maybe for less!

Bottom line

Most airlines spend a lot less money on catering than you might expect, and that includes in first and business class. While there’s obviously some significant variability, it appears that some airlines have a budget of around $20 per passenger for an entire flight in international first class.

I can’t personally vouch for these numbers, but the general sentiment matches what I’ve heard in the past — airline catering, especially in premium cabins, costs a lot less than you might expect.

What’s your take on airline catering budgets, and are you surprised by these alleged numbers?