ALL PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR

 

China Airlines

The upper photo shows a business class dinner en route from Taipei to Amsterdam. The cabin decor on this Airbus A350 was strikingly handsome, gold highlights and elegant wood tones. The food was less impressive, and they were super stingy with the wine. The lower pic showcase the carrier’s shorter-haul service on the A330.

 

South African Airways

Economy class dinner on the quick hop from Lusaka, Zambia, to Johannesburg. The second pic beholds one of the sadder things I’ve seen on a plane. Believe it or not, this was the business class vegetarian entree, served on the Johannesburg-Victoria Falls route. Click here for a detailed review of this flight.

 

Qatar Airways

Qatar’s business class food is arguably the best in the world. What you see here is the short-haul version, served on a two-hour flight from Doha to Yerevan, Armenia. Keep scrolling for a peek at long-haul.

 

Sky Airline

Sky Airline (there is no “s”) is a Chilean carrier, and this was the economy meal on a 737 between Santiago and Punta Arenas. Let’s just say that I loved the paper tray liner, and leave it there. The green plastic silverware was a curious and, some would say, unappetizing touch.

 

Sri Lankan Airlines

A beautiful little menu to whet your appetite on the way from Bangkok to Colombo. The meal itself was standard economy fare. Maybe the best thing you can say about economy class food is to call it “uneventful,” and this was no exception. The seat-pocket magazine is called Seredib — a sanskrit term from which the word “seredepity” comes from.

 

Drukair

One of Bhutan’s two airlines, Drukair flies smaller planes and offers a limited, if tasty business class menu. Here you see the lunch options on the daily run from Paro to Bangkok. This flight is further reviewed here.

 

Qatar Airways

Here are the promised long-haul shots. Qatar’s business menu is on-demand, meaning you order whatever you want, whenever you want it. There’s no scripted service, per se, with trays and carts coming down the aisle. These are some of the appetizer or “lite bite” options — a delicious soup, a mezze platter, and a couple of mini-burgers — plus a wonderful dessert.

 

Korean Air

This was first class from Incheon to Bangkok in one of Korean’s inter-Asia 747s with an older configuration that is no longer used. Notice the pull-out style entertainment screen and non-sleeper seat. Talk about slumming it! And if that noodle concoction looks a little too sloppy and greasy, it was.

 

Singapore Airlines

For whatever reason, I failed to keep any photos of the business class delectables I enjoyed one night on the long ride from Singapore to Amsterdam. Instead I have this less interesting picture from a shorter flight. This is what you get on an A330 between Singapore and Japan.

 

Kenya Airways

Bangkok to Hong Kong with Kenya Airways. A decent lunch and a can of Tusker. What’s not to like? And although you can’t see it here, this airline provides the world’s most luxurious fleece blankets. The crew even let me abscond with one, and today it resides on my couch. What they didn’t have, at least on this vintage 767 (since retired), is an entertainment system. I spent several perplexed minutes trying to locate my screen before realizing there wasn’t one.

 

Thai Airways

On the red-eye from Bangkok to Incheon. Another satisfying if unspectacular economy dinner.

 

Air Malta

Like the aforementioned Drukair, Air Malta operates only narrow-body planes on shorter routes (pictured is Heathrow to Valetta), and they do what they can with limited time and space. This involves some improvising, such as folding down the center seat to create a kind of instant business class. The result, all things considered, is surprisingly pleasant. Read more about it here.

 

Emirates

Emirates first class is… well. You’re looking at flights to Mauritius, Johannesburg, and Phuket. Similar to Qatar Airways, this is dine-on-demand, and you’re free to mix and match entrees, appetizers, and desserts to your heart’s content. We start with a welcome-aboard glass of Dom Perigean; then we see a mezze appetizer spread (yes that’s an appetizer), a shockingly delicious chicken biryani, and a tuna dish. Flying out of Johannesburg, I was intrigued by the ostrich filet (see the menu photo), but the pesto ravioli was tempting too. My cabin attendant prepared both. All the while, there’s a snack basked on your console. Mind you this is first class; Emirates business is a lot less lavish.

 

Battle of the Bars

The Airbus A380s at Emirates and Qatar both have onboard lounges. Qatar’s is situated in the center of the upper-deck. The Emirates version is also upstairs, but in the back, behind business class. Emirates also has an exclusive upper-deck bar only for first class customers, located at the forward bulkhead between the shower spas. The lounge is staffed by a bartender, while the forward bar is serve-yourself.

 

Tea Time

At the top, tea service on Qatar. On Emirates, the forward bar is taken down prior to arrival and a tea station is arranged in its place, backdropped by ornamental stones and waterfall. I mean, it’s hardly an airplane without rocks and a waterfall.

 

The Quiet Americans

Looking at those photos from the Gulf carriers, it’s easy to see that none of this is fair. Competing with heavily subsidized, government-owned airlines is pretty much impossible for American, European, and even most Asian carriers. Which isn’t to say their onboard products aren’t good. My photo collection doesn’t show it, but I’ve experienced most of them, and they hold their own. We’ve come a long way since the early 2000s, when broken seats, lousy food and terrible service were the standard.

Going back to 2019, before the COVID fiasco re-set the clock, the clear U.S. winner was Delta. Its international business class, now branded as Delta One, offered good food and an elegant, choreographed presentation with appetizer, soup, and dessert courses all delivered separately. It was a professional and gracious experience that United and American didn’t match even with bigger planes. Heck, it even blew Emirates’ business away. Delta also has the world’s best inflight entertainment system.

None of the U.S. carriers have returned quite to where they were pre-pandemic, but it’s not by accident that Delta keeps earning most of the passenger choice awards.