After a transatlantic cruise and adventures in Europe, recently we were on a return flight from Paris to New York via American Airlines on a Boeing 767. It was curious to see what type of food was provided. The 8 hour flight had a departure time of 11:10 AM, and we barely made it (no thanks to the terrible WeCar/G7 Taxi Service in Paris which was 45 minutes late). The American Airlines staff was tremendously helpful, however, in aiding us at the airport so we could make the flight, so a big Merci Beaucoup to their terrific Paris team at Charles De Galle (CDG).
An hour into the flight, lunch was served. Not sure what the first/business class food was like, but in the economy section there was a choice between pasta or chicken. The pasta dish was a rigatoni dish with flavorful bacon and cheese sauce, along with steamed broccoli. It was a bit too heavy-handed on the salt. A salad with French dress (of course!) was provided, along with a small bottle of water, packet of Jacob's Table Cracker, a roll with butter, and a mini-hub of Laughing Cow cheese. Albeit small, the salad was a nice one with carrots, lettuce, and a sliced cherry tomato. The dressing had a nice flavor and not overpowering. For dessert, there was a package of Walkers Coconuts & Orange Biscuits. You can also have your choice of juice (orange, apple, or cranberry), more water, tea, coffee, or soda.
The chicken dish had a 5 oz or so chicken breast in light BBQ sauce, un-crunchy fried potatoes, and green beans. It reminded me of typical cafeteria food from a hospital sans the fries. Not bad I must say- the chicken was tender, though the green beans were my favorite part. BTW, the crew also came around again to ask if wanted another cup of refreshments.
American also added an afternoon snack in the form of "Tex-Mex Nachos", which tasted more like salted crackers. It was also nice, to have headphones for free, and of course, there were also the standard pillow and blanket provided. Movies shown on the old-style CRT-screens were X-Men Days of Future Past (excellent) and Monuments Men (kind of boring). Episodes of the NBC sitcom "Parenthood" was also shown. There was no wi-fi available on the aircraft.
Dinner was also provided too, which was a bit unexpected. The sole option was a "deep-dish" veggie pizza. It was not exactly the healthiest food, but was surprisingly tasty. A bar of Walkers Pure Butter Short Bread accompanied the dish. Overall I thought the food provided on this long haul flight was satisfactory. The various items provided on the platter helped. Personally, I'd give kudos to the crew & American for making the journey more palatable.
