No matter how long your flight is, a couple of hours through to a long-haul cross-continental voyage, dining on board is one of travel’s greatest pleasures. Perusing the menu and seeing the tray arrive are all part of the excitement – but especially when the airline is known for its food. British comparison site MoneySuperMarket’s travel insurance team has now unveiled the best and worst airline meals, across economy and business class, analysing over 27,000 passenger reviews across more than 100 airlines. And it was one Gulf airline that came out on top.

Best airline meals overall

The study found that food is a significant factor in the luxury on-board experience, and most first and business class providers, such as Etihad and Japanese carrier ANA, offer an additional on-demand menu to go alongside their standard meal service, allowing passengers to order what they want, when they want. That said, it was Kuwait Airways that was crowned best airline food in the world, earning an average score of 8.6 out of 10 across all cabin classes. Dishes include multi course economy offering all the way to lobster, prawn and beef specialities in their “Royal Class” service. Keeping it regional, number two spot went to Oman Air, with a score of 8.44 across all cabins, followed by Lebanon-based Middle East Airlines MEA – with a score of 8.39. Qatar came in 14th place with a score of 7.55, tied with Emirates in 15th place, also with 7.55. Etihad Airways came in 18th with 7.44.

The highest international carriers were Greece’s Aegean Airlines with 7.89, the US’ JetBlue with 7.89, Turkish Airlines with 7.82, Air Mauritius with 7.72, Swiss Airlines with 7.63 and the UK’s Virgin Atlantic and British Airways (both with 6.7). Ar the other end of the scale, the worst five airlines were Kenya Airways with 3.31, Saudia with 4.73, Air Europa with 4.82, Northwest with 4.92 and Iran air with 5.12.

Best economy class airline meals

Things were slightly different in economy, with Algeria’s Air Algerie topping the list with 7.99 out of 10. Romania’s national carrier Tarom fared extremely well, in second with 7.77, followed by Turkish Airlines in third with 7.63. Next were Aegean with 7.55, followed by UAE airlines Emirates and Etihad Airways in 5th and 6th, with 7.54 and 7.52 respectively – a hugely close call. Qatar Airways also fared well in economy class meals, with 7.36 out of 10 – an impressive score. At the other end of the scale for economy class airlines meals, the least popular three were Saudia, 4.43, Alaska Airlines, 4.76 and Iran Air – 4.77.

Best business class airline meals

Business class airline meals saw European and Gulf carriers shine brightest. Topping the list was world’s favourite Kuwait Airways, scoring an impressive 8.87, closely followed by Gulf Air with 8.86. Next was Greece’s Aegean and Turkish Airlines, followed by JetBlue. Qatar Airways came in 6th with 8.13 for business class airline meals. Emirates ranked 13th with a score of 7.56, Etihad business class 43rd with 6.35.

Best first class airline meals

First class is the ultimate in luxury travel, and with food and beverages offering being a key decider on airline choice, and the benchmark of an amazing travel experience, airlines are used to delivering their very best to these privileged few passengers. Again, Gulf airlines fared particularly well, with both Emirates and Etihad reaching the top 10. Swiss International Air Lines came out on top with an impressive score of 9.02 for its first class meals offering, followed by Australian Qantas at 8.80. Lufthansa and China Airlines then follow, with Etihad Airways in 5th place with 8.37. Emirates cames in 9th with 7.52. At the lowest end for first class airline meals were Air France, with a surprisingly low score of 5.70, Alaska Airlines, United (6.69) and Qatar Airways with 6.72.

For the full results, visit moneysupermarket.com

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