The Company Behind Most International Airline Food

Unless a traveler is dishing out thousands of dollars for a first-class plane ticket, the mid-flight meal isn't typically the highlight of the journey. In general, airplane food is notoriously mediocre. Whether it's a minuscule pack of peanuts or a multi-course hot meal, we're conditioned to keep our standards in check when flying with an appetite, particularly considering food is being reheated above the clouds. However, sometimes airlines can pleasantly surprise us with some high-quality meals.

Most airlines partner with large catering companies to fill their trolleys with hot meals, and the majority of international carriers choose Gate Gourmet, the world's leading airline food provider. The Swiss-owned company has been delivering meals to the sky since 1931 with more than 250 airlines collaborating with them today, including big names like United Airlines, British Airways, and Air France. However, not every airline goes with a full catering service, as our rankings of major airlines' food in the U.S. shows.

To ensure meals stay fresh, Gate Gourmet operates out of huge facilities near each of the airports they work with, one being the 132,000 square-foot kitchen in Washington D.C. When patrons are handed cafeteria trays of pre-portioned meals, the idea of a home-cooked meal seems like a distant desire, but apparently the chefs of Gate Gourmet make everything from scratch. The dedicated team of caterers chop, dice, roast, mix, and whatever else it takes to craft travel-friendly meals, all within 24 hours of being delivered right to the cabin door.

Producing that much food on a daily basis is undoubtedly taxing, but what really demands tedious care is following measures to guarantee that safe food is being served. With rounds of heating and cooling meals followed by quick transport, Gate Gourmet chefs have to carefully follow protocols to avoid any risk of food poisoning, which means always sending off properly packaged meals at just the right temperature. 

As time-consuming as production can be, developing meal concepts can be just as challenging. The Gate Gourmet team focuses on meeting dietary restrictions, utilizing in-season produce, and adopting sustainable practices, all while considering what is feasible to prep in advance and can be simply and safely reheated after takeoff. On top of that, high altitudes are known to dull our taste buds so the culinary minds behind Gate Gourmet recipes have to factor that in when conceptualizing flavor-packed dishes. 

The Swiss catering company originally only served patrons flying in and out of its home country on the now defunct Swissair, but well after the airline shut down in 2002, the catering side of the business carried on. The Swissair catering department made quite a name for itself, supplying tasty meals to travelers from every corner of the world, before being established as its own brand in 1992; Gate Gourmet. The successful company passed through different hands, including Texas Pacific Group in the early 2000s, but was ultimately absorbed by its now parent company Gategroup in 2008.