Airlines turn to celebrity chefs while new cabin seats wait

Building new business and first class cabins is slow work. A fresh seat can take years to develop, gain certification and be installed, so many carriers look for quicker methods to improve what premium passengers get.

One answer is food. An inflight menu can be reworked within months, making it a flexible way to set a premium offering apart while new cabins are still being built. Because of this, team-ups with recognised chefs are turning into a regular feature on high-end airlines.

Singapore Airlines has run a pre-order meal service for many years and lately added more than 100 new dishes before an upcoming cabin launch. Qatar Airways signed the chef behind a well-known London restaurant with two Michelin stars, offering multi-course menus to premium travellers departing Heathrow. In August, United Airlines teamed up with 11 chefs shown on the Netflix series Chef's Table for its long-distance business class, with dishes rotated by season through 2027.

What it means for travellers from India

• Premium cabin passengers may see refreshed or chef-designed menus long before any new seats arrive on a route.
• Dishes must be approved months ahead, fit into a small galley, and change for allergy rules, so menus are planned well in advance.
• As more airlines sign well-known chefs, this kind of dining may become an expected part of premium travel rather than a clear reason to pick one carrier over another.