The Worst Food Served on Airplanes, According to Frequent Flyers
Not every flight ends with a story about Lobster Thermidor and champagne. For every airline serving caviar at 35,000 feet, there is another one sliding a mystery sandwich across the tray table and calling it a meal.
Frequent flyers have opinions, and when it comes to bad airplane food, they are not holding back. Here are the airlines that keep showing up at the bottom of the list, and what passengers say is actually being served.
Aer Lingus: The Surprising Name at the Very Bottom
It is not Ryanair that holds the unofficial title of worst airline food, and that may come as a shock. A study analysing TripAdvisor reviews across 20 major airlines found that Aer Lingus had the highest percentage of negative food reviews, with 3.31% of its total reviews directly critical of onboard catering.
Passengers described the food as inedible and raw, with one reviewer claiming pre-ordered children’s meals never even arrived. A Skytrax reviewer described a vegan pasta dish as reheated to the point of being nearly inedible, and that was on a long-haul flight.
Ryanair: The One That Made It Into the Bin
Ryanair has long been the punchline of the European budget airline food joke, and the numbers back it up. A passenger survey found that only 17% of Ryanair passengers found their meals satisfactory, with a staggering half of all respondents labelling the food as simply poor.
One passenger made headlines after throwing his panini straight in the bin after two bites, describing what arrived as nothing like the photo and filled with an unrecognisable cheese paste. He said even the cabin crew agreed it was terrible, which really does say something.
Another passenger shared photos on TikTok after ordering a lasagna that looked nothing like the marketing image, warning others to think twice before ordering food on board.
Wizz Air: The Budget Experience That Costs You More Than You Think
Wizz Air may be one of Europe’s fastest-growing airlines, but it is not winning anyone over with the in-flight menu. A survey of passengers found that only a quarter gave their snacks and drinks a positive rating, while 40% rated the meals outright bad.
The airline does not include meals in the base fare, which means passengers pay extra for food that reviewers consistently describe as disappointing. It is the kind of deal where you spend more and leave feeling worse.
British Airways: The Cutbacks That Backfired Spectacularly
British Airways made headlines in late 2024, and not in a good way. The airline slashed catering on many long-haul premium cabin flights, quietly replacing full dinners with lighter supper options and swapping proper lunches for brunch menus, all under the guise of responding to customer feedback.
Passengers and staff flooded forums with complaints, with frequent flyers pointing out that business class passengers were receiving what one described as soup, cheese, a salad, and one main option. The backlash was so intense that the airline reversed the changes entirely, which tells you everything you need to know.
easyJet: The Menu That Often Does Not Actually Exist
easyJet lands on this list not just for quality, but for something arguably worse: promising food and then not having it. A Which? survey of over 8,000 passengers found that the biggest complaint was not taste, but the shortage of items shown on the menu.
One passenger simply noted that the airline just did not seem to have enough food on board. Only 29% of easyJet passengers reported being happy with their meals, placing it firmly in the lower tier of the survey results.
Bad airline food is almost a rite of passage at this point. The budget carriers make no promises and mostly keep them, while the flag carriers that should know better are the ones that tend to sting the most. After all, nobody is truly shocked by a sad sandwich on a Ryanair flight. It is the wilted business class plate that really hurts.
Have you had a truly unforgettable airline meal, for better or for worse? Drop your experience in the comments below.
