The airlines with the worst in-flight meals, snacks and drinks revealed

Airplane food isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of a gourmet meal – but a complimentary tray or snack can at least pass the time when up in the air.

That said, some in-flight meals are much better than others, as passengers have recently confirmed.

A new survey by YouGov’s Self Serve tool has revealed the best – and worst – airlines when it comes to in-flight meals, and a low-budget UK carrier has come last. 

According to the poll of 1,495 British adults, just 17% of passengers rated Ryanair’s inflight food positively, while half (50%) said it was poor. 

Wizz Air didn’t fare much better. Only 23% of respondents rated their meal positively, while 40% gave it a thumbs down.

At the top end of the table was Emirates. An impressive 85% of passengers rated its meal favourably. 

For long-haul flights the carrier offers complimentary drinks and multicourse meals which showcase the flavours of the flight destination.

Passengers have frequently lauded the food online. One traveller @anfissa.k described the food as ‘delicious’ on TikTok, rating its pan-fried chicken a 10/10 and its chocolate brownie a 12/10.

Another traveller @themealguideuk was also impressed by its main meal offering, describing her meatball and mash meal as ‘delicious’ and ‘the star of the show’.

Qatar Airways followed closely behind in the survey at 82%, and Virgin Atlantic also scored well with a solid 73% positive rating. 

Among UK-based carriers, British Airways came out on top with 63% of passengers rating its in-flight meal positively. It puts the carrier way ahead of Jet2 and TUI Airways, both of which scored 49%. 

Passengers were also asked to rate each airline’s snack and drinks offering – and again, Emirates took the crown. 

A total of 84% of those who had flown with the airline rated its options as ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ good, including 43% who described them as ‘very good’. 

Qatar Airways followed with 83% satisfaction, while Virgin Atlantic earned 74%. British Airways was once again the highest-rated UK airline with 61%, with Jet 2 (53%) and TUI Airways (50% trailing behind. 

Budget Airlines struggled again, with EasyJet receiving 35% positive ratings for its snacks and drinks and Wizz Air just 25%. 

But in last place, once more, was Ryanair. Only 21% rated its snacks and drinks as good and more than four in ten (41%) described them as bad. 

One TikToker @mealsbylucy left a review of Ryanair plane food last year, assessing its €10.99 meal deal, which comes with a drink snack and a sandwich.

The user opted for a bacon baguette which he described as ‘rock solid’ and ‘absolutely awful’. He also chose a chicken and mozzarella panini which he says was a ‘bit better’.

He rated the entire meal a 5/10. On the snacks and drinks front, the TikToker said the airline had ran out of soft drinks, yet managed to bag the last can of coke on board.

One commenter described the price as ‘daylight robbery’ adding that ‘you can get better meal deals so much cheaper’.

It’s not just airline food getting rated – airports are under scrutiny as well.

Another recent study has also revealed the best airport in the world – with Singapore Changi Airport once again taking the top spot.

The airport, often praised for its stress-free experience, has earned the title for the 13th time according to global air transport rating organisation Skytrax.

A total of 575 airports were assessed in the annual survey. Travellers were asked to rate everything from the airport’s website to the friendliness of its staff, the quality of its facilities and in-flight entertainment to baggage delivery times.

The Southeast Asian hub is, according to Skytrax, ‘renowned for its unrivalled passenger experience’.

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