4 August 2025

It’s travel season! In fact, at this very moment, I am trying to plan a family vacation in honor of my husband’s milestone birthday. Strictly on the basis of emissions, I know airplane travel is one of the worst things for the planet.

There are probably worse things, and most people don’t board an airplane as part of daily life, but I think we can all agree that flying is not typically a net positive event for the planet (and don’t even get me started on private jets…).

The thing you may not have considered is the impact of your airplane meal. I came across a post on LinkedIn this morning that posed a question: what if the default was plant based? As you might expect in a supportive and professional platform, comments rolled in about how that would be a great idea, BUT the vegan meal would have to be delicious.

So…I don’t fly often these days, and when I do, I’m an Economy gal (I confess I flew Business Class once, when my husband’s employer relocated us to the US, and loved it!), but I’m just wondering when ANY airplane meals were actually delicious. Feels a bit like a double standard.

Don’t get me wrong. I think the plant based option SHOULD be delicious. It’s a “captive audience” up there above 30K feet, and a great opportunity to share the possibilities. Scientifically speaking, our senses of sweet and salty are impaired at altitude, but umami - a common flavor in plant based options - seems to stand out more. It would be easy to create meals that are budget-wise, beautiful and tasty.

Any airline executives that are reading this: I’m available for consulting.

From a food safety standpoint - who doesn’t know someone who got sick from an airline meal? - plant based options would generally involve lower risk. Financially speaking, tofu, legumes and mushrooms are less expensive than beef, pork or chicken. From a visual perspective, vegan - or even plant predominant - meals would likely be more colorful than a meat-centric option, and perhaps that would enhance expectations and overall eating experience? Lastly, it’s the inclusive option - you can always add meat to a plant based meal, but you can’t really remove it for those who refrain.

It’s estimated that roughly 2 billion airplane meals are served every year. So, while many people never travel by plane and most air travelers do so infrequently, that’s still a lot of meals that airlines could update. Call it a token effort. An opportunity to differentiate themselves as “climate aware” or a company that cares about animal welfare. A way to reduce costs and increase food safety.

For me, the biggest plus of plant based meals in air travel would be the anti-inflammatory effect of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes and fungi. After all, travel is not the relaxing adventure it once was!

What do you think? Should plant-based meals be an option…or even the default?