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Food I Had Onboard XX (November 2024 – early January 2025)

Florian Buechting Airports and Airlines, Just Blogging, Other Transportation No Comments

While quite a lot of traveling is ahead of me during the next weeks, November and December 2024 was rather sparse – at least in regards of travel which reflect my culinary and service reviews. Here is the 20th edition of my Food I Had Onboard series, majorly reflecting these two months (and some travel before and thereafter).

 

30th October 2024, ÖBB Railjet RJ 289, Munich Main St. – Innsbruck Main St., First Class

The train was quite delayed and had some technical difficulties, but the service was really nice. After I had a great time in the Czech Railjet Business Class, I this time traveled in the ÖBB / Austrian Rail one again. Already before departure in Munich, the train staff took orders for food in the First Class (which is, in the Railjet, below Business Class). Being quite frustrated on that day, I went for an apple strudel with vanilla sauce and a double espresso. Overall, a roughly ten Euro delight. The quality was amazing, regarding being served on a high-speed train. Very friendly staff as well – loved it!

 

10th November 2024, Deutsche Bahn ICE 1919, Hamburg Main St. – Düsseldorf Main St., First Class

I really like the Bavarian style meat loaf in a bread roll (Fleichkäsebrötchen) provided by Deutsche Bahn. I was able to order it online on my trip back home, coming as a meal with an half liter apple spritzer. Unfortunately, the service staff stated to me at delivery that their booking system does not support this kind of meal bundle, so that the total price was 9.40 Euro for the separate items lacking a one Euro discount. Overall, the staff was very friendly though – and I feel that this one is a really nice snack.

 

24th November 2024, KLM KL 1800 (op. by KLM Cityhopper), Dusseldorf (DUS) – Amsterdam (AMS), Economy Class

I had a lot of German Airways flights in recent past on this connection. This one, however, was a KLM Cityhopper service with a really nice crew. The service was the typical morning economy one, with a cookie (later, there was even a second one) and a small bottle of water. I really like this one, especially regarding the short duration of the flight.

 

24th November 2024, KLM KL 1141 (op. by KLM Cityhopper), Amsterdam (AMS) – Dublin (DUB), Economy Class

I cannot tell you too much about the flight. I slept most of the time, being really exhausted. Thus, I missed the sandwich and drink service. I woke up just when they had passed me… And slept in again.

 

28th November 2024, KLM KL 1140, Dublin (DUB) – Amsterdam (AMS), Economy Class

The topic of this flight was definitely bias. The crew did obviously favor certain passengers in both, economy and business class. That started when boarding, continued with upgrading a passenger in the cabin after boarding was completed until very kindly treating another passenger (in economy). The service? Cheese sandwich – what else?

 

28th November 2024, KLM KL 1803 (op. by KLM Cityhopper), Amsterdam (AMS) – Dusseldorf (DUS), Economy Class

My business trip to Dublin ended with a very enthusiastic and energetic crew, who really made me smile over the flight. Great job, great ambassadors for their company. I especially appreciated it as passport control in Amsterdam (AMS) has been a nightmare, with EU citizens waiting for more than 15 minutes in line (at a one hour connection time). The snack on the flight were some crackers with water, I really appreciate that service on the short KLM Cityhopper hop.

 

5th December 2024, Icelandair FI 521, Frankfurt (FRA) – Keflavik (KEF), Business Class

My Icelandair flight connection to the East Coast felt to become a nightmare. The outbound from Keflavik (KEF) had severe delays and the Icelandair app already showed be that I won’t make my connection. However, there have been massive delays due to snow in genal, so that my connection to Newark felt being safe again… Until the Frankfurt ground handling, who was terribly slow, added some thrill to that flight.

Having said that, I was not really happy with the crew. In a situation like this you want to feel cared for, get information. They did not provide that sufficiently, neither from the cockpit nor from the cabin. Regarding that you finally receive a cold meal, it also took a bit too long. After a nice pre-meal snack, we got served a slice of hot smoked salmon with pickled fennel and wasabi dressing. The beef tenderloin being served with barley salad and truffle mayonnaise was actually quite nice. I would have liked to have some more sweets than “just” a Lindt praline, though. Later, there were some nice macaroons, however. Drink service got better throughout the flight. But overall, I just did not feel like “reading” in their gin library knowing that I may have a potential close-to-24 hours layover in Keflavik (KEF).

 

5th December 2024, Icelandair FI 623, Keflavik (KEF) – Newark (EWR), Business Class

There are very few airports in the world, where you can de-board a plane, pass passport control and board another plane within some ten to fifteen minutes. Keflavik Airport (KEF) is allowing that – and even though the crew of the previous flight was not helpful at all, I believed in the Icelandair flight stating that I would be making my connection. I liked the crew of my flight to Newark (EWR) from the very first moment of boarding. They were very friendly and attentive. The meal served was really nice as well. All courses were served on one tray. On top of the starter, beetroot-marinated smoked salmon with dill oil and pickled mustard seed, and the caramelized apple and gingerbread crumble, you had two options for the main.

I did not go for the warm duck comfit, which looked very delicious, but opted for the cold dish, a traditional Christmas platter including herring, reindeer pate, roastbeef, half an egg, Camembert, flatbread with smoked lamb, Waldorf salad and more. Likely not the best dish of the year, but one wish made me especially happy, just due to its wide Nordic set of flavors. Later, there was a round of snacks, when I went for a nice cheese tapas box. A nice service in the Boeing 737 MAX Saga Premium Class fleet.

 

8th December 2024, Icelandair FI 622, Newark (EWR) – Keflavik (KEF), Business Class

Still missing my suitcase (and traveling with a new one with new clothing…), I was having a bad cold on the way home. So the painkillers and these flu drops you can in the US, gave me an enjoyable time. I am sure it was less enjoyable for my neighbors in business class. I again went for the cold option on the long leg between Newark and Keflavik. The chicken and quinoa salad was really nice, even though a smoked pork loin with truffle potato gratin does not sound bad at all. Apart from Icelandic bread and butter, there was smoked lamb with melon salsa and pickled blueberries. The dessert was a pumpkin pie with skyr mousse – lovely! Apart from the really nice and attentive crew, I just have to point out the good flow of water in the cabin – something I really appreciate during long flights.

 

9th December 2024, Icelandair FI 520, Keflavik (KEF) – Frankfurt (FRA), Business Class

The breakfast service on the last leg of my trip reminded me a bit of the Christmas platter on the outbound. Icelandair picked a platter here, which represents their cuisine and culture – something more more interesting than the typical breakfast services. The bread was a sundried tomato sourdough one, coming with different cold cuts and even some fruit. Added to that,t here was a warm warm dish of an egg roll and a chicken sausage with potatoes. I also liked the rice and almond pudding coming as a sweet treat to it. Again, a really nice service by the Icelandic airline.

 

21st December 2024, KLM KL 1796 (op. by German Airways); Dusseldorf (DUS) – Amsterdam (AMS), Economy Class

I just had a few hours sleep before that flight, so that I majorly had a nap on the short flight to Amsterdam (AMS). The breakfast service in economy class was the typical cookie and water KLM thing, which is actually quite nice. The German Airways crew was very kind and attentive. However, there were quite some ground handling issues after landing in Schiphol Airport – likely also the key reason why my suitcase missed the not-at-all tight connection to Gothenburg (GOT).

 

21st December 2024, KLM KL 1229 (op. by KLM Cityhopper), Amsterdam (AMS) – Gothenburg (GOT), Economy Class

The flight started with some trouble. One passenger had a quite long conversation with the captain, presumably because he was vaping on the tarmac after the bus transfer to the plane (and, potentially also in the plane – at least it smelled like that). This lead to a minor delay before the flight headed on to Sweden. Again, I was rather focusing on relaxing, but the crew was very kind, having another cheese sandwich snack on the KLM Cityhopper economy class flight. One passenger later had a discussion with a flight attendant because he wanted to have multiple beer cans for his 1:15 hour flight (in economy) – you do run into strange people and thoughts while traveling.

 

25th December 2024, Eurowings EW 1164, Cologne/Bonn (CGN) – Dubai World Central (DWC), BizClass

I was curious about flying that long distance in Eurowings’ A320neo fleet. The flight started as a nightmare. The crew did not care about the BizClass passengers, but was rather keen on selling upgrades. Some passengers got food and drinks already before take-off. The flight also had quite some delay at the gate, due to operational problems. First of all, boarding was slow, secondly, there was a checked-in no show with luggage. Thus, finally, some two hours after boarding, the breakfast service began with hot towels. The crew felt more friendly and attentive now. There was even a hot towel service, which I felt being a nice treat. I expected ordering something from the onboard menu, but the meal service started with a warm breakfast, consisting of an omelette with spinach and a cheese-filled rosti. Definitely better than it looks alike – but finally a meal which rather reminded me of economy vacation flights. Soon thereafter, there was a snack service, in which I went for some salami and bread sticks.

Thereafter, the service was really great. Drinks as well as snacks were served frequently and on demand. My wife and I, for example, had a sandwhich each (I had a cheese one and Sarah went for turkey) and closer towards landing, the crew even surprised us with a warm waffle. You could either choose of one filled with apple sauce or one with berry sauce. Some people, however, used that Eurowings philosophy that BizClass guests can order from the menu what they like, massively. I really wonder if there was still catering on the way back to Cologne.

 

1st January 2025, Eurowings EW 1165, Dubai World Central (DWC) – Cologne/Bonn (CGN), BizClass

I was really curious how the Eurowings inbound to Cologne will be alike. It felt different. Overall, the crew was charming, but lacked presence. As a hot meal, there was the choice between Chicken Red Thai Curry and Gnocchi Arrabiata. First of all, I feel that two spicy dishes are a weird choice. I clearly stated that I cannot eat Thai Curry due to physical reasons and have to get the pasta dish. Of course they served me the curry, which was disgusting. There were also some positive moments at the beginning of the flight. For example, briefly after departure, we got a small bottle of water, which I missed so much on the outbound. After the hot dish, the crew simply refused to clean the table of my wife for at least half an hour (while others and I were serviced), which was absolutely disgusting.

Later, the service became better. You still sometimes had to be active to become a new drink or snack, but there were also three additional services. On both legs, this overall still felt much better than on corresponding Lufthansa Business Class flights. I finally ended up with a cookie, German Currywurst with Pringles (fries were out already) and the lovely warm waffle (this time, blueberry sauce only – apple was already out…). Regarding the service, Eurowings really did a good job!

 

3rd January 2025, KLM KL 1796 (operated by German Airways), Dusseldorf (DUS) – Amsterdam (AMS), Economy Class

My KLM year 2025 started with the Germans. The flight was rather straight. I had a full row in the Embraer E190, which was quite a treat for the early morning flight. The least surprise was the breakfast snack – KLM’s good, old cookie. The crew was very nice.

 

3rd January 2025, KLM KL 1353, Amsterdam (AMS) – Prague (PRG), Economy Class

I was rather surprised that KLM used a Boeing B737 MAX for their service to Czechia. The crew was really nice and I had a very relaxed experience, again with a full row (this time: three seats) on my own. Culinary, KLM is as predictable as every year: cheese sandwich. If it is the first one in a year, you somehow look forward to it. Even if you know there will be some more in the future.

 

4th January 2025, Eurowings EW 9771 (operated by Eurowings Europe), Prague (PRG) – Dusseldorf (DUS), Economy Class

As the return with the Dutch was too expansive, I had another flight with a German airline on that weekend. This time, it was Eurowings, bringing me straight back to Dusseldorf (DUS) on their afternoon service. I did not consume something, but I still felt the crew was poor. They allowed to have luggage in the aisles between the seats and majorly felt to care about two (non-duty) colleagues who were transferring (deadhead flight). Announcements were in English and most of the times in Czech, which has been a unique experience to me as well. Overall, a Eurowings Europe performance which I did not like too much.

 

Food I Had Onboard

My bites and drinks on flights and trains are shown in Food I Had Onboard:

 

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