Good news for fliers, especially busy business travelers who often are pressed to grab a bite to eat, can be found in the latest survey of food on North American airlines.
Photo: Darren Booth for CNBC
The airlines are serving more meals and offering healthier and higher-quality food choices than last year, says Charles Stuart Platkin, an assistant professor at CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College in New York who's assessed airline food's nutritional value in seven annual surveys.
"A few airlines are realizing that, if they pay attention to food, they can increase customer experience and satisfaction," says Platkin, who edits the website DietDetective.com.
Virgin America offers the healthiest food in Platkin's nutritional survey this year. "This airline is off the charts when it comes to focusing on food," he says.
Air Canada is second, and Alaska Airlines is third of 11 North American airlines' menus. Allegiant Air scored the lowest.
Platkin says airlines are selling healthier snack boxes. But, he says, they need to offer more nutritious individual snacks. Many snacks airlines offered last year exceeded 850 calories, he says. This year, the average calories per item of meals, snack boxes and individual snacks is 388.
Nutritional Hits, Misses For 11 Airlines
Using a zero-to-five-star scale, nutritionist Charles Stuart Platkin offers the following health scores and comments about the food offered by 11 airlines. Scores are based on seven criteria: health of meals, health of snacks, food variety, calories, improvement from last year's survey, menu innovation and cooperation in providing nutritional information. For more information, go to DietDetective.com.
Virgin America
Health Score: Four and 1/4 stars
Comments: This airline puts nutritional information on its Travel Light menu and is starting to do the same on its website. The PopChips are a low-calorie individual snack choice, but the best choice is the nuts if you split them with someone. The Protein meal box, the holiday turkey sandwich and the roasted pear and arugula salad are recommended.
Air Canada
Health Score: Four stars
Comments: The airline calls its food Air Canada NutriCuisine and prides itself on freshness and quality of ingredients. It contracts with a company called Food with a Conscience to help create the menu. The roasted chicken wrap with salsa is only 350 calories. For breakfast, go for the Greek yogurt, which is only 150 calories, or the fruit plate, only 186 calories.
Alaska Airlines
Health Score: Three and 3/4 stars
Comments: Among the snack boxes, the Mediterranean tapas box looks great and is healthy if you share it. For flights of more than two hours, the fruit and cheese platter, at 476 calories, is more of a meal, but, if you split it with someone, you will be in good shape.
Health Score: Three and 1/2 stars
Comments: The airline has slipped from No. 1 a few years ago. Most meal choices for lunch and dinner are reasonable in calories. Except for the nuts, all individual snack offerings are poor choices. On flights of more than two hours, go for the tapas box. For flights of more than three hours, United has several healthy choices, including the grilled chicken spinach salad at 360 calories.
Health Score: Three and 1/4 stars
Comments: The individually packaged snacks are portion-controlled, but most lack nutritional value. The beef jerky, at 100 calories, is okay, but it's high in sodium. The Shape Up meal has fiber and, at 496 calories, is the winner.
American Airlines
Health Score: Three stars
Comments: AA finally got rid of most super-high-calorie meals. On a flight of more than two hours, go for the cheese & cracker tray. On a longer flight, the best choice is the turkey and chutney sandwich. Don't eat the chips that come with it.
Health Score: Two and 3/4 stars
Comments: The airline has replaced several high-calorie individual snacks with lower-calorie versions. While it is moving in the right direction, a few healthy snacks are needed. Many high-calorie meals have also been lowered. For lunch or dinner, the barbeque chicken salad is a great protein-packed, low-calorie choice at 190 calories.
Health Score: Two and 3/4 stars
Comments: Delta's individual snack choices aren't very good. For free snacks, the peanuts are the best choice. Among snack boxes, the Travel Treats without the Twizzlers and Oreo cookies will work. For breakfast, your best bet is the yogurt parfait at 290 calories. For lunch/dinner, go for the smoked turkey provolone, which is 550 calories without the mayo.
Health Score: One and 3/4 stars
Comments: Spirit has added a few snacks but nothing very healthy. The cup of noodle soup, at 300 calories, is the only choice that will feel like a real meal.
Health Score: One and 3/4 stars
Comments: The airline didn't respond to calls or emails. (Frontier spokeswoman Lindsey Carpenter says the airline responded to Platkin's original email but not follow-up emails.) For individual snacks, it's best to go with the chips and salsa or the oatmeal. Skip the fudge. The Mediterranean snack box is not bad if shared; just skip the cookies.
Health Score: One and 1/2 stars
Comments: The media representative was annoyed I contacted the airline, and nutritional information was not provided for most foods. (Allegiant spokeswoman Jessica Wheeler says it took time to track nutritional information, but all information requested was provided.) The snack boxes are not healthy, and nuts are the healthiest among individual snacks. The turkey sandwich is the best choice.