No one ever raves about aeroplane food, certainly not in economy anyway. But one airline thinks their’s is so good that people on the ground will pay good money for it.
In-flight meal on AirAsia. Photo: Shutterstock
AirAsia is so confident in it’s culinary offerings that the airline plans to open a restaurant, replicating its in-flight menu on the ground. AirAsia CEO, Tony Fernandes, recently revealed the plans on the Larry King Show.
“Our food is fantastic. We believe in it so much that we’re going to start a fast-food restaurant out of it.” – Fernandes tells Larry King.
In Malay, ‘Santan’ means coconut milk. This is the name of AirAsia’s current in-flight menu and is also to be the name of the new restaurant. Santan is a staple of Southeast Asian cuisine and features prominently in AirAsia onboard meals.
The airline’s menu is extensive, catering for numerous religious and dietary requirements. AirAsia updates its menu constantly to keep up with trends, citing veganism and gluten intolerances as an area of growth. The menu also attempts to represent a variety of Asian cuisine including Indonesian, Sichuan and Malay food. Although, options for Western food are available pre-departure on certain flights.
AirAsia passenger’s in-flight meal. Photo: instagram
The restaurant will attempt to bring the “in-flight gourmet dining experience” to the streets, according to The Star. The idea was floated by AirAsia’s CEO in February, but the airline it yet to revisit the concept publicly since.
When you’re stuck on a plane with a twelve hour journey ahead of you, aeroplane food probably is the most exciting thing going on. I’m just not sure I’d shell out actually money for it on the ground.
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I was blessed with parents who really saw the value in travel. After our first family trip abroad to Thailand, I became obsessed. I was hungry for anything new and different. I yearned to be in the middle of a city on the other side of the world with a suitcase in one hand and google maps in the other, stumbling around trying to figure out where I was going; literally and spiritually.