Inflight food for economy class passengers wasn't always the sad sack of peanuts it is today.
Up until 1978, flight attendants offered passengers (both in economy and first class) an entree, two vegetables, a salad, a dessert, and a cocktail at no additional cost — because US law dictated it.
Strict regulations in the airline industry once controlled flight routes, ticket prices, and also the type and quality of food served on commercial planes, according to Richard Foss, culinary historian and author of "Food in the Air and Space: The Surprising History of Food and Drink in the Skies."
Airlines served extravagant meals to compete for customers starting in 1950, when airlines created two separate flight classes.
In first class, they offered things like lobster, filet mignon, ice cream sundaes, fresh-baked bread, and even a few vegetarian options. Food in the economy class was of slightly lesser quality, but not by much. Once frozen food was popularized in the early 1950s, these inflight offerings only became tastier.
"The more competitive the airlines were, the better the food was likely to be," Foss tells Tech Insider.
With the deregulation of US airlines in 1978, the control of plane cuisine shifted completely to the private sphere. The airlines immediately looked for ways to cut costs, and inflight food was one of the first things on the chopping block. The parade of courses disappeared from economy class, but first class still got reasonably good meals.
That quality disparity widened over the next 30 years. Today, economy passengers are offered a Coke and a pack of crackers, while some first class passengers are treated to roasted sirloin steak with complimentary glasses of Shiraz.
When adjusted for inflation, airfare has fallen 25% since 1991, and it's 22% lower than it would have been had regulation continued, according to some sources. As prices steadily decreased, air travel exploded: The number of annual passengers has more than doubled since 1978.
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