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Surprising airline crowned world's best for in-flight dining, as Aussie airlines disappoint

April 24, 2026 - 1.01am

You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who genuinely loves airplane food.

The meals you get served on board - especially in economy - have a certain reputation for never really being more than 'average'.

However, of course, there are some exceptions.

best airline food in flight dining — Plane food can be hit or miss. Getty

Canstar Travel Insurance has crunched the numbers to rank the best airlines for in-flight dining, based on 125,000 passenger reviews of meals from the world's top 100 airlines.

Surprisingly, it wasn't a big name that took out top place.

Ranking first overall with a score of 7.82 out of 10, Greek carrier AEGEAN claimed the prime position.

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Aussie low-cost airline named one of the world's best

Though it has a smaller fleet and customer base than other airlines, the in-flight meals stand out as being fresh, regionally-inspired and served with classic Greek hospitality.

The airline is one of the last European carriers to offer hot meals in economy on medium and longer flights. Business class menus on board are crafted by top Greek chefs and sommeliers.

best airplane food - AEGEAN airlines — AEGEAN's economy meals are fresh and locally-inspired. AEGEAN airlines

Asian carriers dominated the rest of the top ten, claiming seven of those spots.

Qatar Airways came in second place, with Asiana Airlines nabbing the bronze position.

Meanwhile, some major carriers you'd expect to see ranking highly posted disappointing results.

For overall dining, Qantas came in 51st, and British Airways at 54th.

Virgin Australia was the highest-ranking Aussie airline, at number 37th, while Jetstar sat at 75th.

Qantas was recognised for its first-class dining. Qantas

However, Qantas did shine in the first class dining category, tying for first place with Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines.

According to the airline, Qantas has a multi-award-winning wine cellar and a five-star dining menu designed by Neil Perry.

Dishes on offer include yellowfin tuna tartare with gochujang, sesame and baby cos, and seared Glacier 51 Toothfish with macadamia, romesco, lemon and Cobram Estate Hojiblanca olive oil.

"Our menu changes with the season, inspired by fresh produce and our artisan local producers," per Qantas.

The study also highlighted selected routes that have standout meals. Most airlines typically standardise their menus across flights; however, in some cases, service and individual options vary by route.