Airline food service evolved from simple sandwiches in 1919 to luxury dining by the 1960s

The first recorded onboard food service was on a 1919 London‑Paris flight, which offered a pre‑prepared lunch of sandwiches and fruit.

Hot meals began to appear at the end of the 1920s, with Lufthansa serving them as early as 1928; by the 1930s some flights added champagne and allowed smoking. After World War II, airline travel was a luxury for wealthy passengers, featuring white tablecloths, real cutlery and multi‑course meals such as steaks, lobsters, caviar and roast beef sliced from a cart, and some long‑haul flights provided breakfast in bed. In the 1960s, elaborate onboard dining became a prestige symbol, with chefs on certain flights and meals delivered on special carts.