The inflight meal has always been something that is more joked about than it is savored. It's no wonder that some airlines have partnered up with Michelin Star chefs to improve their meals in business and first class.

Air France

Chef Michel Roth continues to work with Air France creating the business class menu on flights out of Paris. He describes using flavors that are authentic and based on heritage. The produce is seasonal and local, with 100% French meat, dairy and eggs. Infant and child meals will be strictly organic, and vegetarian meals will be a focus point. Joining him is three-star chef Arnaud Lallement, who is working on the La Premiere menu. His food is contemporary, refined, and gourmet.

business class inflight meal
Photo: Air France

SWISS

Swiss International Air Lines offers a taste of Switzerland on its long-haul flights in premium economy, business and first class. The meals use seasonal produce and a Michelin-starred chef will choose the menu on a three-month rotation. Chefs Laurent Eperon and Maximillian Muller from the 5-star hotel Baur au Lac are currently designing the French haute cuisine menu with a Swiss twist.

Swiss First class meal
Photo: Swiss

Singapore Airlines

Chef Heiko Nieder currently offers innovative and gourmet food with a uniquely Swiss taste on flights from Zurich to Singapore. He has two Michelin stars, gained at the famous five-star hotel, the Dolder Grand. Singapore Airlines has its own International Culinary Panel consisting of seven chefs from all over the world. Georges Blanc, Matt Moran, Sanjeev Kapoor and Yoshihiro Murata, to name a few, working on the business class, first class and suites menus. The aim is to offer seasonal food mixed with prized ingredients from around the world.

Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today.

Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines has created a restaurant in the sky concept with 'BEDD'. Chef Ishikawa Hideki of the three Michelin-starred Ishikawa and Kohaku restaurants is working on the Japanese menu for first class. Chef Kishida Shuzo also works with the first class menu but with a western take concentrating on the produce, cooking and seasoning. He also has three Michelin stars, from the restaurant Quintessence. The western business class menu is being devised by another three-starred chef, Namae Shinobu from restaurant L'Effervescence.

15162aa8091512caffe5477a9051feb9
Photo: Japan Airlines

KLM

In business class, you can sample an appetizer and main course from three-starred chef Jonnie Boer who brings high-quality, flavorsome and imaginative dishes to the menu. These are on long-haul KLM flights only and change every three months.

All Nippon Airways

Chefs Hideki Takayama, Masayasu Yonemura, Ryuta Lisuka and Toru Okuda have been working with All Nippon Airways to develop their menus. They form a group called 'The Connoisseurs' who devise the business and first-class menus, with Japanese, French and fusion cuisine.

Brussels Airlines meal business class
Photo: Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines

This airline teamed up with chef Mario Elias to create menus for its long-haul business-class flights out of Brussels. Seasonal and local artisanal produce are key to the interplay of flavors taken from his experience at La Cor de Chasse. The airline aims to give passengers a taste of internationally acclaimed cuisine.