Free Republic

A vegetarian passenger aboard a Continental Airlines flight apparently was so disgusted by the meal she was served that she threw her tray at a flight attendant, the New York Post reports. "She said she was a vegetarian and she didn't like what she was being served," an airline official told the newspaper. "So she threw the food tray — and the food — at the attendant." The flight last Friday, which originated in the Dominican Republic, was bound for Newark Liberty International Airport. The woman reportedly had ordered a special meal but it was not vegetarian, the newspaper reported....

Airline food is generally bland for most people but it may not just be about the quality of the food. Background noise levels may also affect perception of food's taste and crunchiness, according to a study at the University of Manchester published online in the Food Quality and Preference journal. "There's a general opinion that aeroplane foods aren't fantastic," Andy Woods, a researcher from University of Manchester and Unilever's laboratories, told the BBC. "I'm sure airlines do their best—and given that, we wondered if there are other reasons why the food would not be so good. One thought was perhaps...

On the flight home this morning, I was unfortunate enough to have a bleeder sit next to me. By bleeder, I mean he was invading my space because he was large and his body was spilling over into my seat. I've seen worse cases than what I had today but let's hear your experiences.

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - An airline catering company must take major steps to clean its Honolulu location or risk the unit's closure after U.S. health inspectors found live cockroaches, dirty utensils and an oozing, pink slime earlier this year, according to a letter released on Tuesday. Gate Gourmet, Inc., which provides food and beverages to a number of airlines at Honolulu Airport, also kept "dirty uncovered" trash cans near food, let workers handle ice cubes with bare hands, and did not keep food at proper temperatures, the Food and Drug Administration warned. Company spokesman John Bronson said the privately...