Two companies have recently rolled out plans for airplane food that might be literally pie-in-the-sky. They propose replacing airline in-flight food service with self-serve vending machines onboard.
The ideas, which were shown at last year’s Hamburg Aircraft Interior Show, with the idea of offering airlines a way to make a profit on in-flight food, are now being pushed as a way to reduce contact onboard the plane, with passengers ordering through an app and then collecting the food from a robot vendor.
But while the system is touch-free, it doesn’t really respond to the other issue of Covid-era travel: Having lines of passengers in the aisles, six feet apart, waiting their turn to collect food. Perhaps the two companies will be back next year with machines that can roam the aisles delivering the food—and reminding passengers to put their masks back on after eating.
