Air France Is Launching A New Healthy Menu On Its Long-Haul Flights

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I travel a lot and one of the biggest challenges I face when away from home is keeping healthy.

I’m terrible at making time to go to the gym when I’m traveling (I can always find a whole host of more fun things to do with my time) and with numerous premium cabin flights and frequent access to airport and hotel lounges it’s remarkably easy for me to eat very unhealthily on my travels too.

The bottom line is that I need all the help I can get when it comes to being healthier when I’m on the road so I’m always happy when an airline does something to make staying healthy a little easier….and that’s what Air France appears to be doing.

From tomorrow, 9 January 2019, Air France is launching a new premium a la carte menu called “healthy” (I hope they didn’t pay anyone to come up with that name!) and, according to the airline, it will offer a “light and balanced” option “inviting customers to enjoy fresh, gourmet products on board a long-haul flight“.

The Healthy menu will be available in long-haul Economy Class and Premium Economy on flights from 1 April 2019 and will be made up of a starter, a main dish, cheese and dessert.

Here’s what Air France says it will be offering:

Spring/summer menu from April to September 2019:

• Starter: Duo of quinoa salad and soft white cheese fragranced with spices, radish pickles and green asparagus tips with olive oil
• Main dish: Grilled chicken with thyme and rosemary, sauce vierge and green vegetable medley
• Cheese: Ash-coated goat’s cheese with a pumpkin seed crumble
• Dessert: Bourbon vanilla panna cotta, strawberry, red fruit and lime tartare

Autumn/winter menu from October 2019 to March 2020:

• Starter: Lentil salad with balsamic vinegar, cubed celery and carrot, red onion and preserved lemon zest pickle
• Main dish: Pollack in mandarin sauce, tangy yellow carrot and broccoli mousse
• Cheese: Fresh goat’s cheese, wholegrain mustard and honey green vinaigrette
• Dessert: Baked pear with orange blossom honey on cottage cheese, served with dried cranberries and crushed speculoos

The new Air France Healthy menu is available to purchase from 90 days before departure (hence its launch tomorrow) though to 24 hours before a flight departs….but only on flights departing Paris.

If you’d like to order the Healthy menu it will cost you €21 or 7,000 Flying Blue miles as it’s one of 6 a la carte menus that Air France offers in Economy and Premium Economy as an alternative to the complimentary food served onboard.

Here’s the full selection of a la carte premium menus:

Departures from Paris, as of April 1st, 2019:

• Ocean Menu
• Tradition Menu
• Healthy Menu
• FAUCHON Menu (more details via the link)
• My Fun Menu

Departures from the French Overseas Departments, USA, Canada, Africa and Asia:

• Ocean Menu
• Tradition Menu
• Italia Menu

The menus vary in price from €12 to €28 or 4,000 – 8,500 Flying Blue miles and can be ordered online on airfrance.com.

Follow this link for more details on the a la carte menus 

Bottom Line

I’m not entirely sure just how healthy these menus items are (aren’t soft cheeses like goat’s cheese meant to be highly calorific?) but I presume they’re still healthier than the regular options so this has to be seen as a positive move….and a good option for travelers like me who are happy to eat healthily if the option to do so is made easy.

I wonder if the airline offers a healthy option in Business Class….or would that just be an affront to French cuisine? 🙂