Introduction

Budget airline food usually means overpriced disappointment – basic sandwiches for ยฃ8 or nothing at all.

Jet2 promises “hearty and substantial” pre-order meals starting at ยฃ10, plus onboard options that claim to compete with full-service carriers.

After testing both their vegan breakfast and kids’ snack box on Palma to Manchester, here’s what you actually get for your money.

Pre Order Meals

Jet2’s pre-order options include English breakfast, vegetarian and vegan choices, pasta dishes, beef casserole, sausage and mash, and more.

A vegan meal in a red Jet2.com box is placed on an airplane tray table. The clear plastic covering reveals a portion of the meal inside. Safety instructions are visible on the seatback in the background.

Prices start at ยฃ10, with orders accepted up to 24 hours before departure.

I selected the vegan breakfast for ยฃ11, advertised as “hearty and substantial” and featuring grilled tofu sausages, hash browns, mushrooms, and peppers in tomato sauce.

The marketing photos looked promising, so my expectations were pretty high.

Onboard Menu

If you forget to pre-order, Jet2’s onboard menu has decent options that are competitive compared to other UK and European airlines.

Close-up of an MM Menu magazine on an airplane tray table, showing a food platter with cured meats, breadsticks, and a bottle of wine. The cover promotes an in-flight picnic for ยฃ11.00 and payment options.
An inflight menu displaying "Light Meals" on the left with items like pasta and chili, and "Snack Boxes" on the right with assorted snacks such as crisps, cheese, and fruit, along with their prices.
An in-flight menu featuring sandwiches, wraps, and toasties on the left, with a variety of cold drinks listed on the right, prices included for each item.

Hot Meals

  • Chicken Tikka Meal (ยฃ8.00) – Curry with marinated chicken, rice, and tortilla chips
  • Chilli Meal (ยฃ8.00) – Beef chilli with chips, cheese, and sour cream
  • Penne Arrabbiata (ยฃ7.50) – Pasta with tomato sauce and herbs
  • Mac & Cheese (ยฃ7.50) – Classic comfort food

Snack Boxes

  • Kids’ Snack Box (ยฃ4.50) – Mini Cheddars, Jammie Dodgers, Milky Stars, raisins, gummy sweets, plus colouring pencils
  • Sweet & Savoury (ยฃ5.50) – Gluten-free oatcakes, hummus, Branston pickle, cheese bites, mango snacks
  • Tapas (ยฃ6.00) – Crackers, Serrano slices, olives, Sobrasada paste
  • Ploughman’s (ยฃ5.50) – Traditional British combination with cheese, crackers, and chutneys

Quick Bites

  • Various sandwiches, toasties, and wraps (ยฃ4.70 each), including ham & cheese toastie, tuna roll, onion bhaji wrap, bacon baguette

The variety was good – genuine options for different tastes and dietary requirements rather than just a token choice.

Inflight

About 20 minutes after takeoff, service started with pre-ordered meals, followed by beverage choices (tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or water) for pre-order customers.

Then, the crew worked through the cabin, offering onboard menu items to other passengers.

A view of a commercial airplane's economy cabin with passengers seated in rows, showing overhead compartments and an aisle running down the center.
Interior view of an airplane cabin with passengers seated. Seats are equipped with safety information manuals and personal screens on the back. The cabin is brightly lit, and aisles are clear.
View of an empty airplane exit row with red and gray seats, ample legroom, emergency exit doors, a wall-mounted screen, and safety card pouches on the wall.

Their sales technique was excellent – making eye contact, a personal approach to each row, and genuine enthusiasm rather than robotic delivery.

I noticed lots of passengers buying stuff, which says something about their crew training.

A tray of airplane food on a fold-out table with a pre-packaged meal, condiments, and dessert in red packaging with "Enjoy your meal!" printed on both the box and tray.

My vegan breakfast arrived in Jet2’s striking red box with a concealed compartment for extras.

Airplane meal with sausages, potatoes, chocolate wafer, water, butter, cream cheese, and beetroot dip inside a red box labeled "Enjoy your meal!". Wooden cutlery and napkin included.

Opening it showed an “Enjoy your meal!” message plus chocolate tiffin, onion marmalade, oat cakes, soy milk, and margarine.

Wooden cutlery came with salt, pepper, and a napkin.

Wooden cutlery set including a fork, knife, and spoon with packets of salt and pepper on a tray table next to a red box and a plastic container of round food items.

Truth be told, the portion was smaller than the website photos suggested.

The meal included three tofu sausages, two potato medallions, and a modest mushroom-pepper mix.

A food tray containing three sausages, two potato medallions, and a mix of vegetables. A wood service pack is visible in the background.

The hash browns were great with their crispy exterior and fluffy interior.

Tray on an airplane seat tray table with a vegan labeled red box, and a rice cake spread with a dark jam from a plastic container.

They outshone everything else on the tray. The tofu sausages were ok, and the mushrooms and peppers were good despite the small portion.

The oat cakes with onion marmalade made an interesting flavour combo.

A chocolate-covered brownie with white icing sits on a plastic wrapper next to a 330 mL bottle of water on a tray table.

The chocolate tiffin (also gluten-free) was a decent sweet ending, though nothing spectacular.

The Kids Snackbox

From the onboard menu, I bought a kids’ pack for ยฃ4.50.

A snack box containing Mini Cheddars, Sunny Raisin, Freddo chocolate bar, Milkybar, Mini Cheese Pizza, and Jammy Dodgers on an airplane tray table with a children's activity sheet.
A Kiddie Box with colorful illustrations is placed on a tray table.
A meal tray on an airplane with a colorful leisure activity card for kids, containing Sunbites chips, Mini Cheddars, and a Peperami stick.

The box included Jammie Dodgers, Sunny Raisins, Dairy Milk Freddo, Mini Cheddars, and Gummi Pizza.

These are treats rather than healthy snacks, but for ยฃ4.50, the quantity and variety seemed fair for keeping kids occupied.

Nutritional Breakdown Per 100g

Nutritional Breakdown Table
Nutrient Jammie Dodgers Sunny Raisins Dairy Milk Freddo Mini Cheddars Gummi Pizza
Energy 1829 kJ/435 kcal 1412 kJ/333 kcal 2210 kJ/530 kcal 2134 kJ/511 kcal 1447 kJ/341 kcal
Fat 14.1 g 0.9 g 30.5 g 28.6 g 0.6 g
of which saturates 6.8 g 0.2 g 18.1 g 14.4 g 0.2 g
Carbohydrate 70.2 g 76.1 g 57 g 51.5 g 79 g
of which sugars 26.7 g 66.5 g 56 g 4.6 g 77.8 g
Protein 5.4 g 3.3 g 7.5 g 10.3 g 5.7 g
Salt 0.61 g <0.1 g 0.24 g 2.4 g 0.1 g

Conclusion

Jet2’s food pricing has increased with inflation – pre-order meals have risen from ยฃ7.50 to ยฃ11 over six years.

Portion sizes could be bigger, but the quality and variety make sense for a budget airline. Compared to similar UK carriers, Jet2’s prices are competitive, and its menu variety beats many competitors.

The pre-order system works well for planning ahead, while onboard options provide decent backup choices.

Portion sizes are modest, but quality justifies the price point.

The crew service made the experience – turning food purchases into pleasant interactions rather than necessary evils.

For budget airline dining, Jet2 delivers fair value through competitive pricing, genuine variety, and excellent service.

About Jet2

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