The new airline-managed system, available through apps, websites, and email links, replaces the external pre-order portal to provide customers with greater convenience and faster booking access.

Lufthansa Group discontinued the pre-flight-shopping.com meal pre-order service and launched Culinary Journey on October 27, 2025.

Passengers now see a notice that the Preflight Shop is no longer available and are redirected to airline-specific Culinary Journey pages for Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines.

The platform, accessible via airline apps, websites, or pre-departure emails, streamlines meal pre-ordering by consolidating digital menus, pre-order options, and customer feedback.

Passengers enjoy a unified online experience for all flights and travel classes across the three carriers.

Platform Access and Multi-Carrier Integration

Culinary Journey automatically presents meal selections based on passenger bookings. The system supports multi-leg journeys with different Group carriers, allowing passengers to pre-select meals for all segments through a single platform.

“For the first time, customers flying with Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian Airlines can see all their food and beverage options for their flight at a glance – even on connecting flights with different airlines,” according to Caroline Drischel, Senior Vice President Customer Journey for the Group.

Long-Haul Business and First Class Offerings

Long-haul passengers can choose from up to nine main courses, some exclusive to advance orders. This ensures preferred dishes are available regardless of service order or cabin location.

Short and Medium-Haul Service

On shorter flights, passengers can pre-order buy-on-board items such as sandwiches, bowls, salads, and cakes, with a 10 percent discount for advance orders. This system also supports better catering planning and reduces food waste.

Operational Parameters

Meal pre-selection is currently available only on long-haul flights departing from Frankfurt and Munich. The service does not cover flights from outstations, including transatlantic departures from North America.

Pre-orders are typically available about three weeks before departure, though timing may vary by route and date.

Service Features

The platform includes a direct feedback mechanism that allows passengers to share meal preferences and comments to inform service development.

The Culinary Journey system replaces the previous pre-flight-shopping.com interface, which operated as a shopping-style experience and required passengers to navigate multiple flight segments separately, even when only one was eligible for meal selection.

Images courtesy of Lufthansa.

Qantas has rolled out new inflight menus across its domestic network, introducing nearly 70 new and refreshed items rotating through Business and Economy service.

The programme runs on a six-week rotation cycle designed to provide regular flyers with different selections each week.

The carrier serves more than 20 million menu items annually on board.

Qantas Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer Catriona Larritt noted the new menu “has been thoughtfully curated to highlight the finest Australian flavours while championing local businesses across the country.”

Business Class Service

The Business cabin menu features dishes spanning multiple meal periods.

For breakfast service, passengers receive Coconut, Blueberry & Lemon Bread served with Lemon Curd.

Lunch and dinner options include a Brie & Onion Tart paired with Beetroot Relish and Rocket, and Smoked Salmon with Zucchini Pickles and Lemon Dressing.

Hot main courses include Lamb & Rosemary Pie, accompanied by Crisp Potatoes and Peas; Garlic Prawns tossed with Parmesan Cream and Fettuccine; and Red Wine Angus Beef, served with Mash and Green Beans.

Economy Class Offerings

Economy passengers can select from toasties, wraps, sweet items, and savoury options throughout the rotation.

The Handmade Food Co., based in Queensland, supplies an Egg & Chorizo Toastie with smoky tomato chutney.

Yummy Karma provides a Beef Sausage Burrito Wrap.

Sweet selections include a Chocolate Caramel Slice from Sydney supplier Manna from Heaven, a Macadamia Butterscotch Cake from Dreamtime Tuka, and Jam Drop Cookies from Cooee Cookies.

Savoury choices feature a Pumpkin, Spinach & Parmesan Quiche from Temptation and a Beef Ragu & Mushroom Pie from Sydney-based supplier Simmone Logue.

Indigenous Supplier Partnerships

The menu expands partnerships with First Nations businesses. DreamTime Tuka by Uncle Herb Smith provides Indigenous bush tucker items at 30,000 feet.

Cooee, a female-led Indigenous business founded by Terri-Anne Daniel, joins Jam Drop Cookies as a new supplier, based on her nan’s recipe.

Lounge Food Service Updates

Brisbane Domestic Business Lounge has introduced The Bakery, serving freshly made cinnamon scrolls, egg and bacon quiches, and Aussie sausage rolls from noon daily.

From November, Melbourne Domestic Business Lounge guests can order nasi goreng with fried egg or poached eggs on sourdough with chilli oil, prepared at a dedicated Spice Bar.

Perth Business Lounge now serves bacon and egg pizzas from its Pizza Bar.

The carrier sources from multiple Australian suppliers, including Sydney-based Simmone Logue for beef and mushroom pies, Queensland’s The Handmade Food Co. for artisan toasties, and Sydney’s Manna from Heaven for sweet items.

Images courtesy of Qantas.

Finnair has rolled out its autumn-winter in-flight menu across European and long-haul flights, starting October 22 and running through January 27, 2026.

The standout move is the strategic ingredient work and route-specific service design.

Celeriac is the anchor.

It appears smoked, pureed, and roasted with Västerbotten cheese across multiple dishes.

Development Chef Sami Oksava calls it “the season’s classic,” but it’s really the vehicle for the entire menu’s warm, earthy direction.

Long-Haul Business Class

The new offering combines Finnish base flavours with Japanese-influenced execution.

Business Class starters vary by flight, either roasted teriyaki scampi with pickled cucumber and shimeji mushrooms, or teriyaki salmon tataki with rainbow trout roe and apple vinegar jelly.

Both use Japanese techniques but maintain Nordic ingredients.

Main courses offer two permanent options. Beef entrecôte comes with dill sauce and smoked celeriac purée.

The fish option is pike Wallenberg with roasted pike perch and lobster crayfish sauce. Every flight also has a third route specific option.

Passengers can pre-select mains up to 24 hours before departure.

Desserts rotate between autumnal baked apple with cinnamon mousse or tiramisu with strawberries, plus a cheese selection with fig compote.

Route-Specific

Finnair openly states that they design meals around “route destinations, travel lengths, and flight schedules.”

On late departure flights to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, they lead with a light meal in Business Class, then serve brunch before landing.

Premium Economy gets beef meatballs or Japanese-style chicken with a second lighter meal mid-flight.

Economy gets a complimentary hot meal with one glass of wine.

Snacking and Retail Refresh

Pre-order European economy options now include sandwich combos, breakfast combos with salami and cheese bread or smoked salmon rye, and light meals like chicken Caesar or rainbow trout salad.

They’ve added dried mango snacks and nut bars to the onboard retail program. Decaffeinated coffee is now available, and they’re offering a 1-euro discount on drink and snack combos.

On European Airbus flights starting late November, passengers can order through their phone and have items delivered to their seats.

The Moomin Moment

Finnair is celebrating the Moomins’ 80th anniversary with limited-edition Fazer Blue chocolate bars in Moomin wrappers and Moomin sweet boxes on long-haul flights.

Finnair’s strategy here is to design seasonal experiences around passenger fatigue, offer choice through pre-selection, and anchor menus in regional Finnish ingredients and cultural moments.

Images courtesy of Finnair.