Intro
Lufthansa used to let economy passengers upgrade to business-class style meals for €15-25, complete with ceramic plates and proper cutlery.
Then COVID happened, and they scrapped the whole program. Here’s what you missed – and why airlines need to bring back ideas like this.
Flying Frankfurt to Toronto gave me the perfect chance to test their Mediterranean Delights and Healthy Selection meals before they disappeared forever.
The A La Carte Program
Before the pandemic, Lufthansa offered seven different upgrade meal options ranging from €15 to €25.
I pre-ordered two: Mediterranean Delights for €19 and Healthy Selection for €15.
The standard economy choices were beef goulash or vegetarian pasta – decent enough, but nothing special.
The upgrade meals came with everything you’d expect in business class: ceramic plates instead of plastic trays, proper metal cutlery, menu cards, and actual salt and pepper shakers, rather than the tiny packets that spill everywhere.
Lufthansa Senator Lounge
A quick stop at the Senator Lounge before boarding – nothing fancy, but a solid food selection and comfortable seating.
A decent place to wait before a long flight – better than paying airport restaurant prices for mediocre food.
Inflight Service
About 50 minutes after takeoff, my first upgrade meal arrived.
Garden salad with balsamic dressing, king prawns and artichokes on spaghetti with tomato basil sauce, and tiramisu for dessert.
The presentation looked like business class – actual ceramic plates, metal cutlery, menu cards, and proper salt and pepper shakers instead of the usual plastic packets.
The king prawns were actually generous – not the usual three sad pieces you’d expect.
The pasta had flavour with herbs and garlic coming through, and the prawns were cooked right – not rubbery like airline seafood usually gets.
For €19, this was properly good value.
Compare that to what you’d pay for similar quality at the airport.
Standard Economy Comparison
The regular economy meals looked decent enough – beef goulash or vegetarian pasta on the usual airline trays.
Nothing wrong with them, but they looked basic next to the upgrade options. The portion sizes were smaller, plastic cutlery only, and no menu presentation.
Service was solid across the board, though.
Three crew members working the rear section moved efficiently, offered extra wine and water after the main service, and finished by handing out bottled water to everyone.
The Healthy Selection Meal
Second service brought my €15 Healthy Selection: chickpea and matcha salad starter, spicy red vegetable curry on quinoa, and chia seed mango mousse for dessert.
The spicy curry on quinoa hit the mark with heat and flavour.
The chia mango mousse was way better than expected – creamy without being too sweet, and you could actually taste the mango instead of just sugar.
At €15, this felt like a steal.
The variety was there, the flavours worked, and again, the ceramic plate presentation made eating feel civilised.
Service Details
Total meal service took about two hours, which is standard for long-haul.
Crew timing was good – they didn’t rush through service but kept things moving.
Tea and coffee followed both meal services, plus they offered additional beverages throughout.
The bottled water at the end was a thoughtful touch that showed they were thinking about passenger comfort on an 8-hour flight instead of just ticking service boxes.
Conclusion
Lufthansa proved economy passengers will pay for better food when it’s actually worth it. €15-25 for ceramic plates, real cutlery, and meals that taste like business class?
The program worked because the value was obvious.
The Mediterranean prawns were generous, the spicy curry had authentic flavour, and those small touches like salt and pepper shakers elevated economy class dining.
Even the standard economy service was solid, with the crew offering bottled water at the end instead of disappearing after meal service.
Worth knowing about? This program is gone, but maybe they’ll bring back something similar in the future?
