Culinary Collaborations: How Partnerships with Celebrity Chefs Enhance In-Flight Dining
Originally published on APEX
Chef Mashama Bailey has created the menu for domestic first-class passengers on Delta Airlines. Photo via Delta Air Lines
With in-flight meal services being a defining factor of the passenger experience, especially in premium cabins, airlines are keen to make waves with their onboard cuisine. In this article, IFSA explores how partnerships between chefs with Michelin-star-level expertise and a deep connection to regional flavors have become the new normal.
Turn of the Millenium Sparks Shift in Airline Menus
The culinary alliances we associate with airlines today began to proliferate in the late 1990s, spearheaded by flag carriers looking to differentiate their in-flight offerings.
Australian flag carrier Qantas led the way in 1997 with a partnership with Neil Perry, the acclaimed chef known for his Sydney, Australia-based restaurant, Rockpool. Perry has helped Qantas design everything from lounge menus to in-flight wine lists. The latter sees him work with a team of 10 sommeliers each year to “blind-taste” 1500 wines before choosing 200 for Qantas to serve across its network.
The partnership has clearly provided dividends for the airline, with Perry still occupying his role as Food & Beverage Director after 27 years. Celebrating his 25th anniversary of working with Qantas in 2022, he explained, “A particular highlight in my time with Qantas has been the addition of new destinations, […] which give new opportunities to innovate and feature new dishes inspired by these regions.”
Since 1997, chef Neil Perry has worked with Qantas to create everything from lounge menus to in-flight wine lists. Photo via Qantas
Destination Dining: Airlines Embrace Local Flavors in the Sky
The celebration of native and regional flavors have become central to these partnerships. Instead of striving for generic international menus, airlines have instead emphasized local culinary heritage as a way to enhance brand authenticity. Carriers such as Singapore Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Qatar Airways have each partnered with celebrity chefs to create menus native to where the aircraft departs from or flies to.
Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) International Culinary Panel (ICP) has led the way in designing regionally inspired menus. Established in 1998, the program includes revered chefs from across the globe, who create an average of fifty dishes for the carrier each year. Recently, ICP member and renowned Indian chef Sanjiv Kapoor revamped SIA’s Shahi Thali and Ruchi Thali experiences on flights between India and Singapore. Furthermore, Singapore Airlines also works with additional celebrity chefs on local menus as part of its Guest Chef Program. For example, Monica Galetti designed recent menus for premium travelers departing from the UK, while Sid Sahrawat has signed up to create four seasonal menus for premium passengers flying out of New Zealand.
Similarly, Delta Air Lines works with a rotating group of revered chefs in its major hubs. As of this month, passengers will be able to eat dishes created by Jereme Leung on flights to Shanghai and Taipei. On the domestic side, passengers departing from Atlanta in first class on flights over 900 miles can enjoy meals from James Beard-award winning chef Mashama Bailey’s menu, which include the Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q’s short rib open-faced sandwich and smoked chicken salad.These collaborations ensure that Delta’s catering reflects not just luxury, but the geography and culture of its route network.
Chef Jereme Leung curated the menu for Delta flights to Shanghai and Taipei. Photo via Delta Air Lines
Similarly, Qatar Airways has collaborated with numerous renowned chefs to elevate the in-flight dining experience for specific routes. Recently, the carrier announced a new in-flight menu curated by chef Ross Lusted, owner of “Woodcut” in Sydney and “Marmelo” in Melbourne. The menu became available for first- and business-class passengers on flights between Australia and Doha from June 12.
Qatar has also just revealed a more broad-reaching partnership with Yannick Alléno, who will design menus in first and business class and as well as in Qatar Airways’ lounges, but will also open “a Pavyllon restaurant in the prestigious First Class Lounge at Hamad International Airport in Doha, offering diners a seat at the counter facing an open kitchen – a signature of Alléno’s ‘gastronomic counter’ concept.” Alléno’s French restaurant Pavyllon currently has outposts in both Paris and London.
The airline recently received the 2025 APEX “Best Food & Beverage” award in the Global Airline category, based on more than a million verified passenger votes collated in partnership with TripIt from Concur.
Airlines Refine the Pairing Experience with Expert Help
Another trend seen in luxury airline menus is the expert pairing of food with alcoholic beverages. In May 2025, Emirates introduced 18 new dishes for passengers in business class on medium to short-haul flights around the world, designed by Michelin-starred chef Jean Michel Bardet, who is the head chef of Moët & Chandon. These new dishes are perfectly paired with exclusive Champagnes onboard. For example, starters such as poached scallops will be paired with Moët and Chandon Grand Vintage 2016.
Moët & Chandon’s Executive Chef, Jean Michel Bardet, with Emirates VP of Culinary Design, Doxis Bekris. Photo via Emirates
Singapore Airlines has invested significantly in its wine pairings. The carrier employs dedicated air sommeliers, who are trained to guide passengers through their wine experience on board. They will tell passengers which wine from the carrier’s extensive onboard wine list – which includes signature Champagnes, Krug Grande Cuvée, and Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, would pair best with their food. The inflight wine list is rotated each quarter, with selected wines often chosen years in advance.
World-class sommelier Paolo Basso curates Air France’s wine list. Wines are selected to complement dishes from the menu, which are created by Michelin-starred chefs. The airline ensures that the wine should match the philosophy of the food.
Food & Beverage Partnerships Are Going Nowhere
In a hyper-competitive market, in-flight dining continues to be a point of differentiation, which is why airlines have not only worked on enhancing the food itself, but also creating a meaningful culinary experience for passengers. It is a proven way of bolstering an airline’s brand identity, and the growing investment by airlines in culinary collaborations shows no signs of slowing, with partnerships beginning to include popular restaurant chains.
