"Airline onboard catering is often been the centre of much criticism" says Edward Plaisted, (CEO of Skytrax), "but the reality is that the large majority of airlines deliver a good quality product, making this labelling somewhat unfair".

"In First Class, the meal spend is not inconsiderable, with vintage wines, champagnes, caviar, lobster etc featuring on the menu. Alongside the food quality, the key changes in recent years for First and Business class on some airlines has been to offer more flexibility in meal times, meals choices - working on the basis that less is more" added Plaisted.

"As the industry embarks on what will be another very hard year financially, we will be watching to see what impact any cost reduction measures may have upon the onboard dining experience ... although we do not expect the more prudent airlines to see this as an appropriate area to be trimming costs, when customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is more important than ever" added Plaisted.