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Hello and welcome to Seat 1A!

When you travel, do you ever wonder how you can be that person who is always ahead of the pack, even when things go awry? Hosts Vinod Viswalingam (@VViswalingam) and Geoff Dahl (@geoffdahl) are proud to present The Seat 1A Podcast.

Seat 1A aims to provide savvy travellers with advanced industry based knowledge to enhance the air travel experience and take off from the crowd. By arming you with an understanding of the systems, processes, rules and structures that define modern air travel, Seat 1A strives to give you the upper hand by examining real experiences from abroad.

Whether traveling in ultra-economy or first-class, with or without frequent flyer status, knowing how the operation works will keep you moving in front of the masses, especially when things don’t go as planned. Seat 1A provides tips and tricks on how to make your travel experience as smooth and efficient as possible. Our goal is that you'll be in Seat 1A all the time!

We have over 5 million miles of flying and over 10 years working for numerous airlines, enjoying all classes and cabins, and exploring airports on every continent. We're enthusiastic #avgeeks, with a keen interest in modern aviation trends and aim to share our knowledge in The Seat 1A Podcast. To learn more about who we are, check out Experience 010!

The Seat 1A Podcast also relies on feedback from listeners, offering the chance to take real experiences and analyze them, breaking them down to understand what happened, where things went well or wrong and what can be learned from it. If you have a story, question or experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Jul 6, 2021

In this experience we take a look at the need to eat when you're at the airport. Food and flying has changed so much in 40 years – it used to be that you would get a full meal on the plane included with your ticket. These days...not so much.

When most people think of airport food they get a sour taste in their mouth – and that’s not just from the "special" that has been sitting under heat lamps all day. Many airports have their catering handled by large corporate conglomerates – so you will see the same shops in various airports across the country. You will also see similar offerings since some food just doesn't fly well, and the security required is more easily handled through one company.

Vinod remembers back to early one morning when the Golden Arches at Frankfurt Airport caused him to lose his passport.

We understand that it's expensive in the terminal, or that the menu selection is very limited compared to outside the airport. And once you're past security, you're a captive audience.

For those of you who decide to not eat at the airport, airlines are trying hard to entice buyers - often by partnering up with chains. The inexperienced traveller may not be aware about how much the odor of their food travels through the cabin during the flight. Remember – crew members can tell you to close up your food if it smells too much. Vinod shares a dripping story of an unfortunate passenger with lime pickle escaping from the baggage hold.

Some airports had old-school cafeterias, while others continue to have wannabe diners.

Vinod shares his hiking tour at Paris CDG with his wife looking for a Big Mac.

When in certain countries there are other options available. Grocery stores in European airports are an option. In some countries, if you are able to clear customs and immigration easily, you might want to look at going into the city – particularly if you have a long layover.

Vinod shares his experience of a hidden gem near Toronto Terminal 3, and Geoff discusses the options that might exist near the airport along service roads.

Sometimes airports have next to nothing for food – Vinod shares his experience from Varadero, Cuba.

But sometimes great food just appears out of nowhere – Vinod shares a mouth watering experience in Brazil as a grill fired up just before his flight. Worse comes to worst, just follow your nose.

Bon Appétit!

Remember that it may be difficult to find local cuisine at the airport – Geoff shares a previous experience at Cancun. But sometimes, you might be able to find reasonably priced food at a bar.

News Items:

  • apex.aero article from October 2020 " Airport Food Delivery Trend Picks Up During Pandemic"

 

If you have a story about food at the airport, other food option strategies or other experiences that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/