Global airlines celebrate Thanksgiving with special menus

As Thanksgiving approaches, travelers around the world not only are looking forward to festive meals at home but also the unique offerings available during their journeys.  

This year, Dubai-based Emirates is set to outdo most US-based airlines with a Thanksgiving menu that features upscale dishes such as celeriac and pear soup, turkey leg roulade with roasted butternut, and warm apple fritters with mascarpone cream for dessert, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

This restaurant-quality menu is exclusively available to passengers flying in Emirates' first-class, while those in business and premium economy can also enjoy themed dishes such as sweet potato soup with poached lobster, sliced turkey with cranberry jus, and, depending on the flight, either sticky toffee pudding or berry pie.

The Thanksgiving menus will be offered on flights between Dubai and New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington D.C., with some dishes also available in Emirates lounges in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. 

"Indulge your taste for both the traditional and the extraordinary this Thanksgiving on board and at our airport lounges," the airline says of the new menu.

"Enjoy turkey with all the trimmings along with seasonal sweets on selected flights and lounges in the United States and Dubai from November 18 to 26." Several other luxury Middle Eastern airlines are also offering special Thanksgiving menus. In previous years, Etihad, an airline based in Abu Dhabi, has consistently served special Thanksgiving and Christmas menus on flights to the United States during the holiday season, a tradition shared by its Doha-based competitor, Qatar Airways.

Although Thanksgiving is not observed in the United Kingdom, British Airways will again serve a special Thanksgiving meal on its flights to the US and in lounges at American hubs for the second consecutive year. Similarly, Virgin Atlantic, another London-based airline, offers a fall menu featuring autumnal flavors like butternut and truffle. 

However, it is not offering a specific Thanksgiving menu for its US flights, nor is it marketing the meal as such. The dishes for first-class passengers include roasted duck breast with potato gratin and pumpkin girasoli pasta, while premium passengers will enjoy honey and mustard chicken with potato gratin.

"Virgin Atlantic is welcoming the winter months with a brand-new menu across all cabins, anchored in modern British cuisine, seasonality, and comfort. There is plenty of choice for customers, whether they’re looking to indulge or focus on wellness," the airline says of the new menu.

Although US-based airlines should ideally be the first to showcase American food culture through their menus, they have not typically offered any special dishes for Thanksgiving or the surrounding period. 

This has often been seen as a missed opportunity, especially since international airlines have garnered appreciation from both Americans returning home and foreigners eager to try something new.

By Naila Huseynova