An annual review of airline food has concluded that Hawaiian Airlines is serving up the unhealthiest in-flight meals across US-based airlines.
The tropically themed airline reportedly averages 971 calories a meal, according to estimates by Charles Platkin, Ph.D., the director of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center and editor of DietDetective.com, which published the study. The website estimated the calorie count because Hawaiian doesn’t publish nutrition information themselves, which also cost the airlines points in the site’s rating system.
Delta and Virgin ranked the highest in the study, not only for the meals but because they also offer nutritional information themselves. With snacks, Delta’s average calorie count was 480 and Virgin America’s was 340. Air Canada and JetBlue came in at second place, followed by Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines and other airlines.
According to the study, the bulk of the unhealthy meal calories comes from the unhealthy snacks that are provided. Choosing a healthy snack is key to staying healthy while flying and Platkin advises travelers to bring a healthy snack from home. Platkin reminds passengers that traveling makes you hungry, even if you eat before you leave, because a flight of two hours can add up to four or five hours of actual travel time.