# Tailoring In-Flight Food Consumption to Alleviate Fear of Flying Through Sensory Stimulation
## 3 In-Flight Meals: State of the Art and Proposals for Enhancing the Customer Experience  
### In-Flight Meals: What We Know So Far  
Nowadays, it is a common belief that passengers' expectations towards aircraft food are low, as demonstrated by the amount of food and beverages purchased at ground level in various parts of the globe [56; 57]. Indeed, airline food is considered to be the poorest aspect about flying for a significant percentage of customers [58], even if contradictory results appear when spotting no difference between the judgment around a meal served at ground and the same meal proposed during the flight; however, this may involve a possible methodological bias concerning the personal attitude of the probands and their age [59]. However, it is important to notice that, according to the Easyjet 2070 Future Travel Report, 19% of common travelers would love to experience 3D-printed hotel buffet food serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner, even on planes, to improve their multisensory flight experience, further highlighting the need for a proper menu and meal preparation for flight situations [60], and also demonstrating the importance of the presentation environment concerning personal judgment about the quality of served food [61]. This aligns with previous research, finding somewhat of an impact of passenger attachment to in-flight food and beverages on the willingness to fly again with the same flight company [62; 63]. Another study demonstrated that the quality of food served onboard is among the most important factors for judging the quality of airline services regardless of the traveling class, not distinguishing between passengers in prestige- or economy-class [64]. In this context, few airlines have collaborated with food and beverage companies to formulate edible compounds suitable for consumption at a high altitude. One of the first structured attempts in this sense was played by a Danish beer company, Mikkeller, providing special flying beers to the SAS Scandinavian Airlines [65], later followed by the Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways, which produced a beer containing honey and dragon eye fruit, tasting like lychee, to counterbalance the effects on chemical senses due to high altitude, low pressure, and background noise [66]. The large use of fruity aromas can help enhance the perceived sweetness at the aircraft without significantly altering the sugar content; therefore, the healthiness of the proposed product is not dramatically affected. Tea is traditionally associated with the British food and beverage tradition. In this sense, British Airways, the UK-based air company, promoted a collaboration with the popular tea brand Twinings to develop a special tea designed for consumption during flights [67], which is a blend of Assam, Kenyan, and high-grown Ceylon tea, combining a multisensory experience featuring body, strength, flavor, and color. The modified sensory perception in the sky is also the key to the success of some alcoholic drinks, like wines. For example, it was observed that sweet, fruity red wines, like Pinot Noir, Rioja, or Malbec, are preferred by travelers over their acidic-tasting counterparts, due to the physiological reasons mentioned above [50; 68; 69; 70]. Other airlines have stressed their research towards relaxing and healthy foods. For example, Monarch Airlines, a former British low-cost airline, after a self-commissioned research finding that 72% of British travelers find traveling stressful, has developed the \"Mood Food\" box, featuring echinacea and liquorice ice-cream to boost immunity; green tea and laveradexes to promote relaxation, also promoting the chew effect, that are known for its anti-stressful properties [71]; and herbal tea to reduce bloating symptoms [72].