Private Jet Cabin Crews Plan Personalized Inflight Menus, From Ground Catering to Onboard Cooking
Why It MattersPrivate jet operators increasingly treat catering as a differentiator, building trained cabin-service teams and standardised sourcing programmes to deliver consistent, individualised dining across markets.
Private jet cabin attendants and flight-service executives describe a meal-service process that starts before takeoff and is tailored to each passenger. Francesco Vanerio, vice president of customer experience at Flexjet, said the services team phones owners after a booking to ask what they want to eat before the selections are entered into the system. The team considers passengers' tastes and dietary needs, as well as departure time, flight length, route and number of passengers. Food may come from a private-aviation caterer, a restaurant or a fresh market.
Kelley Lokensgard, chief cabin attendant at Silver Air Private Jets, said routine requests tend to be simple, such as a client's usual diet, a local dish or comfort food like a fast-food burger with curly fries. For a steak ordered medium rare, Vanerio said the kitchen sears it on the ground so it does not overcook when the crew heats it on board. He once made carbonara tableside, and Lokensgard shops at fresh markets and cooks from scratch on board, including mushroom soup, poached fish and smoked duck crepes. She declines requests such as sashimi when the fish cannot be kept cold.
Cabin servers often handle several requests at once. Flexjet trains them at its Red Label Academy, led by Vanerio, aiming for service comparable to a five-star European hotel or Michelin-starred restaurant, scaled to the individual. Servers are also taught to stock backup items such as cheese and charcuterie boards in case catering does not arrive. In October 2025, Wheels Up announced a partnership with AtYourJet and its culinary advisor, chef Robert Irvine, to make in-flight menus more consistent across markets; Wheels Up sources meals within 20 miles of the airport to help preserve temperature and quality.
Agricultural rules can also affect catering: on flights from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland, the USDA inspects food before departure, and Lokensgard said she has seen an attendant's entire catering order discarded for not following the guidelines. In Kona, Big Island Jet Center schedules the inspection an hour before departure and can arrange meals from a USDA-certified caterer. When an owner has not chosen a menu, cabin servers must cover protein, vegetarian and gluten-free options and be ready for surprise requests. Flexjet clients' saved catering preferences give servers a starting point, while Irvine builds the Wheels Up menu around the most popular, recognizable items.
