Which Airlines Have the Healthiest Food?

When traveling, it’s often hard to stay on the “healthy eats” track – especially when a couple of your meals are during your flights. In the past few decades, airlines have been notorious for unappealing, unhealthy food, but that’s all starting to change…

In a study done by DietDetective.com, one airline topped the healthy options ratings list with 4.25 out of 5 stars – Virgin America. While the airline didn’t receive high marks for its snack offerings (they were either too caloric or not very nutritious), meals like the Soy Ginger Marinated Salmon and Moroccan Vegetarian Wrap were applauded.

The calorie content of Virgin America’s meals average 481 calories each, which is why they topped the list. Hawaiian Airlines, on the other hand, has meals that average 1,056 calories.

Behind Virgin America were JetBlue and Delta, each scoring a 3.75 out of 5. While JetBlue’s score remained the same, Delta’s increased from last year because of their recent partnership with Luvo, a nutritious food provider. JetBlue offers options like the Spicy Soba & Korean-Style Chicken while Delta offers things like a Roast Turkey & Havarti Wrap.

Rounding out the bottom of the list were Spirit Airlines (with a score of 1 out of 5) and Hawaiian Airlines (with a score of 0.5 out of 5). According to Charles Platkin (DietDective.com editor) in a USA Today article, the five-star rating system is based on nutritional analysis, menu creativity, and whether or not the airline improved from last year’s food offerings.

Here’s a list of the rated airlines:

Virgin America: 4.25/5

Delta Air Lines: 3.75/5

JetBlue Airways: 3.75/5

Air Canada: 3.5/5

Alaska Airlines: 3.5/5

United Airlines: 3.25/5

American Airlines: 2.75/5

US Airways: 2.75/5

Southwest Airlines: 2/5

Allegiant Air: 1.75/5

Frontier Airlines: 1.5/5

Spirit Airlines: 1/5

Hawaiian Airlines: 0.5/5

If eating healthy is an important factor in your travels, you may want to take a look at the food that each airline offers before you decide who you’re going to book with. While options are slowly getting better, DietDetective.com believes that there will be changes for the better in the next few years.

We’ll have to keep an eye out for them!