This woman tastes in-flight meals for a living… and she DOESN’T hate her job
Marie Klianis has spent the last 11 years testing all of the dishes served by Singapore Airlines
MANY travellers try to avoid eating airline food if they can help it, so spare a thought for Marie Klianis, whose job is to taste all of the grub that ends up 40,000 feet in the air.
As Singapore Airlines’ senior customer services officer, specialising in catering, Klianis has seen more than her fair share of food trays.
Here, Marie reveals what it has been like to spend the last 11 years eating airline food for a living..
What’s the worst airline meal you’ve ever tasted?
In November, I was in Europe and had some uninspiring meals on-board other carriers, which included some lacklustre refreshments and unappetising sandwiches.
How many airline meals would you try in a week?
In a normal week I would try around three meals, on top of our weekly food audit — which is our weekly quality check of randomly selected dishes at our caterer Gate Gourmet.
Does airline food make up the bulk of your diet?
We’re tasting pretty often so we try not to make a meal out of it. Sometimes I share the food with colleagues and ask them for their feedback, especially for the specialised dishes.
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Do you do spot checks when the meals are being loaded on the planes?
Yes, throughout the week. There are two dedicated catering officers in Sydney and we share the load. We do random spot checks to take food off the aircraft, plus other spot checks at the caterers.
What do you look for in a tasting?
It must look appetising and be to our specifications — this means the correct portion sizes and that the protein is the correct weight.
It also has to be well-seasoned and cooked well. I can tell immediately if a dish is over or underweight, or if the taste profile is off. If it’s a Thai or Indian dish, it has to be authentic.
When we score food, it’s from 0-3. When it’s a three, it’s what you would get in a restaurant.
Two is acceptable, when the dish has met what it’s supposed to be, One is bland or salty, or undercooked/overcooked and Zero is downright unacceptable
Have customers ever given you feedback on the food when they find out what you do?
Yes, especially some of our Frequent Flyers who we know well. Some have my email address and I hear from them regularly. We value all the feedback we receive as it helps us maintain a high standard.
Do you sometimes go undercover as a passenger to see what customers think?
When I’m on-board and travelling for work or leisure, I often look around and check whether people are enjoying or leaving food on their tray. Having worked for Singapore Airlines for 27 years, it’s hard to go undercover as I know a lot of the crew.
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