Episode Details

Ever wondered what happens after you click "vegan" on a flight booking? This episode unpacks the invisible logistics network that gets thousands of dietary-specific meals onto aircraft every day. We trace the journey from IATA meal codes like VGML and KSML through just-in-time catering kitchens, RFID-monitored cold chains, and modular galley carts that must lock into place within centimeters. Along the way, we explore why Delta dropped niche meal codes in 2023, how a single catering hub produces 40,000 meals daily across 200 menu types, and why returning to the gate for missing kosher meals is a real failure mode. A deep look at the fragile, fascinating machinery of airline catering.