Airline’s ‘mood food’ menu to calm nervous flyers

Monarch has announced the launch of their new ‘mood food’ menu, which guarantees to calm the nerves of jittery passengers and reduce the stress of travelling. Designed with mental wellbeing in mind, food psychologist professor Charles Spence crafted the menu with the intent of easing the frustrations of flight.

Launched as part of Monarch’s ‘Year of Nice’, the selection of food and drink available will begin before take-off with black Echinacea and liquorice ice cream, which is known to boost your immune system and fight cold and flu symptoms when heading into unfamiliar territories. During the ascent, travellers are encouraged to graze on green tea and lavender mochi rice cakes to help calm nerves before being introduced to a herbal tea blend of chamomile, fennel seed and kelp and a crispy seaweed biscuit, which together will aid digestion and combat the feeling of bloating.

During the flight, passengers will be given a caramilised nut bar coated in umami rich mushroom and tomato powder, which is intended to improve taste sensations affected by the changes in air pressure and dry conditioned air. With one in three admitting they don’t begin relaxing until three days after their last flight, many business travellers are at risk of not making the most of their visits abroad. Travellers struggle further to relax when faced with poor food, something Monarch is looking to tackle.

“We’re always looking at ways to innovate and improve the service we provide,” said Richard Wood, UK Sales and Marketing Director at Monarch’s caterer, Alpha LSG. “Airline food has progressed significantly over the last few years so there’s no reason why, in the future, airline menus can combine flavour with more scientific combinations of ingredients making passengers happier, healthier and more relaxed.”

How stressed do you feel when travelling for business? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.