• Last summer, I flew business class on an Air New Zealand flight from Los Angeles to Auckland.
• This year, I had a 12-hour flight from Denver to Tokyo, where I sat in United’s economy cabin.
• The two flights were, of course, very different, with the meals setting the flights apart most.

I already had a glass of Champagne in my hand before economy-class passengers even got to their seats.

If this was how my first business-class flight was going to start, I knew I was in for a treat.

I was traveling with Air New Zealand from Los Angeles, California, to Auckland, New Zealand, and a long-haul flight meant airplane meals — something I was eager to experience in business class. From tender seafood to a chocolate tart served with real cutlery, the meal met my wildest dreams.

Six months later, I took a long-haul economy flight from Denver, Colorado, to Tokyo, Japan, on United, where I ate food like a veggie stir fry and a Milk Bar cookie from a tray.

While I was traveling on a different airline, the experience showed me how dining can vary between economy and business class while flying. And if I’d been sitting in business class on United heading to Tokyo, I would’ve had many of the same perks I did on Air New Zealand.

Read on to see how the food on each flight compared.

Before I was even considering food, the meal service in both Air New Zealand’s business cabin and United’s economy cabin kicked off with a drink.

In business class, traveling with Air New Zealand, I had what felt like unlimited choices. Options included wine, beer, Champagne, soda, and an array of liquors.

Traveling with United in economy, there was complimentary wine and beer as well as soda, but a gin and tonic or any other alcoholic beverage came at a cost.

In business class, I spent a solid 10 minutes eyeing a lengthy menu.

It outlined a choice between two appetizers, three main courses, and two desserts.

In economy, flight attendants shared the main course offerings as they arrived with the meal cart at my seat.

Story continues

Options on my Air New Zealand flight were descriptive. I could pick between “slow-cooked beef with polenta, orange, and lemon gremolata” or “Alaskan cod with saffron sauce.”

In economy, there were two options: “chicken” or “veggie stir fry.” I wondered what vegetables. What type of chicken? What else would be served on my plate?

But there wasn’t time to ask questions. Instead, I blindly picked the veggie stir fry and was handed a tray of food.

Meanwhile, in business class, the meal was an experience. Before delivering my first course, a flight attendant laid down a cloth napkin, a ceramic tray with salt and pepper, silverware, and an individual-sized olive oil on my tray table.

Each course in business class was served separately.

Unlike in economy, where a tray with all my food was delivered at once.

The first thing I ate in business class was bread. A flight attendant came around offering three types: sourdough, garlic, and olive. Naturally, I tried one of each.

I also had bread on my economy tray. While the bread wasn’t nearly as fresh as the sourdough in business class, there was luckily a pat of butter that added flavor.

My first course in business class was a salad with stuffed grape leaves, quinoa, tomatoes, olives, and lettuce.

And in economy, I had a salad with grains, raisins, and lettuce.

For my main course in business, I opted for the Alaskan cod. It was buttery, flaky, and shockingly delicious for airplane food.

As for my main course in economy, a label outlined that the stir fry had seven types of vegetables. And while it wasn’t nearly as good as the cod, I easily devoured the entire tray of noodles.

Arguably the best part of both meals was the dessert. In business, I dined on a rich chocolate tart served with a strawberry garnish.

And for dessert in economy, I had a cookie filled with icing from the famous New York City bakery Milk. It was one of my favorite bakeries when I lived in the city, so I was thrilled to see a Milk cookie on my plate.

Beyond the food, other details set the meal service apart by cabin class. In business, the cutlery was metal, the napkins were cloth, and the plates were ceramic. I felt like I was at a fine-dining restaurant.

In economy, as I’ve found in the same class on many other airlines, my food came out on a plastic tray and everything was wrapped in plastic.

Another big difference was availability. On my two business-class flights, I could order anything on the menu in business class and there was always availability.

When I was sitting in economy, the flight attendants told me the pasta option had run out by the time they reached my seat (which was in the back of the plane). Later, there was no Coke available either.

Of course, if I’d been sitting in business class on United heading to Tokyo, I would’ve had many of the same perks I did on Air New Zealand.

According to United’s website, meal service in business class includes a welcome glass of bubbly, liquor, a three-course meal, and snacks.

Source: United

While the two meals were strikingly different, I devoured them both and was happily full — with plenty of time for a post-dinner nap.

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