Was the golden age of air travel really that tasty? Modern first- and premium-class meals can be fancy, but rarely match the glamour of vintage inflight dining — think prime rib carved at your seat, lobster thermidor and caviar courses. That era’s peak service, especially in first class, came in the 1950s through the 1970s when wide-body jets with large galleys made elaborate menus possible.
To explore that culinary history, 150 diners and aviation fans gathered at Loyal Legion PDX, the presecurity beer hall overlooking Portland International Airport. Emmy-winning former Simpsons writer Bill Oakley curated a seven-course dinner inspired by notable inflight meals from 1919 through Concorde’s final flight in 2003. Oakley researched vintage airline menus and introduced each course with its aviation backstory. Loyal Legion culinary director Marcus Hilliker and his team prepared dishes that aimed to be both historically accurate and appetizing.
Alaska Airlines sponsored the evening and provided a Jet Set beer. Portland’s Straightaway Cocktails supplied themed drinks including Airmail, Arctic Service, Paper Plane, Aviation cocktails and a bespoke “Greatest Martini of the 20th Century” made with Portland-sourced Aviation Gin and dry vermouth.
The seven-course menu and aviation connections:
1. First course: Hamper sandwich duo
– Inspired by the first sold inflight meal on Handley-Page Transport’s 1919 London–Paris service. Exact sandwiches are unknown; Oakley and a food historian recreated a cucumber-and-cress sandwich and a pickled beef-tongue sandwich on delicate Pullman loaf with mayonnaise and fine herbs.
2. Second course: Kangaroo tail soup
– A signature of Qantas from the late 1950s into the 1960s. For authenticity, the dinner featured real free-range kangaroo in a traditional tail soup.
3. Third course: Cheese, beer and pretzels
– A nod to Mohawk Airlines’ 1960s “Gaslight Service,” a male-targeted offering with Victorian-style interiors and staff in 1890s costume. Passengers were served beer, cheese and pretzels; cigars were sold for five cents.
4. Fourth course: Caviar, blini, hard-boiled egg and crème fraîche
– Modeled on Alaska Airlines’ 1970s Golden Samovar Service on charters between Alaska and the Soviet Union. Flight attendants wore Cossack-style outfits and served Russian-themed fare; a golden samovar used for a signature coffee-vodka-liqueur drink was borrowed from Seattle’s Museum of Flight for display.
5. Fifth course: Lobster salad
– A take on Pan American World Airways’ Lobster Americaine, served in Pan Am’s heyday (1957–1972) as an upscale inflight staple.
6. Sixth course: Chateaubriand with truffled foie gras
– An homage to the first-class chateaubriand Trans World Airlines offered from the late 1950s through the 1970s, a premium roast frequently carved tableside from a rolling trolley.
7. Seventh course: Buttermilk panna cotta with berries
– The dessert recreates the final dish served on British Airways’ last Concorde flight on Oct. 24, 2003.
The Portland event drew diners who flew in using miles specifically for the evening. Encouraged by its success, Oakley plans similar aviation-history dinners at other airport venues, museums and classic hotels, with a next event slated for Seattle and a possible venue at the Museum of Flight. Menus may be tweaked for future events, but the mix of historic accuracy and surprising choices will likely remain central.
