Sorting through boxes, Nik Loukas finds rolls of old film containing frames upon frames of happy holiday memories.
He didn’t remember it at the time, but his father Chris loved taking their video camera on their trips overseas, capturing moments with his family.
“My first trip was in the 80s. We took Singapore Airlines from Melbourne to Frankfurt. My parents took us out of school for six months. I was about four or five years old and I vaguely remember the trip. I just remember losing my boarding pass on a stopover in the Middle East somewhere,” Mr Loukas tells The Greek Herald.
“The following year we went to Hawaii for a week and I specifically remember my kid’s meal on Continental Airlines from Melbourne to Hawaii. We regularly went to Greece flying Olympic Airlines which no longer fly long haul.
“Having the memories because he [dad] videoed these holidays is so special and getting exposed to travel so young made me fall in love with it. I don’t think I would’ve if it wasn’t for him.”
While you might not know Mr Loukas by name, you may know him from his website or Instagram, Inflight Feed, where he shares reviews of airline catering from across the world.
Thousands of visitors flock to the website every month; from civilians who want to know what they’re getting into, to airline head honchos looking to see what their competition is up to.
“I got the idea to start Inflight Feed when I was working at Tiger Airways in Melbourne. Back then we had changed the service on the flights and stopped accepting cash which was a big thing in the 2010s. I thought, ‘why doesn’t someone have a website that tells people what is offered on board’,” Mr Loukas said.
“A friend of mine said you’re flying around so much ‘why aren’t you doing reviews as well?’ So I added in legacy airlines, I started flying in business class and throwing in airline reviews. It’s morphed into a wealth of information, including how to order special meals and people want to read about it.”
Air travel has drastically changed since the inception of the first airline back in 1914. For starters, it’s become far more accessible to everyone.
“A lot of people complain today about airline food but air travel has become more common for everyone today. It’s really easy to jump on an airplane with a 100-dollar ticket within Australia. When I was travelling with my parents in the 80s, flying was a privilege,” Mr Loukas said.
“And so airlines are now making mass amounts of food. It’s not going to be delicately prepared the way it was over 40 years ago; being carved in front of you in business class.”
In their efforts to make flying more economical, airlines have cut back on inflight service amenities and even squeezed in more seats by reducing the size of the galleys.
“Airlines have used post-COVID as an excuse to cut back on service and to reduce the size of meals. Some airlines like Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines have removed complimentary food from all short haul and medium haul flights and you’ve got to pay for it now,” he said.
“Toilets in the galleys mean passengers are using the space that was once dedicated to preparing meals. Airlines are finding it difficult to fly for six to seven hours and back. They would have to do ‘double catering’ which means having your flight catered for both trips. People are given a box of food because it’s easier and occupies less space. You’ll find that everything is getting smaller including the cutlery; there’s no more glassware in economy. These items are heavy and airlines want to save fuel. I understand and I respect that but how much is too much?”
While the days of a full buffet service have long gone, not all hope is lost on board.
“Airlines are focusing more on profit rather than experience but at the same time I think we’re going to see more airlines investing in their food. Qatar introduced a caviar service in business class on some routes. JetBlue is really focusing on offering fresh, local food in conjunction with local restaurants and collaborating with local brands and I think we might see more of that. But I think it will take a long time for the big airlines to catch up,” Mr Loukas said.
Over a decade later, Inflight Feed has become a beacon of knowledge. With his wealth of experience, Mr Loukas has also been called on to consult airlines, advising them on how they can make this experience better.
“Some of the best experiences I’ve had is meeting people and we talk about travel and food. I held an event in New York in conjunction with China Southern Airlines and we invited people that came from all over the world to taste test two meals that they were thinking of serving in economy class,” he said.
“It brought together a lot of people. Some of them worked in the industry, some of them just loved flying. Food, no matter where it’s served, brings people together. It’s always a bit of a common ground.”
Mr Loukas’ head isn’t always in the clouds. On the ground, he volunteers an hour of his time every week with Pronia.
“It’s such a simple way to give back to the community and it makes a world of difference to those you spend time with.”
