Safety & Catering
Why Pilots Never Eat the Same Meal
Behind this in-flight practice lies a simple safety logic: keeping the captain and first officer protected from the same food-related risk.
A captain and a first officer never eat the same dish in flight. It's not habit, and it's not personal taste. It's a safety rule that exists for one specific reason: if both pilots eat the same contaminated meal, both can get sick at the same time. Mid-flight, with no one else to take over.
Why don't pilots eat the same meal?
To keep at least one pilot fit to fly the aircraft, always. That's the whole logic. In practice, many operators prevent the captain and first officer from eating the same meal, although the level of obligation depends on each operator's internal procedures. Meals are kept different so a single food poisoning event can never hit both people flying the plane at once.
Where does this rule come from, were there real cases?
Yes, and the most documented one goes back to August 1982. An Overseas National Airways DC-8 flying from Lisbon to Boston had 8 of its 10 crew members fall ill on approach to Logan Airport. The suspected cause was a contaminated tapioca pudding dessert. The first officer, who hadn't eaten the dessert, was not affected and was able to ensure a safe landing. UPI reported the incident the same day, this isn't a story recycled from blog to blog.
It isn't an isolated case on paper either. An Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) study covering 2010 to 2014 found that nearly half of all pilot incapacitation events in flight came from gastrointestinal illness, ahead of every other medical cause combined. The separate-meals rule answers a statistic that keeps repeating, not a theoretical precaution.
Does this also apply to private aviation, on a jet?
This is the part almost nobody covers, because everything written on the topic talks about commercial airlines. On a private jet, the situation is actually tighter, not looser. A long-haul commercial flight often carries a third or fourth technical crew member as backup. A business jet typically operates with two pilots and no additional technical crew member available as backup. That makes meal separation especially relevant: if both pilots were affected by the same food issue, the aircraft would lose its only operational flight crew.
There's no specific regulation mandating this for business aviation, unlike some internal procedures at commercial carriers. It's a matter of operational common sense, one we consistently recommend to clients ordering catering for a crewed flight. To support this practice, Above Catering delivers these orders directly to the FBO at any of our supported airports (see our coverage map for details). Our chefs ensure that each crew meal meets the highest aviation safety and quality standards, which you can preview in our catering gallery.
How do you request different crew meals on a catering order?
By specifying it at the time of the initial request, not afterward. The passenger order and the crew order need to be separated from the start, with a distinct dish for the captain and another for the first officer. The earlier the request comes in, the easier it is for our chefs to prepare two different dishes without logistical friction.
When requesting via our online Above Catering order form, simply mention 'separate crew meals' or 'repas équipage séparés' in your instructions. We will provide a distinct meal for the captain and another for the first officer, completely separate from passenger catering.
Does this logic also apply to passengers on a business flight?
No. A passenger isn't flying the aircraft. The redundancy logic makes no sense applied to someone sitting in the cabin. Nothing stops passenger menus from varying for comfort or preference, but it isn't a flight safety issue the way it is for the crew.
Does separating crew meals cost more?
Generally no, or only marginally. You're adding a different dish, not duplicating an entire order. The extra cost mostly depends on the dish chosen and the departure airport, not the principle of separation itself. Flagging it early avoids last-minute adjustments, which are what actually tend to cost more.