I try to plan my business travel around palatable airport food. I keep notes of the best US airports for food and maps of actual gates for the best meal choices. Otherwise, given the sorry state of airline food, I would be losing a lot of weight while traveling. That's because we rarely are offered meals in economy anymore, airlines are increasingly removing their economy serving galleys, and what's offered (for sale from $2 to $10 each) is usually high-fat, high-cholesterol, high-sodium vending-machine-quality box meals or snacks. Ugh! I'd rather chew pencils coast-to-coast. In first or business class in some airlines, like United, you can pray for a salmon salad or grilled chicken or truly fresh fruit, but you have to be in the sky long enough to make it worth their while. Some of us now pack a homemade sandwich, dry cereal in baggies and healthy snacks as an alternative. (I envision stylish lunch boxes as a new component of carry-on baggage.)
All this leaves airport food, which we are forced to experience more and more. With regional consolidation, we typically have at least one stop to get us anywhere and have to schlepp through airports we never intended to visit. What I've found in general is that airport food is reminiscent of all the bad food habits I put away 20 years ago and aggressively avoid at the malls back home.
The A-list of good options, however, is building, and here's a start.
Please add to the list. You would think airports would market their "gourmet" choices more boldly than they do. Otherwise it's hit and miss, unless you know your way around the terminals. And some of their terminals are stellar while others are horrible. When all else fails, find a Starbucks. You can get not only coffee and juice but relatively healthy sandwiches and salads, too, though watch out for the fat content on those sandwich sauces.
Best overall -- San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The food here is a destination in itself, bringing samplers of some of the noted Bay Area cuisine, thanks to a significant renovation of the terminals. I head out there 2 hours early to avoid traffic, read the paper and have a good meal to get the travel day started.
Insider tips on some others:
- Washington Dulles (IAD) -- The Starbucks line is 30 minutes long in the mornings. That says a lot about the quality of the other offerings. You'd better have a long layover or you'll miss your latte.
- Los Angeles (LAX) -- I always make sure I have plenty of hand sanitizer.
- Oakland International (OAK) -- Pack a lunch.
- Chicago O'Hare (ORD) -- Who has time?
- Charlotte/Douglas, NC (CLT) -- An airport whose amenities keep the transferring traveler in mind.
- Denver (DEN) -- The shopping is better. Good Western gear and jewelry.
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) -- Keep your fingers crossed for arrivals or departures in the newer international Terminal D. Once there, check out the Reata Grill (Gate D33) for tasty and non-greasy Mexican food. If time allows, hop on the Skylink tram and make a beeline to the D Terminal to eat. There are several other good choices.
