Freshness and nutrition, along with classic French technique, are key pillars of the new menu, according to Boulud. In business class, that could mean a braised lamb shoulder with root vegetables or duck confit with pearl barley, vichy-style carrots, and parsnips. For passengers in La Première (the airline’s brand new and very stylish first-class cabin, known for its private suites): dishes like chicken with saffron, turnips, pumpkin, and green olive semolina or lamb shank with rosemary sauce, and Swiss chard.
“We also wanted a seasonal menu that would allow guests to enjoy different recipes throughout the year, especially if they are frequent flyers,” says Boulud. Dishes will be rotated monthly, allowing flyers to “discover new ones every time they’re on an Air France flight,” he adds.
Boulud’s menu is currently offered on flights leaving from New York-JFK, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco and Washington-DC, but starting November 2025, will be extended to departures from all the airline’s US destinations.
Each dish, Boulud says, is designed to express a contemporary take on French roots.
Air France
Air France has a long history of calling upon Michelin-starred chefs to design its menus, underlining its assumed role as an “ambassador for fine French dining.” Over the years, long-haul menus have been entrusted to recognized names in the culinary world like Anne-Sophie Pic, the late Joël Robuchon, and Michel Roth. Other airlines have launched similar programs, pairing off with well-known chefs and restaurants; two years ago I sampled a menu designed by Duddell’s, a Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong, for Cathay Pacific. In June, Qatar Airways announced its collaboration with French celebrity chef Yannick Alléno, which included the opening of a restaurant at one of its airport lounges in Doha.
