Airlines tease passengers with popular brands to spike in-flight meal buys

Air Baltic is not the only airline that regards innovative meal services as a way to sweeten its passengers. Deploying familiar brands seems to be a favoured approach. At least six carriers...serve Starbucks coffee. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have both dished up Ben & Jerry's ice cream. This correspondent's personal favourite was Japan Airlines, whose marketing gurus eschewed their country's more refined cuisine last winter in favour of on-board KFC. The Colonel was only flying high for three months, though, as fried chicken is something of a tradition among the Japanese during Christmas.

Gimmickry or not, it is encouraging to see sky-high meals making a comeback. Cyclical downturns in the airline industry have seen carriers steadily chip away at their in-flight catering.