Mile-High Meals

From Abu Dhabi to Doha, the Middle East has become a go-to luxury destination for avid travelers. And now, the extravagant experience begins from the moment you step on the plane. With the newly expanded launch of its in-flight chef program, Etihad Airways offers passengers traveling in Diamond First Class the added bonus of a professional chef onboard. Each one is classically trained with a minimum of six years’ experience at a five-star restaurant or hotel, and the United Arab Emirates–based airline currently employs over 110 of these culinary geniuses. With top-notch chefs come superb cuisine, like salmon-and-cucumber cannelloni with a citrus salad and honeydew-melon dressing, al dente pappardelle pasta tossed with black olive crumble and Parmesan or brioche with red berries, mascarpone cheese and anglaise sauce. But if nothing on the impressive menu catches your eye, you can order whatever you’d like—each plane contains a fully stocked pantry equipped to handle almost any request. Want to indulge in an elaborate breakfast in the middle of your red-eye? Go for it. The chef will prepare a “Farmhouse Breakfast” with scrambled eggs that come straight from the airline’s 200 free-range hens at Abu Dhabi Organics Farms. So now you can dine like a king at 30,000 feet.