Emirates adds ‘bottomless caviar’ to first class plane menu

The airline hopes that the lashings of caviar and posh bubbly will take its service ‘to the next level’

The caviar with melba toast, egg, chives, white onions, sour cream and lemon – served alongside a mother-of-pearl spoon and vintage champagne (Emirates)

First class passengers on Emirates flights can now indulge in “unlimited servings of Persian caviar”, the airline says.

Passengers can have as many “generous servings” of the salt-cured roe as they like, which will be presented to them with mother-of-pearl spoons and flutes of steeply-priced Dom Perignon vintage champagne.

The luxury treats are offered as part of a new “dine on demand service” that the UAE state-owned airline hopes will deliver a more lavish in-flight experience for its highest-paying customers.

The cheapest price for a first class return trip from London Heathrow to Dubai is currently £3,674.

The Emirates website says: “Enjoy generous servings of fine caviar at any time throughout your flight. We serve our caviar together with seven accompaniments, including melba toast, egg, chives, white onions, sour cream and lemon.

“And we take care to preserve the taste by serving our caviar with a mother-of-pearl spoon.”

The airline has spent more than $2 billion (£1.6bn) in improvements to its first class cabins and service during the post-pandemic travel boom.

Additions include upgrades to the upholstery of the flatbed seats and cabin wood panelling, as well as new fine dining cuisines including a “carefully curated” menu for its vegan passengers.

Other menu options include pan-fried salmon trout with Creole rice, roasted duck breast with steamed broccolini – otherwise known as baby broccoli – and fondant potatoes.

Vegan dishes include pan-roasted king oyster mushrooms, jackfruit biryani and sliced kohlrabi – also known as German turnip – “garnished with burnt orange”.

Customers can also order from a menu of what the airline deems as “classic” cinema snacks – lobster rolls, mini burgers, vegan burgers, edamame pods, and salted popcorn.

Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said: “While others respond to industry pressures with cost cuts, Emirates is flying against the grain and investing to deliver ever better experiences to our customers.

“Through the pandemic we’ve continued to launch new services and initiatives to ensure our customers travel with the assurance and ease, including digital initiatives to improve customer experiences on the ground.

“Now we’re rolling out a series of intensive programmes to take Emirates’ signature inflight experiences to the next level.”

Business and economy class customers will be offered new menus from 1 September, Emirates said.

Emirates is not the only caviar-obsessed luxury travel company. In May, the Beverly Hills Hotel in LA marked its 110th anniversary with a caviar-sprinkled ‘special edition’ of its iconic McCarthy Salad – with a price tag of $1,912 (£1,547).

The pimped-out version includes lobster and is topped with gold flakes. It’s presented by white-gloved waiters in a bowl specially made by the French porcelain house Bernardaud.