Do airplane pilot and co pilot eat different meals during the flight?

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chike

I worked for a major airline in the catering department a few years ago.
The pilot and crew eat the same meal as the passengers although they eat business class meals not economy.

Techwing

In the United States, no specific regulation dictates what or when the flight crew must eat, although there are a few restrictions, such as a prohibition on eating while in critical phases of flight (FARs 121.542 and 135.100).

Individual operators and pilots may adopt special procedures to enhance safety, such as serving different meals from different sources to the captain and copilot, and requiring that the captain and copilot eat their meals at different times. Some crew members may bring their own meals, or confine themselves to low-risk snacks, or simply choose not to eat during the flight.

Food poisoning is a very rare problem (when was the last time you were incapacitated while driving a car because of bad food?), but simple practices like these can help insure that it doesn't become a threat to safety of the flight even if it occurs.

Contamination serious enough to incapacitate a pilot is quite rare. Tummy aches and the like are occasional problems. Overall the incidence in real life is low compared to the incidence in Hollywood movies.

KhK

Varies from airlines to airlines.

Andei

My uncle is a pilot!

I just called and asked him and he says no, they do not.

EDIT:
I just realized that the way that you phrased it and the way that I phrased it made it sound like I said that they eat the same meal. They don't :D Sorry.

Cameron H

You are correct, they do not eat the same meal, as oboius reason's you have already thought of such as if a meal is not cooked properly, or one pilot simply doesn't feet well after a meal, etc.

Tim S

I have worked in catering and some airlines will eat different meals, some wont. I know for a fact that QANTAS does (I worked for them) normally the cabin crew and the first officer would all eat the same meal, an the captain would have a different meal in case of food poisining

you

what an interesting question!! never thought of that.. but I do think that they would eat the same meal?

Alwin E

I saw a report about Lufthansa just a few days ago and it was told that they eat different meals, and that that's a general regulation for all airlines at least on intercontinental flights -- exactly to avoid such a possible disaster.

Faisal Aryan

No you they dont.

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