Christmas at 35,000 feet: Emirates and Etihad's festive offerings

Here's what the UAE's two major airlines are serving up in the sky this festive season

Passengers flying Emirates this Christmas can look forward to a three course festive dinner complete with roast turkey breast, all the trimmings and a festive dessert when flying Business or First ClaShow more

With the festive season in full swing, Emirates and Etihad airlines are gearing up to serve some Christmas treats in the sky.

From tomorrow, Monday December 9, passengers travelling with Emirates to certain destinations will be able to tuck into a whole range of winter treats in-flight. The Dubai airline is expecting to dish up more than 500,000 of its Christmas meals in December.

What’s on the menu with Emirates? 

Emirates festive menus will be offered to customers flying to select destinations in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Europe, the US, South Africa and the Philippines. They'll be served in all classes of travel from tomorrow until Tuesday, December 31.

First and business class travellers will start their in-flight festive feast with lemon and herb king prawn cocktail followed by roast turkey breast with chestnut stuffing, roast potatoes and festive trimmings. Dessert will be a choice of cranberry chocolate or gingerbread cake. Premium passengers can also help themselves to mince pies, spiced drinks and Christmas-themed goodies like gingerbread popcorn and chocolate orange bars throughout the flight.

In economy class, dinner will be turkey slices with mashed potato, carrots, peas and cranberry sauce. Dessert is a chocolate mousse and children will also have their own festive menu with seasonal favourites like hot chocolate and cookies.

Christmas dinner on Etihad 

Etihad is also launching a festive menu on flights from Abu Dhabi. The airline will be serving special themed festive menus, designed by the in-house culinary team at Etihad Airways.

Passengers flying to destinations including Australia, Kenya, Lebanon, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, South Africa, the United States and the majority of Etihad's destination in Europe will get a festive feast if flying on December 24, 25 or 26.

Full menu details are still under-wraps, but passengers will be served a classic Christmas dinner complete with traditional roast turkey and all the usual trimmings. There will also be some delicious festive desserts.

Guests flying in Etihad's premium classes can also get into the festive spirit ahead of their flight. The lounges at Abu Dhabi International Airport will be stocked with winter favourites, including gingerbread houses.

Christmas movies on board

Passengers looking to get into the Christmas spirit en route to their winter holiday destination shouldn't have too much trouble doing so.

Emirates' in-flight entertainment is turning festive in December with classic Christmas movies including The Polar Express, Elf, Home Alone, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, It's a Wonderful Life and more. There will also be some Christmas TV specials.

Young flyers on Emirates can also make new friends on the flight by getting their hands on a limited edition Fly With Me toy called Lumi the Snowman. Cabin crew will be handing these out to little travellers in December.

And if you're flying with Etihad, get set for some holiday-themed entertainment. Christmas classics including Home Alone and Elf will be available to watch in the air alongside a range of festive-inspired television shows.

And if reading this has got you in the mood to head off on a last-minute winter escape, you'll find lots of holiday inspiration here.