On flights across time zones, why is the serving of meals and cabin lighting...

spark_sara

I took a flight from Santiago de Chile to Madrid today. It was a four-hour difference in time zones. The flight departed at 21:20 local time and arrived at 13:30 local time. They served the first meal about two hours after takeoff, which was a cold meal, so there was no technical reason to wait that long. They kept the cabin lights dim and the windows blinded for at least another hour, until it was past 12:00 local time at the destination....

Originally asked by Ariser on Stack Exchange (travel) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

uphilltech

Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:

Almost all airlines follow the same procedure these days on "long enough" international flights Main meal service happens as soon as is feasible after takeoff. Second light meal or snack service about 60-90 minutes before landing. Ultra long hauls used to have a mid-flight service but it that seems to have fallen by the wayside. This has several advantages At least it provides consistency and crews and passengers know what to expect. It works reasonably well for both day and night flights. It creates a predictable work routine for the flight crew. It maximizes uninterrupted down time for the crew It maximizes uninterrupted time for passengers if they want to sleep or work Trying to adjust...

Full answer by Hilmar: https://travel.stackexchange.com/a/178937 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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