How 'dine on demand' inflight meals can help you beat jet lag

Being able to eat what you like, when you like on long international flights is more than just about convenience. Business class ‘dine on demand’ can also be a great way to minimise the effects of jet lag when crossing time zones.

That’s because you can begin acclimatising to your destination’s local time from the moment your flight departs simply by eating, drinking and sleeping in line with that time zone, rather than merely following an airline’s ‘default’ inflight schedule.

I found this particularly true aboard a recent Qatar Airways business class flight from Doha to Sydney (as a guest of the airline) at the tail end a journey home from Frankfurt.

The flight departs Doha around 9pm to reach Sydney at 7pm local time the next day – that's a solid 14 hours in the air, but during which you can order anything from the entire menu at any time.

Having already had dinner at Qatar's Al Mourjan business class lounge, immediately after take-off I donned my eyeshade and drifted to sleep while most other passengers were enjoying their evening meal, knowing I’d be able to order a proper breakfast whenever I woke.

That happened to be around 5½ hours later – around 11am Sydney time – while those same travellers were now sleeping. My choice from the breakfast menu was quickly served, equivalent to a brunch on the ground.

The rest of the flight saw me catching up on both work and movies during Sydney daylight hours, and roughly two hours before landing (5pm Sydney time) when most others were beginning to wake for an oddly-timed breakfast, I was tucking into an early dinner.

Being an evening arrival into Australia and not having slept a full eight hours on the flight (by choice), I was ready for bed soon after returning home at what was almost my usual bedtime and my body-clock was quickly reset to Australian time.

I was also noticeably less jet lagged than after taking a similar trip from Paris to Brisbane in Cathay Pacific business class a few weeks prior, where eating any dish at any time was not an option: only to follow the airline’s own dining schedule or miss out on a full meal if sleeping.

As it happens, Cathay Pacific will trial the much-appreciated ‘dine on demand’ concept on flights between Hong Kong, London and Chicago in May – and given its benefits when flying with other airlines, we can’t help but hope that Cathay Pacific rolls this out across its network too, and soon.

Do you take advantage of 'dine on demand' when jetting abroad in business class or first class to minimise your jet lag or maximise your work and sleep? Share your own experiences via the comment box below!

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.