Love them or hate them, airline meals are a big part of every traveller's flight, and they have changed dramatically since their introduction in 1919. The mile-high meals have seen highs and lows, from the first hot meals being served on United Airlines in 1936 and tablecloths and silver service in the 1950s to low-cost carriers slicing food budgets in the 1970s. KLM, the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands, has offered an insight into their airline cuisine in 1965. Passengers are served beverages by a flight attendant - with plenty of legroom - on a KLM flight in 1965 . In 1965, food was prepared on the ground, like today, by chefs, including many who had won awards . How the food was served . The 1950s and '60s were considered the golden age of travel, with the glory days of Pan Am, and the Concorde breaking records in the skies. From their promotional video in 1958 Pan Am unveiled the new developments on board their new 707 jet service. Meals were described as being prepared in four simultaneously operating galleys, with dishes being cooked in five-minute ovens. In short - they aimed to take the 'travail out of travel.' The Civil Service for Aircraft Catering Provisioning was responsible for supplying food and beverage to KLM in 1965. By this time there were no chefs on board the flights, and thousands of meals were prepared on the ground every day. The provisioning came in the three categories. The fixed provisioning was the supplying of blankets, cutlery and glassware for guests. Meals and perishable goods were included in the variable provisioning, which depended on the number of passengers. Finally special provisioning was granted for specific dietary requirements and baby food. Passengers would specify their preferences before at the time of booking, and these would be relayed to the kitchen. The catering company for KLM and 20 other airlines cleaned 50,000 pieces of cutlery every day . What food was served? The Civil Service for Aircraft Catering Provisioning provided for around twenty other airlines, as well as KLM. In 1965, they would prepare tens of thousands of meals every day for flying passengers, which included pastries, roasted chicken and boiled eggs. There were kosher dishes served for those who required them, and a staggering 15,000 items of crockery to be cleaned daily. 3,000 cold dishes, fully composed . 250 chickens, roasted and deboned . 500 kilograms of meat, roasted or stewed . 3,000 eggs, boiled and shelled . 2,000 pastries . 250 kosher dishes . 10,000 trays, fully laid out . 15,000 cups, saucers and plates cleaned . 50,000 knives, forks and spoons cleaned . Concorde debuted in 1969, and flights on the British Airways and Air France dazzled guests with caviar, champagne, foie gras, lobster and truffles. Guided tours . Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has been KLM’s home base since the airline’s founding in 1919. The airport had kitchens for preparing flight meals, with many of the cooks having won international culinary awards. A highlight of the Schiphol tour would feature the cooking location, to see where the thousands of airborne meals were created. The big clean-up . According to old copies of KLM's staff magazine, Wolkenridder, the airline had 1.6million passengers during the fiscal year of 1964-65. Although this is not a lot compared to the 25.8million customers it carried in 2012, no disposable tableware existed in those early years, until 1969. Crews in 1965 would use a mechanised dishwashing system to clean all items, which had demineralised water, ensuring a no-streak finish. None of the plates, cups or cutlery were disposable on KLM's 1965 flights . What happened next? In the 1970s ticket prices fell dramatically with airline deregulation, and this had an impact on the budget for food and service. This sparked the creation of the world's first low-cost carrier, Southwest Airlines, in 1971. In 1973, French airline Union de Transports Aériens recruited professional advice from Raymond Oliver, in redesigning their menus. Airlines begin to favour salty, rich and spicy food which is better for reheating and retains its flavour at 30,000ft. In 2001, after the September 11 tragedy, plastic cutlery was preferred by airlines. Another bomb scare in 2006 led to even stricter regulations with all liquids greater than 100ml banned from flights. This led to passengers being forced to buy drinks from the airport or expensive ones on the plane, unless they were complimentary. A report from TravelSupermarket reveals that airlines charge up to 2,600 per cent more than supermarkets for in-flight food and drink. In 2011 more airlines began to seek the help of celebrity and Michelin star chefs to raise the standard of in-flight meals. These included Heston Blumenthal, of Fat Duck fame, for British Airways, and Singapore Airlines sign-up Carlo Cracco, a two-star Michelin chef in Milan.
Rare photos reveal in-flight meals in the 1960s before disposable dishes . KLM airline's pictures show the glamour of the 'golden age' of flying . Airline has grown from 1.6million passengers in the 1960s to 25.8million .