Gourmet dishes such as Thai-fried rice with basil, pork cutlets smothered with a demiglace in a rice bowl, and stewed beef and rice omelet were designed to be eaten while flying over international datelines. However, they have recently become go-to options for many people stuck at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has crushed many a fantasy vacation. As the airline industry struggles through its worst crisis ever, carriers are not the only air travel-related companies that have seen business sputter. With international flights at airports across Japan suspended or reduced for more than a year now, airline catering services have scrambled to cope with a plunge in demand and are turning to this new market on the ground to survive.