Air Berlin: Belfast to Stansted (with free in-flight food)

Over the last few years of frequent travel back and forth to England, the decline in airline food has been sharp.

There's nothing free on easyJet. That's an established truth. Flybe now charge for their menu - though the extra revenue doesn't seem to have made a big difference to the quality of their fleet.

And then bmi - the last bastions of quality and comfort - dropped in-flight food for economy passengers unless they put their hands in their pockets.

But on this morning's Air Berlin flight from Belfast City across to London Stansted I was amazed as the trolley came down the aisle to hand out ham rolls and a free drink. Amazing. And all included in a low ticket price.

Now the tardy take off - 15 minutes shy of the published departure time - wasn't the best example of German efficiency, but the catering, Tom and Jerry cartoons playing overhead, and free newspapers (if your German is up to it) made it a pleasant and to-be-repeated experience.

I guess: Ich bin ein Air Berliner!