Originally Posted by OhSnapAF

Times you don't get crew meals:

1. Day 1 when you only airline
2. Anytime throughout your tour that you aren't attached to an airplane, or don't go to the FBO (sitting spare at the hotel all day)
3. when they are too cheap to order it from the airport you want it at

You can't count on it 100% of the time.

No bs, maybe 50% of the crew meals I received were edible. I don't consider Taco Bell, and the "egg product" breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express, real food. So if you do, then you will love the crew meals. I got tired of the mystery meat and sketch meals. I used my per diem, it was not added to my income.

Crew meals are only, solely, and exclusively to try and keep the metal moving, that is it. They are mostly low quality, very cheap food items. Sometimes you get some good food but it runs the entire spectrum depending on where you go. I often called and said I needed 30 min to go grab food because I refused to eat crew meals.

One of the few things that made me really depressed about NetJets, were captains taking 2-3 crew meals up to their room at the end of a long, hard day, and combining them to make food. I mean just thinking about people doing that made me legitimately depressed, it was so toxic, but guys love eating 10 hour old food in their boxers in a truck stop hotel...

Trust me, per diem is needed and necessary.