Catering to your aircraft in Aiken.
Most arrivals at Aiken are owners, trainers and guests heading for the turf season, flying small jets with small galleys. We pack for that cabin, with Carolina produce where it fits, and deliver to your FBO at KAIK.
We know the galley, the diet card and the 5 a.m. re-plate — because we lived them. So we built the caterer we always wished we could call.
Fourteen years on VIP and head-of-state cabins. Can plate for twelve in a G650 galley and still land it hot.
The one who reads every diet card twice. If it says no cross-contact, it means no cross-contact.
Answers at 5 a.m. when the leg moved overnight. Same-day swaps are her love language.
Aiken is horse country, and the table follows the Carolinas more than the coast. For a private jet menu out of KAIK, think South Carolina local specialities: Lowcountry shrimp and grits, pimento cheese, Carolina Gold rice, boiled peanuts and peach season from June. An inflight menu for the region works because most of it travels cold or finishes in one pass.
Private jet food at Aiken Regional leans on what South Carolina grows and cures. Local specialities such as country ham biscuits, she-crab soup, peaches and Carolina barbecue are written into private jet platters, gourmet inflight meals and private jet snacks. Each item is packed for the galley it will meet, with sauces apart and a clear finish: oven, chilled or re-plate cold.
Tail, pax, diets, timing. One message — no portal, no quote form. Answered at any hour, by a flight attendant.
Leak-proof boxes, marked by guest and restriction, with reheating times written on the lid.
Two minutes out of the drawer. Whatever you ordered for the crew comes in the same delivery, and one clean invoice follows.
The turf calendar drives KAIK: spring steeplechase weekends and winter equestrian arrivals bring owners and trainers through the general aviation terminal. For those flights we pack private jet catering for the galley, from Carolina produce to a cold lunch that waits in the drawer. Inflight catering, in-flight catering and aviation catering orders are placed by phone or email, with business aviation catering, executive jet catering, diplomatic flight catering and cabin crew meals on the same footing.
Aiken weekends fill with equestrian owners, so corporate jet catering here favours lunches that wait in the drawer and dinners that finish in one pass. Business jet catering, VIP flight catering and charter flight catering at KAIK all begin with the type of aircraft. Our private jet chef drafts a bespoke menu and luxury inflight catering follows its lead.
When an official flight uses Aiken, the questions change: who clears the menu, who touches the packing, who signs for the trays. Government flight catering and head of state flight catering at KAIK run on a named team and a discreet process. VIP aviation catering and state visit aircraft catering follow the same line.
Southern kitchens hide allergens in places you would not expect: pork fat in the greens, shellfish stock in the grits, flour in the roux. For Aiken we treat special meals as a procedure with a separate board and a sealed box, covering kosher, halal, vegan, gluten free and allergen free plates, plus kids meals, labelled by seat number only.
A sheet per guest. Separate boards, separate boxes.
Sealed, certificate in the same box.
Their own menu, nothing to cut at altitude.
Vegan, low-carb, light — composed, never compromised.
At Aiken, crew meals are a line you add when you want them, ordered with the trip and billed on the same invoice as the passenger food. Flight crew meals and pilot meals are packed in labelled crew meal boxes, so a captain can eat with one hand. Crew catering and cockpit meals are separate from passenger trays, and different meals for pilots are available. Cabin crew meals sit alongside, waiting at the FBO.
Delivery at Aiken Regional means the general aviation terminal, the ramp and your handling agent. FBO catering is passed through the door the agent opens, and ground handling catering is scheduled on your departure slot. Catering delivery to the FBO and handling agent catering are settled on the same invoice.
Aiken Regional sees light and midsize jets, so most loads go aboard by hand through the main door, but when a larger aircraft arrives the airside catering delivery needs a high loader arranged with your handling agent. For that aircraft provisioning we pack galley catering in carts and sealed boxes sized for the type, so the load matches the galley and the door height.
Mention it when you orderCertified, inspected, with cold-chain records filed against your trip.
Whichever terminal you park at, handover is at the aircraft, on your slot.
Allergen sheet per guest, halal and kosher on request, sealed and labelled.
Itemised and trip-report ready, sent after the leg.
KAIK is a quiet business aviation hub in South Carolina, built around general aviation rather than scheduled traffic. FBO services are modest, the apron is compact and ground handling services are handled by a small team. We keep airport catering equally plain: one door, one handover, one invoice.
Business aviation at Aiken follows the turf season: inflight catering and in-flight catering orders rise for steeplechase spring and winter polo, when this small business aviation hub fills with equestrian owners. Aviation catering and business aviation catering here suit light jets, executive jet catering is common, diplomatic flight catering is rare but possible, and cabin crew meals and crew meals complete the order.
US customs and agricultural rules govern food arriving from abroad, and the general aviation terminal at Aiken processes international arrivals under those rules. Ground handling services coordinate the inspection on the ramp, and international catering leftovers are discarded, so we deliver fresh meals locally for the onward leg. Tell us if the flight comes from overseas.
Average rating from the cabin crew and pilots we cater for.
“Rather than an elaborate service at Aiken Regional Airport, our 8 guests wanted roasted chicken and seasonal vegetables, organised sensibly around several individual meal preferences. The Galley Girls confirmed the handover contact and identified the snack boxes, making the catering delivery easier for our team to track. The galley preparation stood out more than any sales pitch about in-flight catering. The cabin team could match the fruit plates to the request before moving on to the remaining departure tasks.”
“The cabin briefing at KAIK included 4 passenger meals, a request for a breakfast basket with individual preserves, and instructions addressing an evening cabin service. Our brief for vip inflight catering was met with a sensible plan for cabin service sequence. The confirmation from The Galley Girls showed the fruit plates clearly enough for us to check the planned service quantities. The quantities of canapés matched our service plan, leaving us comfortable with the order before the final briefing.”
“Working around a changing departure schedule at AIK, I asked for poached fish with steamed rice in portions appropriate for our 7 passengers. The order made private jet catering feel manageable because the catering handover had been considered beforehand. Instead of asking us to improvise, The Galley Girls explained how the main courses could be arranged during service. It made a difference to have the crew provisions ready without cluttering the galley work area during preparation.”
The price follows what the delegation eats and how it must be handled. Sealed halal or kosher trays, a security-cleared packing line and a head of state menu all add cost; a cold platter and snacks do not. We quote the full order for Aiken before the slot is held.
What makes this easy at Aiken is a short, clear brief: kosher, halal, allergen free or child, plus the seat number. We cook it on its own board and seal it apart from the other trays. If the request arrives late, we still take it and work it through.
Customs matters most on inbound international legs; for crew staying on the ground at Aiken, it simply means plan the meal locally. We deliver crew catering to your handling agent, labelled CREW, so nobody reaches for a passenger tray.
On a quick Aiken turn, personal food often means a rushed load and an unlabelled box. We pack to the departure slot so everything is already sealed and ready. International arrivals must still respect US agricultural rules on what is brought in.
No, it is a separate order and a separate invoice. The charter does not include a galley meal, so for Aiken we write the menu from scratch, and one local Carolina dish, like peaches in season, usually earns its place on it.
Tail, pax and diets — a flight attendant takes it from there, day or night.
