Business Notes AIRLINES

Most airline food is nothing to write home about. But Alaska Airlines is so confident that its cuisine soars above the competition's that the carrier is giving passengers a chance to convey their compliments to the chef face to face. Alaska's executive chef Wolfgang Erbe, in his pleated toque, has been strolling the aisles twice a month soliciting passengers' reactions to his food. Commuting between the 17 West Coast airport kitchens where Alaska's meals are prepared, Erbe says, "We want to promote the image of the airline as a moving dining room." With meals like poached salmon and beef stroganoff -- in coach class, no less -- Alaska Airlines spends $7.80 a customer on food, about $3 more than the average for U.S. carriers. This has allowed Erbe, who trained in the kitchens of Hamburg's Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (Four Seasons), to add venison, pheasant and Cajun catfish as first-class entrees.