Hardly anything is free while flying anymore. Checking luggage costs money. Headphones cost money. Even carry-on bags cost money. But in the case of food, maybe it’s not so bad that in-flight meals aren’t free anymore. When airlines offered ham sandwiches and tuna salad to customers for free, the result was cheap, low-quality meals. But now airlines like US Airways and the United Airlines are hoping to make a little extra dough by selling healthier, larger and higher-quality meals during longer flights.

Last year, a Zagat Survey study showed that when a free meal wasn’t offered during flights, only 6 percent of passengers purchased one on-board while 56 percent purchased one in the airport. Airlines are hoping to snag some of those airport-food buyers by offering the same type of combination meals in-flight. One tool that makes that possible is the GuestLogix device and software that allows flight attendants to easily place orders and swipe credit or debit cards on a small handheld machine. Add a few coupons to the mix, and in-flight meals may become more affordable, tastier and healthier than anything airport vendors have to offer. American Airlines, for example, recently started selling Boston Market sandwiches and salads. Airlinemeals.net has photos of in-flight food from 551 airlines worldwide.