From London last week came a solemn ruling: a sandwich is what Pan American World Airways thinks it is, and not what most other transatlantic carriers would like it to be. The decision was on Pan American's complaints that its competitors evaded an International Air Transport Association ruling against full meals on transatlantic economy flights by serving sandwiches that were actually sumptuous meals (TIME, April 21).
Sandwiches may be open or closed, ruled Sir William P. Hildred, I.A.T.A. director general, but they must be "cold . . . simple . . . unadorned . . . inexpensive," and consist of "a substantial and visible" chunk of bread. The association ruled out "materials normally regarded as expensive or luxurious, such as smoked salmon, oysters, caviar, lobster, game, asparagus, pate de foie gras," as well as "overgenerous or lavish helpings which affect the money value of the unit." Carriers that have been serving just such lavish sandwiches consoled themselves by reflecting that the ruling, after all, did not affect the chef's imagination. Said a spokesman for one: "We'll serve what we've been serving even if we have to roll up the ham so that a piece of bread will show as required."