Generally, most passengers don’t expect gourmet food when they’re flying with a budget airline.

But this man was hoping for a little more effort when he flew with Jet2 on a four and a half-hour flight from Scotland to Madeira in Spain.

Alex Holowko, known for his mountain bike content, took to TikTok to share his “shocking” plane food experience.

“A very accurate representation,” he began the clip.

He showed an advert of what he was expecting his presumably ‘Tuna Crunch Roll’ to look like.

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“The shocking reality,” he added, sharing footage of what he was served.

It showed the sandwich lathered in what looks like creamy mayonnaise on tiger bread with bits of red capsicum.

However, it lacked in all the other ingredients including shredded tuna, cucumber and diced onion.

One person joked that it looked “amazing”, while another suggested to grab a meal before heading onto the plane.

So long as it’s not a hot meal, because according to Jet2’s policy – “You may not bring hot food or hot drinks on-board the aircraft.”

While some saw the funny side to Alex’s sad sandwich, others weren’t as sympathetic – with many defending the budget airline.

“Personally I’ve had great times flying with jet2 and they honestly try their hardest to provide health and safety for all passengers,” one TikTok user wrote.

“It’s the catering staff and cooking staff not jet2!” one person pointed out.

“It’s aeroplane food from Jet2, what did you expect?” another wrote, while a fourth added: “I always get a cheese and ham toasty when I’m on a flight (jet 2) and its actually rlly (sic) good.”

One person came to Alex’s defence, claiming many would have had a similar reaction if they too were served the same sandwich.

“Why is everyone so mad – you would’ve felt the same,” they wrote.

Meanwhile, a pilot who works with LoganAir recently revealed why food tastes so different on planes.

In a nutshell, it comes down to the change in our ability to perceive taste.

“Our tastebuds don’t quite work the same in the air,” pilot James Bushe said.

“And things don’t taste as salty.

“To make up for it, plane food is given that little bit (of) extra seasoning.”

According to Science ABC, the cabin air is 15 per cent drier than the air on the ground, which makes passengers more dehydrated and dry-mouthed.

“A passenger’s bodily fluids will move upwards and the nasal cavities swell,” it states.

“The swelling messes with our tastebuds, making the food taste unappealing.”

And so the method of food production is different, with food often overcooked.