Rachel Chang gave the insight in a Condé Nast Traveler column after she was invited to the United Airlines eatery at Newark Airport in New Jersey.

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Journalist Ms Chang first heard about Classified, which is hidden behind a secret door near Gate C120, from a friend before nabbing her own coveted invitation.

“As one of the carrier’s ‘most valued customers,’ I was ‘one of the select few ‘to receive an invite to the ‘contemporary’ restaurant, which they described as an ‘upscale dining space, tucked away from the crowds in Terminal C,” she wrote.

After one bungled attempt at accessing after a flight, Ms Chang returned weeks later to get a look inside the exclusive establishment.

What she found at its entrance was “an innocuous black door in the back, and swung it open for me”.

Inside was a 32-seat dining room with white drapes, rust-coloured chairs completed with artful lighting and ceiling fixtures.

Ms Chang raved about the service but still had to cough up $32.09 for a farm omelette.

“Not terrible for an airport meal, but as a current MileagePlus Gold status member, I could have had similar eggs and potatoes in the lounge for free, had this been an international flight,” she said.

Ms Chang’s luxe experience comes after it was revealed where to get meals for free at Heathrow Airport.

Another bargain option is travellers taking advantage of Too Good To Go, which offers cheap bags of food, including at major UK airports.

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