Inflight Catering
How Lufthansa and British Airways are competing with Emirates on Indian routes
13 October 2011 | As the global economy dynamically changes, all major airlines are focusing on the rapidly growing middle class and business markets of the BRICs and the ‘Next 11’ as a new source of growth. According to Boeing’s latest outlook, these emerging economies will collectively occupy over 60 percent of passenger flows by the year 2030.
India
Last month we discussed how Emirates is capitalizing on new passenger flows, for example connecting Asia with Africa and with Latin America via its Dubai hub. A good showcase of the challenge that the rise of Emirates is posing to European legacy carriers is India, since the subcontinent is the second largest market for both British Airways (50 weekly flights to 5 destinations in India) and Lufthansa (52 weekly flights to 7 destinations), after the United States.
India is also Emirates’ largest operational market with 185 flights a week to 10 destinations. Says Orhan Abbas, vice president India and Nepal at Emirates, “The Indian market is a very important one for us as Indians have overtaken the British as the single largest tourist group on Emirates.” In the 2010-2011 fiscal year, Emirates’ revenues from India grew 24 per cent to USD1.7 billion, while traffic grew with 10 per cent.
Emirates’ aggressive approach has resulted in significant market shares on international flight routes from India; the airline currently holds 35 per cent on routes from India to Britain, 40 per cent to France, 20 per cent to Germany, and 31 per cent to New York. The airline’s low prices and large network in India make it an attractive option, and on the popular route between India and North America, Gulf airlines such as Emirates are virtually the only practical option for travellers from second-tier Indian cities. A passenger from New York on the way to, for example, Thiruvananthapuram, has to connect twice when flying via Europe (e.g, at Frankfurt and at Delhi), compared to a single connection at Dubai.
Besides the large number of Indians working in the Gulf states, “one of the reasons for Emirates’ success is that so many Indians love transiting via Dubai,’’ says Madhav Oza of Blue Star Travels, one of the biggest travel consolidators in Mumbai. “The shopping, easy visas and simply the familiarity with the city often makes them choose it over colder and more congested European hubs like Frankfurt, Paris or Brussels,” he says.
Read full article »
British Airways brings umami to passengers
10 October 2011 | Earlier this year, British Airways teamed up with celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, well-known for his quirky Fat Duck Restaurant and highly experimental dishes such as snail porridge, in an innovative project to take airline food to new heights. The relationship between Blumenthal and British Airways has been on-going since the popular television series ‘Mission Impossible’, which saw Blumenthal tackling the kitchens at many British institutions, with British Airways being one compliant victim.
In the Mission Impossible episode with British Airways, which aired on Channel 4 in March 2011, Blumenthal tackled the issue of what happens to food and the ability to taste at altitude, combined with the confines of an aircraft’s galley area. 35,000 feet above ground, Blumenthal gave the TV audience a glimpse into airline food, while convincing catering experts Gate Gourmet that unlike salt and sugar, which need to be stronger to savour in high altitude, umami-rich ingredients stayed the same. Blumenthal has long used umami, a savoury flavour known as the ‘fifth taste’, which occurs naturally in foods such as seaweed, tomatoes, mackerel and parmesan cheese, to push the taste barriers at his Fat Duck restaurant. After several experiments, Blumenthal then went on to win over passengers, as well as BA executives, with a tasty, umami-rich ‘seaweed cottage pie’.
Umami in the Air
The findings from ‘Mission Impossible’ encouraged BA’s catering staff to change menu plans, use of ingredients and the way in which food is prepared. Furthermore, BA invited Blumenthal to help to create their new, umami-based menu, using cheese, spices and seasonal produce. Says Mark Hassell, British Airways’ head of customer experience and a tasting panel judge on the Mission Impossible show: “There is a real science to food at altitude and with his innovative and creative approach, Heston’s work has been really interesting to us.”
From June 2011, BA’s on board menu in Business and First features umami dishes such as classic tuna Nicoise, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, sauteed salmon and gilt head bream with soy sauce and shitake mushrooms, and asparagus with pea and broad bean dressing and poached hen’s egg. Read full article »
Estonian Air lets local restaurants introduce their cuisine to passengers in the air
14 September 2011 | A trend close to our heart here at airlinetrends.com is the growing number of airlines that are serving local food onboard. Offering national or regional specialties onboard – sourced locally as much as possible – is a way for airlines to differentiate the passenger experience by showcasing their national heritage. It also resonates with passengers today as it ties in with consumer trends such as authenticity, storytelling and the rediscovery of national and regional identities in a globalized world.
Not daunted by the challenges of serving local food onboard, such as more complex preparation processes and a guaranteed supply, European airlines such as airBaltic, Alitalia, Swiss, and recently LOT from Poland are all offering passengers in their premium classes samples of their national cuisine. BA, meanwhile, is also adding more local elements to its onboard menu.
Restaurant in the Sky
The latest initiative comes from Estonia’s national carrier, Estonian Air, which on September 1st launched a new catering concept, called ‘Restaurant in the Sky’. During the next 12 months, Estonian Air will be serving dishes prepared by 12 different Estonian chefs on its flights. While partnering with restaurant chefs to improve the onboard food is in itself nothing new, Estonian Air came up with several innovative twists of the concept. First, the airline is highlighting a different Estonian restaurant each month. Second, all participating restaurants have to stay within the same budget that Estonian Air pays its catering company, LSG Sky Chefs. And finally, each restaurant chef will personally present his or her menu to passengers onboard a monthly ‘gourmet flight’.
Gourmet flight
The first restaurant to kick off Estonian Air’s ‘Restaurant in the Sky’ program was one of Tallinn’s top restaurants, Gloria. On 9 September, Dimitri Demjanov, owner and Chef de Cuisine of Gloria, served and presented the onboard menu on Estonian Air’s Tallinn – London – Tallinn flights. On regular flights meals are prepared by LSG Sky Chefs based on Gloria’s recipes, but on this ‘gourmet flight’ the dishes had been prepared in the kitchen of restaurant Gloria.
Read full article »
US Airways offers passengers free branded snack boxes on domestic flights
4 July 2011 | With advertising budgets under pressure and traditional mass advertising losing its effectiveness, advertisers are looking for new ways to reach consumers. At the same time many airlines have begun charging for services that used to be included in the price of the ticket. One solution for airlines that want to cut cost, but maintain their service level, is to team up with advertisers to offer amenities such as in-flight Wi-Fi or Starbucks coffee for free.
US Airways
The latest initiative comes from Air Advertainment, a marketing company that sells snack boxes to advertisers and gives them to airlines to distribute to passengers for free. Air Advertainment today announced it has signed a marketing partnership agreement with US Airways to offer its branded snack boxes on the US Airways Shuttle between Boston Logan International, New York LaGuardia and Washington D.C. Regan National airports, from July 1st on. In November 2010, US Airways Shuttle and Air Advertainment already tested the concept on several flights, with Embassy Suites Hotels picking up the bill.
The branded snack boxes are sponsored by Gilt.com, an online U.S. retailer that stages online ‘flash’ sales, offering luxury goods at discounted prices in a limited-time sale format, typically 36 to 48 hours. Membership can be requested at the website, but otherwise it is by invitation only. Gilt has also partnered with in-flight WiFi provider Gogo to offer flash sales at 35,000 feet. From July 1st, all Gogo-equipped Delta, United, Virgin America, Alaska Airlines and US Airways aircraft will provide free access to the Guilt site. To further entice customers Gilt is offering exclusive in-air deals.
Read full article »
Alitalia highlights its origins with ‘Made in Italy’ in-flight experience
20 June 2011 | Following a financial restructuring after its bankruptcy in 2008, Alitalia has been upgrading its in-flight experience in the past year. Italy’s flag carrier has taken a ‘Made in Italy’ aproach towards the development of its new services, teaming up with Italian luxury brands for in-flight amenities and offering authentic regional Italian cuisine onboard.
As style icon and globetrotter Tyler Brûlé (of Wallpaper and Monocle fame) several years ago already suggested: “Alitalia may well be the one carrier with the most potential to reinvent itself as a serious luxury brand as its has all the raw materials at its disposal.” […] “As the in-flight experience becomes increasingly homogenized and more airlines start to behave alike, Alitalia’s new owners might take a page or two from the country’s strong luxury heritage to put its national carrier back in flight.”
Italian brands
With the arrival of two new A330 aircraft in July 2010, Alitalia introduced full-flat beds in Business Class, a new Premium Economy cabin, and started an upgrade program for its B777s as well. Additionally, the airline completed a EUR20 million refurbishment programme for its short- and medium haul Airbus aircraft, equipping them with slim leather seats and individual LCD screens.
For its Business Class amenities on long-haul flights, Alitalia has teamed up with long-standing Italian luxury brands ‘Ginori’ (since 1735) for dinnerware, cutlery and glassware and ‘Frette’ (since 1860) for table linen, blankets and pillowcases, while passengers also receive a Bulgari amenity kit. Frette blankets and pillows are available as well in Alitalia’s Premium Economy and Economy cabins, and the amenity kit in Premium Economy passengers is provided by Italian cosmetics brand Culti.
Says Alitalia director of customer experience and ancillary revenue Aureliano Cicala, “We made tangible investments in seats, materials, food and beverage quality and lounge services, mostly in cooperation with famous Italian brands like Ginori, Frette and Bulgari.” […] “Alitalia aims to promote ‘made in Italy’.”
Read full article »
Etihad adds Swarovski amenity kit and onboard chef to its First Class experience
9 June 2011 | While European airlines such as British Airways (new First), KLM (Delft Blue, Dutch Design) and Austrian (new amenity kit) are looking at their heritage to differentiate their travel experience (see our recent whitepaper “How airlines can use their heritage to add some storytelling to the travel experience”), fast growing Etihad is taking a more opulent approach towards luxury.
Etihad’s First Class private suites, available on the airline’s A340-600s and A330s, have their own sliding door, a personal wardrobe, a mini bar and a 23-inch LCD screen. The leather seat and furnishings are upholstered by Poltrona Frau, which also provides interiors for Ferrari cars. Already voted as ‘Best First Class’ at the 2010 Skytrax ‘Airline of the Year’ awards, Etihad is further upping the ante by introducing new amenity kits and onboard chefs in its First Class.
Swarovski
Etihad’s new amenity kits for women include a black cosmetic purse detailed with crystals by Swarovski and products from Swiss luxury brand La Prairie, such as moisturiser, hand cream and lip balm. The male version of kit is a black leather cufflink box with amenities such as a shaving kit with a Schick Xtreme 3 razor and shaving cream. Other items include toothbrush and toothpaste, ear plugs, socks and eyeshades.
For Swarovski, who has collaborated with consumer brands such as Philips and LG before, this was the first time it teamed up with an airline. Says Lee Shave, Etihad Airways’ Vice President Product and Services: “In our market research, we found that very few airlines are developing product suited to the needs of female travellers, so we created these separate amenity product line.“
Read full article »
Air France food truck tours Manhattan sampling onboard catering
7 April 2011 | In recent years, gourmet food trucks have been all the rage in the U.S., serving up all kinds of high-end cuisine, ranging from Korean BBQ to upscale desserts, while using Twitter to let customers know where they will be parking on any given moment.
Air France ‘Gourmet Food Truck’
To promote the airline and its service, Air France has also jumped on the food truck ‘trend’ and for 5 days (March 24th through March 28th) an Air France ‘Gourmet Food Truck’ toured Manhattan, New York, serving complimentary food. Chefs from airline caterer Flying Food Servair handed out free food samples based on the recipes of Air France’s Michelin-starred chef Joël Robuchon.
Items on the menu included Pain au Chocolat for breakfast, cucumber and smoked salmon brochette (lunch), French Shepherd’s Pie with duck confit (dinner) and assorted French macarons and petits fours as a dessert.
Parked in one location per day, the Air France food truck could be found at respectively Rockefeller Center, Union Square, SoHo/Broadway and Wall Street. The exact location could be followed via Air France USA’s Twitter stream and Facebook page.
An estimated 600 samples of breakfasts, lunches and dinners were served each day during the promotion. There was also a sweepstakes for two Air France tickets to Paris, and those who received a free meal were encouraged to make a donation to City Harvest, a rescue organization dedicated to feeding New York’s less fortunate citizens.
Read full article »
Hybrid low-cost carrier airBaltic offers organic food, Nespresso and iPads in-flight
28 March 2011 | Earlier this year we published our ‘Innovative Airlines’ report (pdf here), which provides an overview of innovative products and services that passengers are experiencing on airlines around the world. An airline that also scores high on our list, is airBaltic, the hybrid low-cost airline of the Baltic states Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Riga North Hub
Since 2008, airBaltic has made a transformation from a point-to-point low-cost carrier to a hybrid network LCC. The airline has turned its Riga ‘North Hub’ into a transit point for travellers from Nordic and Northwestern Europe to the growing markets of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East, as well as for Scandinavian passengers travelling to Southern and Western Europe. AirBaltic offers passengers connecting at Riga (65 percent of its customers) through ticketing and check-in, as well as 25-minute connection times. The airline has been growing its network fast, adding over 50 new routes since 2008 (for example to small cities in Finland) and currently serves 80 destinations from Riga, carrying over 3.2 million passengers in 2010 (an increase of 16 percent from 2009).
Despite its hybrid features, airBaltic’s Chief Commercial Officer Tero Taskila says the airline’s cost per average seat kilometer are on par with the likes of Easyjet and Norwegian and 30 to 40 percent lower than Finnair and SAS. Interestingly, airBaltic sees Turkish Airlines, which has also established an extensive network in Europec coupled with a low cost base, as one of its main emerging competitors.
Business Class: local, organic catering, Nespresso coffee
Besides its focus on transit traffic, other ‘hybrid’ features of airBaltic include a separate Business Class cabin, airport lounge and a frequent flyer program.
Reflecting the growing local food trends (see “Airlines go local and seasonal with their food offerings”), airBaltic has teamed up with Mārtiņš Rītiņš, a renowned Latvian ‘slow food’ chef, to serve dishes in Business Class that are based on organic, seasonal products provided by local Latvian farmers. The current menu for example includes free-range chicken breast, red deer steak and seasonal vegetables such as beetroot and pumpkin. Says CCO Taskila, “[Our passengers] can enjoy an excellent meal, while at the same time supporting local farmers who grow organic products. We also plan to increase the presence of locally-grown organic products in the economy class of airBaltic.” See this interview with Mārtiņš Rītiņš for more on the challenges of offering local, organic food up in the air.
Read full article »
KLM goes Dutch Design with tableware and amenity kits
25 March 2011 | Airlines such as Emirates and Singapore Airlines have teamed up with traditional French and Italian luxury brands like Bulgari, Ferragamo and Givenchy to offer passengers quality in-flight amenities, such as toiletry kits, tableware, blankets and pyjamas.
Dutch airline KLM is taking a slightly different approach as it is upgrading its onboard experience. Instead of teaming up with the classical luxury houses, the airline is emphasizing its Dutch origins by partering with contemporary Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf and Marcel Wanders for the creation of its onboard amenities. According to KLM, customers have indicated that they appreciate KLM’s typically Dutch character, so it decided to embrace Dutch Design.
Viktor & Rolf
At the start of the summer schedule on 27 March 2011, KLM has introduced Viktor & Rolf-designed comfort bags for passengers travelling in Business Class on long-haul flights. Different bags are available for men and women, and also contain a Viktor & Rolf branded toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, eye mask, lip balm, pen and ear plugs. A new design will be created each year over the next four-year period, and a new colour will appear every six months. The fashion duo’s bags proves to be popular: A few hours after KLM announced the Viktor & Rolf amenity kits, the first requests for them already started appearing on online marketplaces.
Marcel Wanders
On 27 March 2011, KLM also began serving meals in Business Class on both short- and long-haul flights offered on tableware designed by Marcel Wanders. The designer (of Moooi and Droog Design fame) has created porcelain, glassware, cutlery, linen and a tray for the airline in his signature shapely style. In designing the new service elements, Wanders has taken into account the wishes of its customers, the working procedures of cabin crew, and the weight and space restrictions of air travel (video here).
Read full article »
Thai airlines open take-away deli’s in downtown Bangkok
3 March 2011 | Bangkok Air Catering, a unit of regional airline Bangkok Airways prepares inflight meals for more than 20 airlines, including Emirates and Qatar Airways, on flights out of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. In an entrepreneurial move, the company recently launched a new chain of delicatessen stores called Gourmet House, creating a new outlet for its meals. The first Gourmet House deli was opened in downtown Bangkok (Sukhumvit Soi) in mid-December 2010 and follows the airline’s earlier debut of catering services for private embassy and expat community parties.
Gourmet House’s selection of soups, meats, canapés and baked goods are prepared at Bangkok Air Catering’s unit near Suvarnabhumi Airport and trucked into the establishment daily. At the outlet, chefs apply some finishing touches, and a fresh meal is ready for sit down or take-out. Gourmet House emphasises takeaway purchases, but the 130m2 deli can also seat about 30 people. Gourmet House says it wants to establish itself as one of Bangkok’s top places to score gourmet food, using local products whenever possible, many of which are cultivated on the company’s farms at Sukhothai.
Reputable brand
According to Linus Knobel, managing director of Bangkok Air Catering, the Gourmet House franchise will help the company to make better use of capacity and resources at its airport catering facility, which currently produces 17,500 inflight meals per day against a full capacity of 25,000 meals. Bangkok Air Catering‘s 180 chefs have expertise in a wide range of international cuisines, and their skills can also be tapped for other distribution outlets, said Mr Knobel, adding that “taste, quality and hygiene are of the strictest standards for Bangkok Air Catering’s inflight meals, and these have found their way to Gourmet House as major selling points.” […] “It is the office workers and their bosses, the students and teachers, and the expats and their wives who yearn for a taste of New York or Milan, that we are catering to.” Read full article »
Asiana and Turkish Airlines latest carriers to introduce inflight chefs
13 December 2010 | In 2010, airlines such as Air New Zealand, ANA and Cathay Pacific have further raised industry standards by rolling out new cabin interiors. In recent years several airlines have also been investing in ‘softer’ elements of the inflight experience, such as inflight concierges (ANZ), Sky Nannies (Gulf Air) and onboard bar tenders (Emirates, Kingfisher and Virgin Atlantic). To add an extra dimension to the inflight dining experience, airlines such as Gulf Air, British Midland and Austrian Airlines have also employed ‘Sky Chefs’ for several years. Recently, these carriers have been joined by Asiana and Turkish Airlines.
Asiana ‘Inflight Chef and Somelier’
Asiana Airlines (winner of the 2010 Airline of the Year award) has just announced a new ‘Onboard Crew Chef & Sommelier’ service in First and Business Class on flights between Seoul and Los Angeles as well as Seoul and Frankfurt. The restaurant-like service is provided by Asiana flight attendants who have acquired licenses from international cuisine schools (e.g, Le Cordon Bleu) and sommelier courses (e.g, M.C. Sommelier, Wine & Sprit Education Trust) under an airline program that supports staff to take service courses at world-class institutions.
Asiana’s ‘Chef Service’ is formed by a team of three flight attendants who wear chef uniforms and serve a variety of Canapés and Lamb Chop dishes that have been developed by themselves. As part of the ‘Sommelier Service’ flight attendants decant wines and provide guidance in chosing the wine. The ‘Chef & Sommelier’ service will initially be provided just once a month on the two routes mentioned, but Asiana says it will soon increase the number of attendants with chef and sommelier skills and expand the service to New York flights by the end of 2010 as well. Since 2006, Asiana also employs an onboard sushi chef in First Class on flights between Incheon and Los Angeles, which provides passengers with freshly made sushi as well as some ‘culinary theater’ (see also this video).
Read full article »
Airlines go local and seasonal with their food offerings
5 October 2010 | Reflecting a growing food trend among hotels and restaurants, airlines are increasingly offering local and seasonal food onboard as they emphasize their national cuisine. This development also ties in with a number of other trends such as authenticity, storytelling, and the rediscovery of national and regional identities in a globalized world. Furthermore, offering local and seasonal produce supports local businesses and in some cases also results in a reduced carbon footprint. Some recent examples from around the world.
SWISS ‘Taste of Switzerland’
As part of its ongoing ‘Taste of Switzerland’ program, started in 2002, SWISS offers premium passsengers on medium and long-haul flights signature dishes from its cantons (regions). Every three months a new Swiss canton is selected (currently Vaud), and local produce is used as much as possible. Thanks to a recent collaboration with the country’s ‘Kaseunion’, Appenzell, Gruyere and Emmental cheeses are also served on board.
Lufthansa ‘Discover Flavour’
On a similar note, Lufthansa’s ‘Discover Flavour’ catering concept, offers regional German specialities on board. The current program, ‘Discover Slow Food’, held in cooperation with the Slow Food organization, serves Business Class passengers on select long European flights four regional specialities, such as the ‘Diepholzer Moorschnucke’ (a rare breed of sheep from Lower Saxony) and the ‘Bamberger Hörnla’ (an old variety of potato grown near Bamberg). On domestic routes, Lufthansa currently serves marinated North Sea crabs on scrambled egg, and Hamburg vinegar-marinated meat as part of a ‘Discover Hamburg’ theme. Read full article »
ANA first airline to serve freshly tapped beer in-flight
19 July 2010 | Airlines are increasingly making an effort to use fresh ingredients in their in-flight meals, or try to figure out ways to prepare parts of the menu freshly on board. For example, ANA, JAL and Cathay Pacific serve freshly cooked rice in-flight, using an onboard rice cooker. Cathay Pacific long-haul aircraft also have a toaster oven and an espresso machine on board, while kitchens on SWISS aircraft and Lufthansa’s new A380 are equipped with an in-flight Nespresso machine.
Now, All Nippon Airways (ANA) is taking its in-flight beverage service up a notch by serving freshly tapped beer on select flights. ANA is the first airline to offer beer on tap during flights. Draft beer comes out of a keg, using highly pressurized carbon dioxide gas, and couldn’t be served before because airlines are prohibited from bringing high-pressure gas cylinders onboard due to safety regulations. ANA worked with ice machine and refrigeration specialist Hoshizaki Electric to develop a special beer dispenser that uses carbon dioxide gas vaporized from dry ice to power the mini beer kegs. Read full article »
Thai Airways’ catering division launches ‘off-flight’ catering brand
1 July 2010 | ‘Puff & Pie’ is a bakery chain owned by Thai Airways Catering. Until recently, the 81 outlets across Thailand primarily offered a wide range of bakery items and beverages served onboard Thai Airways (THAI) and produced by the airline’s catering facilities. THAI Catering has just announced it will expand the product range at the Puff & Pie bakery chain in an effort to generate additional revenues to its regular airline catering operation.
Puff & Pie will offer a range of Thai and Chinese take-away meals, seven kinds of ready-made curry sauce and five styles of salad dressing, which are also used in THAI in-flight meals. The products will be sold under the airline caterer’s new ‘Eurng Luang’ brand and will initially be available at its Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket Puff & Pie Bakery shops. THAI says it is aiming for the business traveler who had a good in-flight culinary experience, but has no time to prepare quality Thai food at home. Read full article »
Advertiser sponsors free snack box for Horizon Air passengers
7 June 2010 | With advertising budgets under pressure and traditional mass advertising losing its effectiveness, advertisers are looking for new ways to reach consumers. At the same time many airlines have begun charging for services that used to be included in the price of the ticket. One solution for airlines that want to cut cost, but maintain their service level, is to team up with advertisers to offer amenities such as inflight Wi-Fi or Starbucks coffee for free.
The latest initiative comes from Air Advertainment, a marketing company that sells snack boxes to advertisers and gives them to airlines to distribute to passengers for free. Air Advertainment’s first campaign was launched on May 24th on Horizon Air flights between Seattle and Portland. The branded snack box contains a bag of pretzels, chips and a chocolate, and is sponsored by Creative Labs. The electronics company is using the new ‘snackvertising’ medium to promote a Facebook contest to name its new HD video camera. Flight attendants alert passengers on board that their meals are complimentary of Creative Labs, and 25,000 boxes will be distributed during 20 days on the route. Read full article »
