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Industry Update


BRITISH AIRWAYS AIR CHINA SSP


Celebrity mentor gets on board


Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has joined forces with British Airways in a quest to discover the culinary stars of the future. BA is the official airline partner to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and has launched ‘the BA Great Britons Programme’ to find aspiring chefs and give them the chance to be mentored by Blumenthal. Taking inspiration from the Michelin-


star restaurant owner and chef, Heston Blumenthal, the winner of this food category will produce a bold British menu served to millions of customers on board British Airways flights around the Games. Blumenthal, said: “I thrive on creativity and developing new and exciting dishes, and I’m looking to find someone who shares this enthusiasm. Together we will showcase British cuisine at its best and at 35,000ft!” The chef recently took part in a television programme with British Airways exploring the challenges of onboard catering (you can read about this on page 35 of this issue of Onboard Hospitality). Scriptwriters and artists are also being invited


to come forward to be mentored by Richard E Grant and Tracey Emin. Tracey’s protégée will produce an iconic piece of artwork for the livery of 12 British Airways aircraft, flying millions of guests and teams in and out of London in the run up to the 2012 Games. www.ba.com/greatbritons


Air China selects Datalex


Air China recently selected the Datalex Travel Distribution Platform (TDP) for all domestic and international shopping and reservations online and in call centres. The airline will use the comprehensive TDP application portfolio to tailor its air and ancillary product offerings to customers. Datalex is a leading provider of travel distribution software and solutions that enable innovative multi-channel distribution strategies of global airline suppliers and travel distributors. Headquartered in Dublin, the company has offices in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the USA. Meanwhile, Air China is giving its customers


the chance to have their say in an Economy seating decision that the Star Alliance is making globally. Star hopes to standardise Economy seats among its 27 members and Beijing has been chosen as one of two locations to conduct research into which seats passengers prefer to sit in. Air China set up an aircraft seating simulation zone in Beijing Capital International Airport for the research. Research is also taking place in Germany. The participants will have all taken four international flights in the past 12 months and flown six hours or more with another Star Alliance member. www.airchina.com www.staralliance.com


SSP gets one of biggest airport F&B contracts


SSP has secured a five-year deal to run over 30 food and beverage outlets at Oslo Airport. The company will invest approximately £8 million to remain the sole F&B operator airside and on the landside departure level. The new and refurbished units are scheduled to open between November 2011 and March 2012. As part of the deal, SSP will be introducing a number of popular brands to the Norwegian market, with the line up to be announced shortly. Several of the company’s own names which are already operating at the airport will remain. These include Upper Crust, Salmon House Seafood Bar, sports bar O’Learys and tapas offering Sinnataggen. The company’s Monolitten free-flow restaurant, (which was specially created for the airport and named after an iconic sculpture displayed in the capital’s Vigeland Park), will also continue to trade, plus convenience store brand Point. SSP’s award-winning Le Grand Comptoir brasserie will make its first appearance in the Norwegian market. Espen Ettre, director of business development and real estate at Oslo Airport commented to the contract: “SSP really understands the travelling consumer, and how to operate within the travel environment.” SSP expects the number of people it employs


at the airport to rise from 700 to 800 people by the end of next year. www.foodtravelexperts.com


Richard E Grant, Tracey Emin and Heston Blumenthal 12 www.onboardhospitality.com Shopping online with Air China SSP serves seafood in Oslo


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