Association News
A truly global Association IFSA’s new president, David Loft, talks to OnBoard Hospitality
OBH: Congratulations David. I understand that you are the first British president of the association. I know that you have lived in the US for the past 10 years but do you plan to add a British touch to your new role? DL: I am thrilled to be the new president of IFSA, honored to follow in Vicky’s footsteps, and excited about the opportunities the future will bring to our organisation. Being from ‘across the pond’ and the 4th non-US president will hopefully serve as a reminder to the industry that IFSA is, and has always been, international in scope and strives to meet the needs of onboard services professionals across the world. My hope as the first British President is to continue in advancing our mission and strategic objectives for the benefit of all in the industry, and to encourage even more of our global airlines, caterers, and suppliers to get involved.
Following in the footsteps of Vicky Stennes is a tall order but you walk into the role when IFSA has a strong status in the industry and a healthy bank balance. Do you have any immediate plans for change? Vicky has done a wonderful job and I’m excited at the prospect to continue moving the organisation in the right direction. Moving forward I, along with the IFSA Board, will be looking closely at the organisation, focusing on where we can enhance benefits we already provide to our members, as well as make improvements that will provide further value. The fundamental reason for being an association is to provide the membership with the services and benefits they require. I would strongly urge everyone to get more involved, talk to myself and the other board members, so we can make the changes to move both IFSA and the industry forward.
IFSA is dedicated to the ‘advancement of the art and science of the multi-billion dollar inflight and railway onboard services industry’. The world of travel catering has
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www.onboardhospitality.com
“The fundamental reason for being an association is to provide the membership with the services and benefits they require”
changed beyond recognition over the last decade. Do you still consider it to be an art and science? My overall thoughts are that airlines and caterers around the world have to provide the products and services that will work in their respective markets, driven both by the cost structure as well as the different cultural expectations of passengers. Is it an art and a science? Yes I believe so. There is the old adage: ‘How can it be that difficult, it’s only a bit of food?’ But as we all know, it is the elements around the food - the equipment, the logistics, the ground times, etc. that all contribute to turn travel catering into an art and science. The industry has changed considerably over the last decade, and
probably more so in the US than anywhere. The good news is that as we move forward, I think food will play a major role as the differentiator among airlines, especially so in the premium cabins. The ‘hardware’ around the cabin, flat beds, multiple channel videos and sound systems, mood lighting - are all slowly becoming a given and an expectation when buying a ticket. The food and service, i.e. ‘software’, is still the one area that can surprise and delight people as this is not static. Passengers always leave the aircraft talking about the food! As a frequent flier on one particular airline, I
have seen the food quality certainly improve over the past couple of years. We have also seen buy-on-board programmes upgrade and develop recently. Increasingly, they are becoming more retail focused with a thought process of having a good product and selling it at a fair profitable price, which I believe is a huge step forward and a very positive change.
IFSA is now working closely with other aviation associations. Is this something we will see more of in the future? We are all excited about the direction in which the Association is moving. The co-location of our conference, and collaboration with APEX and Aircraft Interiors makes good sense. This is really starting to pay dividends for us all and we believe it is the way forward. It is certainly our intention to keep this going in the future. The feedback received at the exhibition from our exhibitors and attendees in Seattle has been excellent, very encouraging, and we are really focused on delivering the same next year in Long Beach, especially as we will be in the main hall adjacent to APEX. As I take on the role of President, and look to the future, I would like to see IFSA further explore the concept of advocacy and how our association could play a more active role in being a voice for our industry. We are in the process of establishing a communications committee to begin investigating the issues that face our
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