Special Report: Catering
seasonality, but in the end they are the ones who decide! Having said that, in my opinion it makes much better marketing sense to serve an exotic fresh fruit salad when leaving a tropical country than when leaving Europe. ER: Yes, these are important aspects for menu planning. There are important cost and quality implications for a variety of foods depending on the season which should be considered and reflected in the menu. It is important to note that passengers are increasingly requesting seasonal food products as health experts have started recommending eating more food products that are in season. Many airlines also incorporate regional destination features and products unique to specific localities into their menus. Here we can rely on our global culinary development and procurement network which spans the globe and allows us to access an unparalleled supplier base as well as permanently offer every imaginable ethnic variety despite tight and ambitious economic objectives.
What are your biggest challenges in the current climate? PA: We must adapt to the economic difficulties which a lot of our clients are experiencing, and continue to meet their passengers’ expectations of high-quality catering. On the other hand, we have to find the resources necessary to continue our strategy of geographical growth and our investments in our working tools, whilst preserving our economic balance. The real solution seems to be the creation of partnerships between catering companies and airlines to meet these requirements. ER: As a company we have always remained competitive due to our flexibility, adapting
swiftly to the volatility of the markets and ensuring that we offer value to our customers and our stakeholders. Therefore I strongly believe that we will come out of the current economic slowdown even stronger, since it challenges us to be even more flexible, more creative and even more innovative when developing our new offerings.
How do you see the industry in 50 issues’ time i.e. Airline Catering in 2022? PA: Airline catering will be more than ever at the core of travelling pleasure! The catering of tomorrow will have been able to take advantage of technological advances and the interest shown in airline catering by great chefs such as those at Servair, or the passionate support of major names from gastronomy such as those currently involved in the Servair Culinary Studio (Joël Robuchon, Guy Martin and Jacques Le Divellec). ER: I can see an industry that will be fully consolidated in 2022 via multiple mergers. Suppliers will deal with big airline groups who offer a “full-liner portfolio” covering low cost and leisure, flag and premium up the high end private jet type of service. Another interesting aspect for the airline caterers is the further development of retail at airports and how to deal with this opportunity
or challenge – however you want to look at it, it creates a new dimension of business. From a product point of view, we believe
there will be a shift in airline catering towards more individualized dining experiences, but also further adoption of Buy-on-Board models. What is and will remain of high importance in both cases is to know passengers’ preferences, whether they would be a “restaurant-like” dining experience, or pre-ordering the food that appeals to them for the right price. Nevertheless, whichever “style” of catering
the passenger prefers, the airline caterers need to always take into account social responsibility for the environment and deliver sustainable solutions.
You read it here first…
Concorde has made its last flight but Michel Roux is to continue championing fine food onboard through his association with British Airway’s Chefs’ Culinary Council, now focusing on First class.
50 ISSUES
Onboard Hospitality Issue 07, October ‘03 C E L E B R A T I N G
www.onboardhospitality.com 35
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132