Four Corners
LATIN AMERICA Grape expectations in Latin America Arthur Azevedo
TAM Airlines’ wine consultant and executive director of the Brazilian Association of Sommeliers, São Paulo.
“Wines tend to reflect the
personality of the people who
produce them” MIDDLE EAST Customer service counts Linda Celestino
general manager inflight services, Oman Air
I get frustrated when discussion of the airline passenger experience is confined to transformative technology. Certainly, innovations like online booking or mobile check- in have increased convenience enormously. Similarly, inflight entertainment is now vastly improved and the rise of inflight mobile phones and wifi connectivity – jointly offered for the first time by Oman Air in 2010 – is a most welcome addition.
“Middle East carriers are leading the way
by offering tradtional Arabian hospitality”
However, customers demand and deserve great service, superb hospitality and unbeatable after-care. With inflight product becoming commoditised for many airlines, price differentiation no longer sustainable, and customers
expecting more for less, airlines should be focusing on delivering superior customer experiences. This requires understanding the customer’s point of view, and the ability to match their expectations with the airline’s deliverables. Once again, Middle East carriers are leading the way by offering traditional Arabian hospitality within an ultra-modern setting. There is certainly significant investment in new aircraft, new products and all the latest IFE and connectivity hardware. But, vitally, there is also major investment in people – recruitment, remuneration, training and career development underpin a service philosophy which puts customers,
their comfort and their overall passenger experience, at the heart of the business.
If you need proof of the rise of Middle East carriers, just take a look at the results of this summer’s World Airline Awards. Oman Air, Emirates and Etihad took home numerous awards for products and service – and were placed in the top ten of many other categories – whilst Qatar was named Airline of the Year. So, yes, investing in innovative technology that enhances the passenger experience is vital, but it must not overshadow the importance of the personal touch. Relationships are everything, and the Middle East is getting the balance right.
www.onboardhospitality.com 49
Every year I face the very pleasurable challenge of deciding on the wines that will make up the selection to be offered on the flights of TAM Airlines. I do not simply choose wines of excellent quality, as this is the minimum requisite that the customers of an airline like TAM would expect from a company that prides itself in fulfilling their requirements and expectations. To make my selection, I seek to know in as much depth and detail as possible, everything that I can about the wines I’m considering. This is done through visits to the producers, seeing the vineyards, wineries and the wine production process. Wines tend to reflect the personality of the people
who produce them. They are a synergy between the terroir, or the microclimatic region where the vineyards are planted, and the intervention of man, represented by the winemaker, who is responsible for transforming grapes into wine. Another important detail is what are the specific tastes of the passengers who usually travel on TAM’s routes, the majority of whom will be from Brazil and other Latin American countries? In general, these travellers tend to like the more modern wines and the fruitier, smoother and less tannic grapes, those with which they already have some familiarity. So in the case of red wines, I favour for TAM wines based on Merlot, Malbec and Shiraz
grapes, and in the case of white wines, Riesling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
In addition to choosing the most suitable varieties of grape, I also devote attention to the method of winemaking, favouring the producers who treat their grapes in a more modern, delicate manner, aiming to extract the maximum from the aromas and flavours. To complete the selection process, I look for a wine that can surprise the passenger, either because of its origin, by selecting a wine from a lesser-known country and not a traditional wine-producing power house, or by its composition, meaning wine based on an unusual or lesser-known grape.
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