In Person
What is the arrangement with Wings and the South African market? dnata and Newrest have created a joint venture in South Africa through the joining of the Wings business with the Newrest First catering business to create dnata Newrest. Our intention is to build on the best of both and leverage the expertise of both. South Africa is an important market and there is a high demand for very high standard of quality and service, which we intend to deliver as the preeminent supplier.
What will dnata do with Alpha1s brand in Europe, UK and Australia? We haven’t fully decided. The Alpha brand has a long history within the business. That said, you can see the name we have used for the new South African business.
Do you see dnata as an Emirates supplier foremost or as a global caterer? dnata is definitely first and foremost a global caterer, not merely an Emirates supplier. Emirates is a major customer but we have to bid for Emirates contracts along with all other suppliers. We don’t have Emirates business by default, which keeps us competitive and pushes us to provide Emirates with top quality products and service to win on merit.
You were in the US for many years. How do you see the passenger experience and the markets supplying it developing there as against the rest of the world? I think the US airlines have really been trying to improve their product offering over the past few years, with some success. Most of the international carriers
now have fully-flat beds in business, the food offering has improved and there really is some momentum going forward. This, I believe, has been driven by the arrival of the Middle Eastern airlines in the US. Qatar, Emirates and Etihad between them now operate about 15 flights daily to the US. The US will always be an important
destination and there will be growth in the markets supplying, although perhaps not the high growth figures we see elsewhere.
Is there still a business for caterers in the US? Yes, definitely. There are a lot of international carriers flying into the US that will still require a high quality product for their passengers. In fact I think with the competition that has come in from the Middle East as well as the quality airlines from other parts of the world and the US itself, we will see competition driving a requirement for higher quality which will certainly maintain the demand for catering. The caterer that can get this right,
as well as supply the domestic carriers, will do well. The newer domestics like Virgin America and Jet Blue are also pushing boundaries in entertainment and onboard sales, driving more opportunity.
"Let’s face it, you either have to be the cheapest or the best. The guy in the middle never wins"
Is DHL’s business model the future for all airlines? DHL seems to be doing a good job for British Airways with the European business which I think really fits their business, model. There is always a place for many different business models, be it outsource, fully insource or some of both, depending on volumes, logistics and of course the require- ments of the customer. I don’t think there will ever be a ‘one size fits all’ model but that each customer will have different requirements and it’s the caterer’s job to fulfil those requirements with the model that works best in each case.
What are dnata’s expansion plans for Africa and Asia? We would like to expand in both these areas as and when opportunities arise, as we see them as growth markets in the aviation business.
Does dnata have designs on the US market? The US is a tough market with three large established existing caterers. We have no plans to extend the US business from where we are now (Alpha has a business in Sanford, Florida), however if the right opportunity arose then it would, of course, be something we would consider in the future.
WWW.ONBOARDHOSPITALITY.COM 55
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