Onboard Hospitality 67 June/July 2016

FOR AIR, RAIL, CRUISE AND FERRIES

JUNE/JULY 2016 | ISSUE 67

Turning the tables How creative designers are making functional tableware a stylish work of art

OUR 2016 AWARD WINNERS REVEALED WTCE & AIX REVIEWS TASTE OF TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS

Thank you ‌ ‌ for inspiring us at WTCE 2016 in Hamburg. All of our visitors made this exhibition a great success for us!

If you want a reminder or in case you missed the show, please read our blog or take a look at our videos on lsg-group.com

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JUNE/JULY

inside this issue FEATURES

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24 Tableware

Innovative, practical designs now onboard 60 Soft drinks

Natural, healthy and unusual alternatives to the standard coke or orange juice 66 Neuromarketing

13 42

How a passenger's brain interacts with your brand

QUICK READS View from the top 23 Michel Emeyriat ceo Servair 33 Robin Padgett senior vp dnata 39 Nele Wallays director gategroup 46 Erdmann Rauer ceo LSG Group

60

WTCE FOCUS 07 Onboard Hospitality

Awards: Winners 42 Taste of Travel

Theatre highlights

Focus on 40 Tracklements 72 Green Gourmet

Cindy Lam

Rail catering explored

We tour the stands

REGULARS

58 Photo gallery Caught on camera

81 AIX Conference onboardhospitality.com

Jeremy Clark Bemoans inflight ads 35 Marc Warde Spots food trends 31

70 Roger Williams

48 New Products

24

OPINION

Insists on plain talking 64 Nik Loukas Inflight in India

In Person

ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT

07

63 Rob Britton

79 Forum 365 76

2016

13

Industry updates

68 Global perspective 74 New Arrivals

81

93 Events 94 People on the move

2016

WELCOME

A double act

Publisher : Sue Williams Editor: Jo Austin Assistant Editor: Julie Baxter News Editor: Laura Gelder Junior Journalist: Cameron Roberts Contributing Writers: Jeremy Clark, Richard Williams (IFEC), Roger Williams, Rob Britton, Marc Warde, Ariane van Mancius, Nik Loukas Creative Director: Matt Bonner Designers: Louisa Horton, Ross Clifford Junior Designer: Zoe Tarrant Production Manager: Clare Hunter Production Controller: Steve Hunter Subscriptions: Cheryl Staniforth Managing Director: Martin Steady Onboard Hospitality is published by: BMI Publishing Ltd Suffolk House, George Street, Croydon, Surrey CR9 1SR, UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 8649 7233 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8649 7234 Editorial email: julie.baxter@onboardhospitality.com Advertising / Awards email: sue.williams@onboardhospitality.com

S

Jo Austin Editor, Onboard Hospitalty

Subscriptions email: subscriptions@bmipublishing.co.uk onboardhospitality.com © BMI Publishing Ltd 2015. Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, BMI Publishing Ltd cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions.

ISSN: 2046-2042

Cover image: ©Bigstock.com Find us online at onboardhospitality. com to: read this magazine, share it digitally or subscribe • catch up on back issues • find contact details for key suppliers and caterers in our NEW Caterers and Suppliers Guide • advertise and search for jobs and promote your events.

Regularly viewed by readers in over 70 countries worldwide.

Get yourself connected online by following @OBHMagazine on Twitter or connecting with editor Jo Austin and the Onboard Hospitality LinkedIn Group linkedin.com

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Onboard Hospitality's Outstanding Service Award was presented to Jo in appreciation of her dedication to all things above the wing!

ue and I never did achieve official status as First Class cabin crew during our training day at BA’s headquarters but we had a lot of fun trying! In fact we've had a lot of fun working together over the past decade or three!

Onboard Hospitality has changed beyond recognition in the years since its launch in 2002 and we owe our readers and advertisers a huge thank you for your encouraging support. The industry has also seen huge changes, taking the onboard product to a new level of luxury, style and sustainability. Now the offering is often created by Michelinstarred chefs and international designers proud to put their name onboard; while inflight technology moves in such leaps and bounds, the first paying passenger into space may soon be phoning home!

It is at this point that I want to pass over the reins to our new editor, Julie Baxter, and deputy editor, Laura Gelder who are both extremely excited about their new challenge. Sue remains, of course, publisher and will continue to be your contact for all things sales, marketing and social!

So here’s to a world of opportunities on board air, rail and cruise, wherever you are. Enjoy the journey!

IT'S AU REVOIR BUT NOT GOODBYE Innovative but unconventional, just like the industry she champions, Jo has been a veritable whirlwind of enthusiasm in our office. Jetting the globe, she's been just as at home sampling the Champagne in First Class as she's been donning her hairnet in a caterer's kitchen. She's sweet talked heads of industry and championed young onboard innovators; she's partied 'til dawn but still been professional enough to type up her notes in the morning.

Her passion for recognising excellence led to the launch of the Onboard Hospitality Awards two years ago and has helped make the Taste of Travel Theatre programme at WTCE a must-see event. Both are now an integral part of the industry's calendar and we look forward to continuing to work with her on these projects and more. We are determined she will remain part of our team.

Jo's bubbly enthusiasm has inspired Laura and I to throw ourselves into an industry we barely knew existed. She has passed on her incredible knowledge and generously shared her exhaustive network of contacts. She's an inspiration and a hard act to follow. We'll do our best, and look forward to working with you all.

JULIE BAXTER onboardhospitality.com

AWARDS 2016

2016

WINNERS ANNOUNCED CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE RECOGNISED IN THE 2016 ONBOARD HOSPITALITY AWARDS Over 100 buyers and suppliers of onboard catering and services gathered at the Radisson Blu in Hamburg as the winners of the 2016 Onboard Hospitality Awards were announced. The 13 award winners each received a silver salver celebrating their success in ten onboard categories. In addition five products currently not onboard but targetting the onboard hospitality market were recognised as Ones to Watch for the coming year. Finalists were chosen by Onboard Hospitality readers – the buyers and suppliers of onboard hospitality – through an online vote, with winners then chosen by a panel of industry experts.

onboardhospitality.com

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2016

AWARDS 2016

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2016

2016 AWARD WINNERS BEST ONBOARD AMENITIES KIT

Premium Economy, Economy, LCC FORMIA China Airlines Premium Economy Kit First/Business Class WESSCO Air Europa Business Kit

09

BEST FOR ONBOARD SUSTAINABILITY

George Banks

G

BUZZ Ecothread Blanket

eorge has applied a passion for food and travel to an

BEST USE OF ONBOARD TECHNOLOGY AIRFI Portable IFE system

airline catering career spanning over 35 years. From his early days as a lowly trainee catering assistant with BOAC, to roles with Gulf Aviation, BCAL, Air Seychelles, British Airways and Emirates, he has won

BEST ONBOARD BEVERAGE

CRAFTHOUSE COCKTAILS Moscow Mule on United Airlines

CATERING INNOVATION OF THE YEAR

AIR ASIA Barista in the Sky

BEST FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT Tableware Product (passenger) deSter Insulated Paper Cup

BEST ONBOARD KIDS KIT/SERVICE/ CATERING

INTEX COMFORT Icelandair ‘4 in 1’ kiddie pack

BEST ONBOARD SNACK Premium Economy, Economy, LCC POTS ‘N’ CO Chocolate & Salted Caramel Pot

First/Business Class PERTH INFLIGHT CATERING Croque Madame Open Sandwich

BEST FOR ONBOARD TEXTILES

Premium Economy, Economy, LCC WESSCO Ergonomic Pillow

commendation and industry friends at every turn. He won an ITCA award for creative ideas and pioneering initiatives in onboard catering including La Cuisine du Ciel concept, La Brasseie and the Stars in the Sky concept promoting airline catering chefs worldwide. He catered several royal flights

First/Business Class CHINA AIRLINES Long-haul Business Comforter Set

for official tours, and created connections with Jane Asher for small cakes onboard as well as developing a much praised signature style book for BA food. Following retirement

BEST FOR WELLBEING ONBOARD SKYPRO Mary Myers II Shoe

from BA, he worked on launch events and new lounges for Emirates. Our judges were delighted to acknowledge his passion and valued contribution to the industry with this award.

You can view other nominees online at

ONES TO WATCH Onboard Hospitality is proud to champion innovation in our industry so offered those products not yet onboard, but seeking contracts, the chance for recognition from our expert judges too. These are the ones which caught their eye:

• CAVARIANE Olive Oil Caviar • RATCLIFFE & BROWN PETolo bottle • SZIC Batman Vs Superman Kids Kit • MONTY’S BAKEHOUSE Afternoon Tea Dippers • GREEN GOURMET New York Deli Sandwich

onboardhospitality.com

onboardhospitality.com

AWARD CRITERIA 2016

T

he judges were asked to assess the finalists based on the following criteria: First impressions,

Quality, Durability, Lifespan, Weight, Usefulness, Design, Functionality, Taste, Content, Adding to the Customer Experience.

All Ones to Watch entries were put before

the judges to be considered for recognition.

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AWARDS 2016

The winners AMENITIES (FIRST / BUSINESS CLASS) WESSCO, AIR EUROPA

ONBOARD SNACK (PREMIUM ECONOMY, ECONOMY AND LCC) POTS ‘N’ CO CHOCOLATE & SALTED CARAMEL POT

ONBOARD TECHNOLOGY AIRFI PORTABLE IFE SYSTEM

ONES TO WATCH

CATERING INNOVATION AIR ASIA BARISTA IN THE SKY

ONBOARD SNACK MONTY'S BAKEHOUSE

FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT deSter INSULATED PAPER CUP

ONBOARD SNACK GREEN GOURMET

onboardhospitality.com

ONBOARD TEXTILES (FIRST/ BUSINESS) CHINA AIRLINES LONG-HAUL BUSINESS COMFORTER SET

ONBOARD KIDS KIT/ SERVICE/CATERING SZIC

EN

ONBOARD BEVERAGES CRAFTHOUSE COCKTAILS, MOSCOW MULE ON UNITED AIRLINES

ONBOARD SNACK (FIRST/BUSINESS) PERTH INFLIGHT CATERING, CROQUE MADAME OPEN SANDWICH

CATERING INNOVATION CAVARIANE

• Y O 201 11 PE 7 AW NS A SE RDS PT EM BE R1

ONBOARD TEXTILES (PREMIUM ECONOMY, ECONOMY,LCC) WESSCO, ERGONOMIC PILLOW

ONBOARD KIDS KIT/SERVICE/CATERING INTEX COMFORT, ICELANDAIR ‘4 IN 1’ KIDDIE PACK

WELLBEING ONBOARD SKYPRO MARY MYERS II SHOE

TR

AMENITIES (PREMIUM ECONOMY, ECONOMY AND LCC) FORMIA, CHINA AIRLINES PREMIUM ECONOMY KIT

SUSTAINABILITY ONBOARD BUZZ ECOTHREAD BLANKET

CATERING INNOVATION RATCLIFFE & BROWN

onboardhospitality.com

Our judges: DANIEL BARON, ceo of LIFT Strategic Design; MIKE CRUMP, director, Honour Branding; KEERTHI HAPUGASDENIYA, chef HappyK Solutions; LYN HUGHES, editor Wanderlust; RAYMOND KOLLAU, founder of airlinetrends.com; NIK LOUKAS, founder inflightfeed.com; ROY MOED ex-head of Pourshins; MIKE POOLEY md, purpose-made solutions limited; KAREN ROBINSON supplements editor The Sunday Times; ARIANE VAN MANCIUS Now New Next Food & Packaging; KEITH YATES chairman & ceo, YATES+Partners.

•

“delivering personalised service and award-winning dishes to the world's best airlines”

2016

+61 8 9477 0777 | info@inflightcatering.com.au | inflightcatering.com.au

industry update

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Industry Update Top stories from across the industry

onboard style

onboard CATERING

onboard catering

Ettore Bilotta style for Alitalia

British Airways extends pre-order

James Martin joins Virgin Trains

Alitalia has unveiled a new staff uniform collection at a catwalk show held at the Nazionale Spazio Eventi in Rome.

Created by Italian haute couturier Ettore Bilotta, the collection has been designed and tailor-made by a team of nearly 500 people in Italy, with fabrics made in Tuscany, silk in Como, men’s uniforms tailored in Puglia, leather accessories such as gloves made in Naples, and shoes from the Marche region.

The new ‘Alitalia Collection’ takes inspiration from the glamorous golden days of Italian fashion in the 1950s and 1960s and Italy’s rich heritage, culture and national identity.

Cramer Ball, ceo, Alitalia, said: “We are introducing a new look which captures the spirit of Alitalia today as it continues on its journey of renewal and growth. In doing so, we also celebrate its illustrious 70-year history. Our aim was to create a stylish collection which would represent Italian excellence around the world.

The new uniforms complement the renaissance of the Alitalia brand and the rejuvenation of its aircraft fleet and products for its customers.

The new uniforms will be gradually introduced system-wide from early July. alitalia.com

British Airways is rolling out its preorder meal service for customers on long-haul flights from Gatwick.

The service was successfully introduced from Heathrow in 2014 and is now available on direct long-haul flights from Gatwick for customers travelling in First, Club World and World Traveller Plus. The service enables customers to pre-order their main meal before they fly so they can guarantee their first meal choice.

Troy Warfield, British Airways’ director of customer, said: “We know this kind of service is exactly what our customers want. It only takes a couple of minutes to do via the ‘manage my booking’ tab on ba.com and frees them up onboard to concentrate on what they want or need to do, be that working or relaxing.”

Customers can select their meal between 24 hours and 30 days before their flight.

This roll out comes as speculation mounts that the airline is considering an end to complimentary food and beverage on short haul flights as a way to cut costs and cut waste. A spokesman for British Airways insists no decision has yet been made on this. ba.com

Virgin Trains is partnering with British chef and TV presenter James Martin as part of the train operator’s continued transformation of its East Coast UK services.

The new range of specially created seasonal menus went onboard in May for First customers, before more changes are rolled out in Standard in autumn.

The new seasonal menus showcase fresh, local flavours and champions producers on the train operator’s route.

Breakfast, casual dining and, on selected services, evening meals are all set to be reinvigorated by Martin.

For breakfast, he has created an exclusive range of jams produced by Yorkshire-based The Fruity Kitchen as well as introducing premium black pudding, served alongside sausages, bacon and eggs.

Changes to casual dining include the chef’s signature golden sultana sauce as an accompaniment to sausage rolls.

Evening diners will be offered a range of dishes such as lemon and herb roasted chicken, as well as a new chicken curry dish created in the chef’s development kitchen. virgintrains.co.uk

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onboard catering

JAL enhances Business meals

Aer Lingus upgrades Business

Provincial flavours for Brussels Airlines

Japan Airlines (JAL) has added a Business meal reservation service to its website to meet growing demand for pre-order opportunities.

Passengers can now reserve either a Japanese or Western menu (beef only) in advance of boarding.

The service is available for flights operating trans-pacific, in Europe, southeast Asia and Oceania and is part of an ongoing programme to enhance the dining experience in its 'exclusive restaurant in the sky'.

The airline has also added a new children's meal menu, called 'BEDD for Kids'. Available on in First and Business on flights from Tokyo. The first menu has been created by Chef Seiji Yamamoto and others will follow from star chefs such as Yosuke Suga, Fumiko Kono and Chikara Yamada.

The new meal is designed in the image of a candy box filled with food items including hors d'oevres and a main dish. There is also a specially-designed chopstick set and an 'aeroplane' attached to the case which can be used as a chopstick rest. Additionally the tip of chopstick is designed in the shape of a jet engine to add a fun element. jal.com

Aer Lingus has rolled out a new and improved Business Class Experience across its Boeing 757 fleet.

The upgrade includes the introduction of fully lie-flat seats across the carrier's Boeing 757 aircraft to give passengers the same levels of comfort, storage and space as have been available on the A330 fleet since last year. Five aircraft have been fitted with the new Business cabins.

The Business space is designed to offer four rooms in one. Passengers can transform their seat from a place to sleep, work, eat, or simply chill.

Portadown-based Thompson Aero created the seat which converts to a fullyflat 6’6’’ (2 metres) bed, one of the longest in the industry, with a seat width of 22’’.

They are positioned so 90% of the seats have direct aisle access, giving greater privacy and the ability to get in and out of seats with ease.

A newly-designed Business menu features signature dishes from top Irish restaurants. Seasonally driven, it will be changed four times a year and uses the Irish ingredients to guarantee freshness and quality. Additional IFE content includes 50% more new release movies, and 100% more TV content. aerlingus.com

Brussels Airlines is continuing its initiative to highlight provincial flavours on board its flights, working with top chefs from the Walloon Brabant region.

The airline works with a new Belgian top chef from a different Belgian province twice a year to create a premium dining experience for Business passengers flying to the US, Canada and Africa. For the next six months (starting June), chef Dimitri Marit from restaurant, La Maison Marit, has taken on the challenge to recreate his culinary menus for a dining experience at altitude. The aim is to bring the best of Belgium to an international audience.

A family-run restaurant, Marit's La Maison Marit opened in 1991, and has held a Michelin Star for the past 15 years.

Chef Marit has designed six menus for Business passengers using regional products including salmon bavarois with cucumber and herring caviar, lamb ravioli with parmesan sauce, snow peas and broad beans and a sole soufflé with green peas, cauliflower and risotto.

The chef has also selected beers from his region to serve with his menus and these will be available alongside the new dining experiences. brusselsairlines.com

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Industry Update Top stories from across the industry

onboard catering

onboard style

onboard catering

Flying Food Group's Qantas upgrades new deals pilot style

Garuda appoints Alpha LSG in London

Flying Food Group has two new contracts supplying meals for SWISS and Hawaiian Airways.

The caterer is now providing passenger meals for SWISS long-range Boeing 777 on the airline’s New York-Zurich route. It also serves SWISS at EWR, LAX and MIA. FFG’s Seattle kitchen also has a new account with Hawaiian serving its flights to Honolulu and Maui. Hawaiian Airlines has also awarded the caterer's Honolulu kitchen its Domestic Caterer of the Year Award for 2015. The kitchen has also received a Certificate of Appreciation from Japan Airlines. flyingfood.com

Garuda Indonesia has appointed Alpha LSG and dnata to support its new routings between Heathrow and Jakarta.

Alpha LSG is to provide inflight catering services to the airline’s flights, while dnata is to provide all ground handling services for the new five weekly flights from Jakarta and Singapore to Heathrow.

This is the first non-stop service between the UK and Indonesia and Alpha LSG will provide approximately 100,000 meals a year. Jubi Prasetyo, Garuda gm, said: “A key element of providing our passengers an authentic Indonesian experience is the cuisine they enjoy during their flight.” garuda-indonesia.com

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Qantas has unveiled new pilot uniforms for its almost 3,000 domestic, international and regional pilots.

Created by Australian fashion designer Martin Grant, the navy suit is modern and sleek, with nostalgic design features linking back to the first Qantas pilot uniforms from the 1930s.

Qantas Group ceo Alan Joyce said “The uniform was developed in collaboration with our pilots to make sure that it meets their needs on the job, as well as perfectly capturing the power and history of the Qantas brand.” qantas.com

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Industry Update Top stories from across the industry

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on the ground

Fred. Olsen gets crafty with gin

Air Europa adds Panasonic wifi

SkyTeam opens new Dubai lounge

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has launched a dedicated Gin Menu, which will be available at the Marquee Bars across its fleet of ships – Balmoral, Braemar, Boudicca and Black Watch.

The menu includes 18 different varieties of gin with prices starting at £2.85.

The menu reflects the trend towards craft gins and pairing specific gins with subtely different tonics.

Passengers can choose from an array of gin and tonics, including a traditional Beefeater dry gin, a distinct Botanist Islay gin, or a unique Pinkster’s gin-blend plus six different tonics. fredolsencruises.com

Air Europa is now offering passengers wifi onboard its flights to Havana, Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo, in partnership with Panasonic Avionics Corporation.

By July this year the entire long haul fleet will be equipped with onboard wifi, activated only above 10,000 metres.

Passengers using the Ontheair service can choose from three rate options: 7 euros for 15 Mb; 13 euros for 30 Mb for a longer navigating time, or the premium rate of 20 euros for 50 Mb. Air Europa has also recently launched its first Dreamliner Boeing 787 fleet, as part of its expansion and modernisation drive. aireuropa.com

SkyTeam has opened its latest lounge at Dubai International Airport, its first branded lounge in the Gulf region and its fifth worldwide.

The lounge is in the new Concourse D, Terminal 1 and offers high-end hospitality for passengers of the ten SkyTeam member airlines at the airport.

The lounge is set over 960 sq metres and seats 180. Open 24/7, it serves hot and cold snacks representing the cuisines of all member airlines in Dubai; a bar, shower, unlimited wifi, a business centre and VIP room, plus a digital art gallery and children’s room. skyteam.com

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13/05/2016 10:11

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onboard entertainment

onboard catering

Flybe doubles its onboard selection

Gee sets sail with German TV deal

Guy Martin stars on Orient Express

Europe's largest regional airline, Flybe, now claims the largest selection of onboard refreshments with over 100 products available for passengers.

The redesigned onboard menu has been renamed Café Flybe with double the choice of refreshments and a trio of new regional products each month.

Café Flybe includes fresh breakfast pastries and an expanded offering of hot drinks including ten different kinds of tea from Twining’s and coffee from Kenco.

Fresh sandwich options include a Sandwich of the Month each month.

A Ploughman’s Lunch complete with traditional pork pie, and an authentic Spanish tapas option are also new.

Amy Valcik, Flybe’s chief marketing officer, comments: “Our new onboard menu provides a product range unmatched by our competitors with more recognisable brands, more choice and better quality." flybe.com

Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE) has secured an exclusive agreement with RTL International to provide a new German Premium TV channel to cruise ships around the world.

As part of the agreement, GEE will deliver RTL's German TV channel to 27 cruise lines and more than 130 ships serving about ten million passengers a year.

GEE now provides television content for about half of the cruise line market around the world. The newly-launched RTL International serves German, Austrian and Swiss tourists and business travellers with a wide range of German television content.

"Cruise lines are one of the fastest growing sectors of the maritime industry and German tourism is a huge driver of that growth as the third largest passenger group aboard cruise ships today. This will help them stay in touch with their favourite shows and news," said Andy Brown, director of strategy and business development for GEE. geemedia.com

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express has launched new spring menus with Michelin-star chef Guy Martin.

Also director of Le Grand Vefour Restaurant in Paris, Guy Martin has designed new healthier, lighter menus for the luxury train which journeys between London and Venice.

Martin mixes traditional menus with a contemporary edge. Dishes include John Dory fillet served with celeriac purée, and cumin-infused zucchini or lobster medallions served on a bed of gnocchi and Oscietre caviar. Executive head chef Bodiguel’s signature dish, Charolais of Beef, has been paired with truffle, broccoli purée and hazelnut oil.

Comments Pascal Deyrolle, gm, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: “Our onboard team of expert chefs share Guy's passion of adding new modern touches to traditional dishes and we are very much looking forward to offering guests a new culinary experience.” belmond.com

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22/04/2016 12:12

INDUSTRY UPDATE

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Industry Update Top sTories from across The indusTry

YOU GET A LOT FROM A LITTLE POT...

Don’t run the risk of letting your passengers down. Put your beverage service in safe hands. onboard style

American Airlines turns on the style American Airlines has joined with iconic American lifestyle brand Cole Haan to provide more than 52,000 airline employees with an exclusive line of accessories to accompany the airline’s new uniforms, launching this autumn.

Pilots, flight attendants, customer service agents, and premium service representatives will all receive handbags and scarves, attache cases and pocket square at no cost. Each custom item bears a unique co-branded label with both the Cole Haan and American Airlines logos.

The accessories have been designed with the specific needs of American Airlines’ employees in mind, both on the ground and in the air and will enter service later this year, They are designed to be versatile and functional carry-on items lightweight, durable, and elegant.

“No one knows the demands of travel better than our employees. These accessories will not only provide an elevated fashion piece for our new uniforms, but are uniquely designed to meet the expectations of frequent flyers,” said Fernand Fernandez, American’ Airlines' vice president – global marketing. americanairlines.com

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Industry Update Top stories from across the industry

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onboard catering

onboard connectivity

Finnair extends its Signature menu

Diversey signs Gate Gourmet deal

Delta commits to faster onboard wifi

Finnair has added two new partnerships to its Business menu programme with executive chefs, Steven Liu from China and Sasu Laukkonen from Finland.

Finnair will also begin serving Finnish organic ice cream by Jymy in Business for all its intercontinental flights departing from Helsinki.

"With these new partnerships, we will bring the tastes and flavours of East and West directly to our Business experience," says Juha Järvinen, chief commercial officer, Finnair. "We are also excited to launch our very first collaboration with a world-class chef from China. This partnership with Chef Steven Liu allows Finnair to offer a Nordic experience to our customers but with an eastern twist."

The signaturemenu by Steven Liu will be served on Finnair's long haul flights departing Beijing and Shanghai. His dishes have previously been served in distinguished establishments such as The Savoy and The Dorchester in London as well as in the Le Cordon Bleu network.

Finnair'signature menu cooperation with Sasu Laukkonen will be focused on organic and wild produce. finnair.com

Sealed Air’s Diversey Care division has extended its global supply contract with Gate Gourmet.

The contract, extended by a further five years, covers all of Gate Gourmet’s operations globally at over 120 locations in more than 30 countries.

Under the new agreement, Diversey Care is the only Gate Gourmet preferred supplier of chemical cleaning, disinfecting, sanitising, ware washing, floor care and housekeeping products and services.

Diversey Care will support Gate Gourmet with a continuous improvement cleaning programme and pilot the latest innovations in remote servicing and monitoring that are part of Diversey Care’s Internet of Clean platform.

Martyn Jelley global accounts director at Diversey Care. “We appreciate Gate Gourmet’s continued confidence in our operations to deliver high quality and value. Diversey Care is the only cleaning and hygiene solutions supplier which is globally focused purely on the airline catering industry." sealedair.com

Delta is increasing its commitment to 2Ku, Gogo's inflight wifi technology, by at least 350 aircraft. This brings Delta's total 2Ku commitment to more than 600 aircraft in its mainline fleet.

2Ku is next-generation technology that provides consistent, uninterrupted coverage nearly anywhere in the world, including over oceans. Installation will offer customers faster speeds and bandwidth more than 20 times that of Gogo’s ATG technology, allowing for video streaming functionality.

This summer, passengers will be able to use wifi and inflight entertainment from taxi and takeoff through landing on 2Ku-enabled aircraft. In late 2016, Delta will also launch IPTV, giving customers the ability to watch live TV from their own devices on 2Ku-enabled aircraft.

Tim Mapes, Delta’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

“By committing to more aircraft with 2Ku technology, we’re providing customers with faster and more reliable inflight connectivity as a part of Delta’s commitment to always delivering the industry's best onboard services.” delta.com

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onboard retail

UK chocolatier targets onboard

VOOM is fastest wifi Alpha LSG ups its crew sales support offering at sea

UK heritage chocolate manufacturer, Beech's Fine Chocolates is aiming to expand into the onboard hospitality sector with a line of six travel related chocolate products.

Featuring iconic London images, the 150g and 90g products include fudge, chocolate, macaroon and soft centre options, and are part of a programme of innovation from the 96-year-old, familyowned company.

Operations director Peter Whiting explains "Beech’s has been producing premium quality British chocolates since 1920, we feel our products are some of the best available for their natural ingredients, smoothness and British production. The fact our entire range is gluten free allows many more people to enjoy it too."

Beech's can add logos and branding to its packaging and creates bespoke travel souvenirs. It is currently in discussion with a major rail operator to provide small packs of chocolate railway sleepers. beechsfinechocolates.com

Royal Caribbean International has introduced a new high-speed internet service called VOOM which claims to be the fastest internet at sea.

Already available fleetwide, VOOM uses a combination of wifi service providers which allows Royal Caribbean to deliver more overall bandwidth to its entire fleet than any other cruise line.

The enhancements will provide speeds at least twice as fast as previously and have also enabled the company to offer very competitive pricing – comparable to most land-based resorts.

“VOOM is revolutionising the onboard experience for our guests as well as for our crew and it is truly a game-changer for the industry,” said Michael Bayley, president and ceo, Royal Caribbean International.

“Everything our guests and crew can do online at home, they will now be able to do from onboard around the world.”

Guests access wifi with a flat rate, from $12.99 per device, per day. royalcaribbean.co.uk

Supplying bespoke luxury to vip airlines and private jets

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Alpha LSG has pledged to up its support to Thomas Cook Airlines’ Cabin Crews to help them deliver the best possible results from inflight retail sales.

Alan Hayes, Alpha LSG’s in-flight retail & managed services director, said: “Alpha LSG will invest even further over the next five years to give cabin crews the tools they need to maintain and build on their phenomenal service.”

He was speaking in London at the culmination of a two-day OMG! Conference, Training and Awards event for Thomas Cook Airlines attended by 200 members of the airline's cabin crews from the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and Belgium. Delgates took part in a series of workshops and seminars geared to helping the airlines achieve even better commercial results and to improve customer service.

The event culminated in an awards dinner to recognise the achievements of the best performing cabin crews. alphalsg.com

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THE SERVAIR DEAL WILL CHANGE THE CATERING GAME.

MICHEL EMEYRIAT, CEO, SERVAIR explains why Servair needs a partner and what it could mean for the industry

UR market is changing. In 2007 the six main airline catering companies worldwide had 38% of the market now they have 56%. Servair had 7% and it has 7% now - that's a problem for us.

Servair is really strong in France and Africa but our network is too small to effectively serve our clients in the US, LATAM, Canada and Asia. We need a much larger footprint and we need to increase our reach quickly.

Together with our new partner we want to be able to answer any tender anywhere in the world with whatever combination of stations is required.

airline demands for more consistency mean there is a trend towards using a single company in all stations so in seeking a partner we have been clear we want to keep the DNA of Servair and maintain our quality.

It’s been a complicated process and difficult, but offers great potential. We are confident the Servair staff will support the changes and understand what we are trying to do. We are already among the largest, but we want to customise our operations and culinary offer to meet the diverse needs of legacy carriers, buy on board and low cost airlines more effectively.

CHANGING THE GAME

CASH INJECTION

On an industry basis this Servair collaboration will be a game changer, we have a choice to either go with one of the two large established companies (LSG or gategroup) and be king of catering. Or join with a smaller player and become one of the big boys ourselves. Once this deal is done I do not think there is room in the industy for another transaction of this size.

Airlines want choice but caterers don’t make a lot of money - 3% profit is the industry average. Pressures on price, and

The connection will also bring a 30 million euro injection in cash. Servair has no debts but currently has to answer to Air France’s books as well as its own. The change will give us the freedom to borrow and act financially on our own. There will be no change in personnel, at the top. The network will still be controlled from Paris. Servair today and Servair tomorrow will be no different but we will be much more efficient and in a position to develop the global footprint more easily with the new company.

O

onboardhospitality.com

THE FRENCH CONNECTION Servair is currently 98% owned by Air France and we intend to disengage some of that ownership so Air France owns just 50% This way we can build a co-branded ensemble.

The share Air France holds will shrink probably to 20% in time, as we consider our future is easier if we build it with another professional caterer, rather than with an airline which inevitably has different priorities. The Air France link will of course remain because they want to have a say on the caterer based at their hub, that is clearly important, but they don’t need to control us.

Air France and KLM want to invest in aricraft – that’s what they do. They recognise we have different priorities.

THINKING BIG Servair has a long tradition of safety and quality so we feel able to drive good quality across a bigger network and now have a unique chance to broaden our reach while keeping our DNA and efficiency.

We cannot go on just opening one or two stations a year and partnership will give us the chance to be instantly bigger – bigger tomorrow. servair.fr •

24

TABLEWARE

Shapes and sizes Airline tableware buyers are consumers at heart and like consumers everywhere they are always looking for something new and unusual, says Julie Baxter

onboardhospitality.com

T

here is no point in innovation for innovation’s sake, and when it comes to tableware it is only when the beautiful and the practical combine that innovation works onboard.

Creative change for tableware may come in new shapes, new materials or in the way the products are used. In some places the change will mirror fashion, in others designers draw their inspiration from their own interests or lifestyle.

The design team at Kaelis for example has been looking at architecture, fashion and the natural world for its inspiration and has added a new Roua range this year which draws on the trend for clean, straight lines but includes slight curves and plenty of clear space left to ‘allow the food to shine through’.

Creative manager, Manoj Pridhanani, says: “When we draw on shapes from the environment, like leaves or trees, for our designs it translates into a plate that the user feels a familiarity with, a connection.

It’s not an obvious thing, it's subliminal but it works for people. Life is so digital, so techy that we subconsciously want to connect with nature, to feel a part of the natural world and when you find it in an unexpected place - even on your dinner table – you respond to it and the meal service is enhanced on another level.”

Other ranges designed for specific clients have been inspired by pebbles and other organic shapes and adapted to suit the inflight service needs; while the established Ovale range continues to be popular

bringing a more rounded shape to the table. Circular plates have not traditionally worked on the airline tray but the Ovale fits the tray and brings a less boxy style to the table than a square or rectangular plate. The Zentrum range mixes square and curved shapes to create table layouts inspired by zen gardens.

Printed wood, slate and weave tray liners are being used to help set off the tableware to best effect by adding a contrasting or complementary element with the added benefit of anti-skid qualities to enhance practicality in use.

Kaelis designed a new square plate for British Airways which has just gone on board, added to its established tray set up, to provide a frame for food that had to work with the other items already on the tray, in a white porcelain finish.

In the Middle East the touch of beauty is still trending towards gold trims on tableware rims, and metallic finishes – gold, bronze and silver – are also looking good in the plastics range. Drawing their influences from the fashion catwalk, these finishes give a completely different feel to a plastic product making it feel more special and upmarket. Colours and tones can be combined to lift a tray set to a new level and to form connections to the airline's

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26

TABLEWARE

Previous pages: Latest designs from Kaelis Above from left: AMKO meets the trend for embossed surfaces, varied rims and decals; while Watermark focuses on its Facet-Nating innovation Below: classic style from Inflight Equipment International

brand. It strongly enhances the look of plastic bringing forward ideas we believe will work for them. tableware and gets the passenger's attention. Inside We do the thinking for them.” remains white to let the food speak for itself.

Watermark Products’ Facet-Nating meal service Comatec’s team has also focused on a true round is an Economy or Premium Economy tray set-up shape and zen attitudes to try and bring a sense made from single-shot injection moulded plastic. of wellbeing to the table. Its newest range tries The design is inspired by the ever-growing ‘facet' to be cool and zen-like to whet trend taking cues from digital the passengers' appetite before environments, monumental "We are giving chefs architecture and the interplay handing the meal service over to a palette on which to between 2D and 3D. The result is the chefs. Director, Tatiana Rumeau do their art, we are says: “Our role is to give chefs the a design that from certain angles tools to highlight their creations to remains conservative in its form trying to provoke best effect. Sometimes we may be and from others shows off the their creativity and avant-garde and challenge them facet texture by reflecting light they love that" but we are giving them a palette on in different ways. The texture has which to do their art, we are trying been applied in a uniform fashion to provoke their creativity and they love that. Let’s to the surface of the tray, again reflecting light in face it, they are busy focusing on the food so when different ways to give a dynamic feel to the look of we come forward with something new which can the tray. The inverse of this texture has also been bring innovation to their work it really excites them.” applied to the underside of the bowls and cups which New this year is a biodegradable sugarcane range in creates a unique non-slip function between the bowls response to airline demand for sustainable products. and the tray without the need of a tray mat for any It is a white, premium sugarcane product. A blacknon-slip coating. slate style tray and terracotta style are also available. iPi has turned its spotlight onto the trend in retro All can be frozen or heated to 200 degrees centigrade design, currently very popular in Europe, and lightand come in the same zen style. weight functionality with its Fluide and Barcelona Buzz agrees that tableware suppliers need to help ranges created to combine the practical and the the airlines understand what they need and interpret aesthetic. Its Pure range, with chic smooth lines is the world of design on their behalf. Its team will see made of biodegradable CPLA – a pure material its new Alessi tableware range go on board Delta in which is heat resistant beyond the usual 40 degrees 2017. Lisa Degen says: “Airlines don’t always know centigrade. The All-Ur collection by Eugeni Quitllet what they want, they are busy running their airline so continues to sell well, chosen for its light and compact we take a proactive approach and challenge them by style and stackability. Coralie Toutain, marketing onboardhospitality.com

TABLEWARE

manager, says: “We try to work with designers that understand sustainability and develop multiple use pieces that can be recycled, so we have, for example, a wine glass – the stem of which doubles as a shot glass or can be used for snacks. A truly multi-use product adaptable for whatever service the airline wishes.”

The group has also added a unique cutlery range with handles that can be coloured to match the airline's brand.

Spiriant, the equipment part of LSG Group, has been part of the company’s drive to develop products and concepts around specific traveller ‘characters’ or journeys, from trendy metro-sexual business man, Sean, to Natalia, an eco-loving young woman with a strong wellness focus.

With this in mind, a tableware setting which allows room for a laptop is a new concept this year, and another includes a tea set complete with infuser.

A new porcelain Shell range uses organic colours, natural patterns set against a wood effect tray setting.

Tableware using recycled material from the motor industry was designed so the plate, bowl and dish all interconnect and hence stabilise each other during onboard service.

Spririant designer Tim von Danwitz says: “We are influenced by trends and fashion and take ideas from everywhere. We think about the environment each client type prefers and try to discover material and shape combinations which will appeal to their lifestyle. The use of 3D printers has been very helpful because we can try ideas out more easily and quickly establish whether a crazy idea is actually brilliant or of little practical use."

Azusa, better known for its headphones, blankets and earplugs, has developed its own range of

27

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28

TABLEWARE

From the top: Clean lines from Kaelis and the zen influences of Comatec

showing interest in tableware with a colour element.

They are looking to designers to be creative and reflect their brand. It’s a service we can provide and we absorb the cost for them as they innovate.”

ASA has three in-house designers working directly with chefs to detect culinary trends and they draw inspiration from the world of fashion. It highlights growing demand for special shapes – oval and organic shapes for example – and while not suited to onboard, cracked glazes form a trendy but fragile range which can be suitable for lounge use. Most popular is the Cuba range which is light weight; while other innovations aim to make melamine tableware stylish and versatile. The high street trend towards tapas dining has also been reflected in its Tapereo range.

In contrast, iei, with 25 years in the fine dining tableware business, resists the ebb and flow of ‘fleeting fashions’ in favour of classic, graceful lines.

Peter Perini, iei brand manager, says: “We don't follow simple, neutral tableware which draws on classic trends, we follow timeless principles in elegance. styles. It already has a contract with Graceful lines in fine chinaware, Egyptair and hopes to win further flatware and glassware are as "We don't follow business in this market with a graceful today as they were 50 years trends, we follow focus on durable china. Bone china ago. We've observed that true fine is also available. timeless principles in dining is timeless. It’s simplicity of Portugese based MatosPlas is elegance... Graceful elegance and poise. Of course, like turning heads with its MP Drink lines are as graceful everybody in our field we have to brand which offers airlines the work within the parameters of our today as they were 50 craft and intended application, chance to brighten up their years ago" food and beverage service with paying attention to cuisine, culture, fluorescent glasses. Already popular commercial airline operations, in nightclubs and trendy restaurants the brightly production realities and cost. Right now, we're looking coloured durable plastic glasses come in a wide range at how a body moves in premium class and how best of colours and can match the carriers brand. They are to ease the flow of movement while dining. Focusing unbreakable polycarbonate plastic but look and feel too, on the flow of the service staff that support the like glass. experience. On the technical front, we're focused AMKO, based in New York, notes trends in on advanced electroplating, tural texture finishes embossing. Plain, simple and white was the priority and light weight material when money was tight but now improved budgets composition.” • for onboard service have encouraged airlines to talk about investing in better quality ranges with embossed surfaces, varied rims, decals, painted surfaces and vibrant colours back on their agenda.

Simple white is still the most popular as the chefs can make of this what they will and use it as a backdrop to their own presentation ideas. AMKO’s Lenox range is not onboard yet but is an upmarket range in the league of Kate Spade or DKNY. Carriers that choose such ranges are looking to take the prestige of the brand and product to reflect their own brand. A spokesman said: “A lot of airlines are also onboardhospitality.com

OPINION

31

Jeremy Clark

It all ads up!

NICKBREMER.COM

Jeremy Clark is not going to buy a BMW any time soon, thanks to his inflight entertainment!

In the unlikely event that you that my life is incomplete without a new Rolex are in the motor trade and more or a time-share in Marbella. specifically, a BMW salesperson, The onslaught is not restricted to IFE but all please dispel any thoughts over the airport. My young nephew, a recent of ever selling one to me. If you want to new traveller, is convinced the capital city of understand my current distain for a BMW, most nations is HSBC. It’s on every jet-bridge then look no further than an airline’s inflight from here to Vanuatu. entertainment system.

Airlines now offer entire box sets of shows so They call it an ‘entertainment’ system but if you want to see all 295 seasons of Friends, what it seems to be turning into is yet another you can. But I suggest that you time your loo way to get to my wallet. breaks to the five minutes that precede each I recently took a number of flights on a well 22 minute episode. Once you’ve seen the ads known quality airline, brilliant in almost every on Season 1 Episode1 you can save yourself a way except one: advertising. It was intrusive, lot of time because they are repeated before repetitive, illogical every episode. and misdirected and What’s more, most "They call it an 'entertainment' of the ads shown are is clearly not working system but what it seems to be completely irrelevant because as I got off, I turning into is yet another way to for the majority of the felt that if I saw a BMW get to my wallet...with intrusive, viewers. Is your average I might just torch it. repetitive, misdirected ads" The ads appeared Economy passenger on relentlessly – forced a budget holiday with upon me after every take off, and the family really looking for Swiss Wealth preceding every single IFE choice Management or in the market for a new £20m with no way to avoid them.

Sunseeker? I doubt it. When did you last see This current day obsession with an ad on a plane that said “Every Little Helps” ramming advertising down our or “I’m Lovin’ it”? throats 24/7 has found its way Whilst we’re at it, promotion is not restricted onto onboard entertainment to products and services. Between every to the point that makes the programme they keep reminding me what experience one to avoid rather else is available. I have already made my than to settle into and look choice, thanks. I don't need to be told over forward to. and over about the stuff I have missed, or As if the lecture on that there is a Duty Free Shop. I can see the how to find your way catalogue – it’s right in front of me. from the aircraft Without repetitive advertising, they could to immigration fit in more watchable programmes, and I wasn’t bad wouldn't disembark ready to kick a dent in the enough, first BMW I see! there And by the way, if you happen to be are now reading this and work at the Atlantis Hotel constant in Dubai, I won't be staying there any time reminders soon either! •

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33

OUR GOAL IS NOT JUST TO DO BUSINESS, BUT TO DO IT WELL.

ROBIN PADGETT, SENIOR VP, DNATA explains the

company's determination to grow while keeping it real

NATA comes with a simple story.

We are prepared to invest. We want to grow and our mission is to be the world’s most admired. I am happy to compete and battle in the marketplace but we will always return to that mission, we are in business to make money for our shareholders but we want to do it well, so consumers feel we are worth paying, so passengers are happy and so our clients are happy with the costs.

We have been lucky with our timings.

In the 2000s onboard product trends were a disaster, the offering became very commoditised, airlines seemed to be focused just on cost and the passenger experience got forgotten. But two or three years ago that started to change, the product onboard became part of the airline story and it had to tell the story of the airline’s brand and philosophy. If it did that, they would invest in it. In short onboard product had to be a bit more thoughtful.

That’s great because it makes life so much nicer for everyone. There were always thoughtful airlines out there but now there are more of them and it’s a global trend.

Consolidation among airlines in the US means they now have more time and

D

money to spend on their product and are looking for more consistency in the product.

because they are taxed so highly so are really aware of the benefits.

BUY-ON-BOARD

AUTHENTICITY

We have also seen a relentless trend towards the development of buy on board. dnata first trailed using retail techniques onboard about 25 years ago and we see it as our job to get systems and processes onboard that help airlines get the most out of their point of sale devices and passenger data. They have to use the information available on their clients’ aspiration and adapt their offerings in real time to match what is being demanded. We as an industry have to react far more quickly, use the data we have much better and utilise technology to make a real difference.

Airlines are becoming more interested in authenticity too, they don’t want a generic product, they want provenance and it has got to be real. We love that airlines and consumers will happily pay for that kind of onboard product if you get it right. We are drawing on the skills in the wider dnata group - we operate in 75 countries - to spot trends and draw on expertise for specific cuisines or new creative ideas.

Looking ahead we plan to grow and are looking to expand in Africa and SE Asia in particular. We are big on ground handling in Brazil so we also clearly see the market potential in South America.

We already work with Newrest in South Africa and see the African market developing fast. Africa has huge potential. We will build on what we have done before and make sure we have a passionate and involved team to drive the business forward. There are good people out there that are under capitalised and we are looking around to see how we can best expand our reach. •

PRE-ORDERING Pre-ordering for example is a great way to engage your customers and ensure they get exactly what they want, and it also means you know what they want in advance which helps you operate more efficiently. It will certainly become a bigger and bigger part of what we offer. The Scandinavians already love it. They have recognised its value first onboardhospitality.com

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OPINION

35

Food Trends

Favourites reinvented Marc Warde is a culinary consultant with his nose to the ground sniffing out worldwide foodie trends. Here he highlights those that are fast being interpreted and adopted for onboard service

As I write, the sun is smiling down on us in the UK and menus are turning to all things summery.

Salads are getting a makeover, new flavours are emerging and influences from around the world are making their mark both on the ground and in the air. Expect some of that on a flight near you soon...

Salad pride It’s salad but not as you know it and not the commonly referred to superfood salads either.

No, next up are salads packed with flavour using herbs and added ingredients to create ‘Power Salads’ full of energy. Look out for seeds for crunch and flavour, chia seeds to alienate people with unknown flavours and help hydration, edible flowers for colour, and ingredients. But airlines which want to put their special dressings such as those using verjuice mark on something can present the familiar (unfermented grapes) which is less acidic than with a twist or an upgrade to make it special. A lemon and vinegar. And expect fusions as store in the UK is now offering a brownie gallery the stronger flavours of with 14 flavour combos!

Middle Eastern salads It’s still just a brownie but "Signature familiars - favourite they’ve made it stand out meet insalata. dishes with a twist - are a great from the crowd.

way for an airline to be distinctive but still give travellers what they Classy burgers really want!"

Asian bakes

PROFILE

Marc Warde Marc is a trained chef and works as culinary consultant for Alpha LSG. He also owns a gluten-free British seasonal restaurant called Niche Food and Drink, in London.

Japanese and Asian bakery products tend to be lighter and fruitier than western counterparts and are becoming increasingly mainstream. There are the dim sum buns and light milk breads, a plethora of sweet confections and next watch for Daifuku and Dango. Daifuku is a glutinous rice cake stuffed with a sweet filling, most commonly anko - a sweetened red bean paste made from azuki beans.

Dango is a dumpling and sweet made from mochiko (rice flour), related to mochi it is very sticky but delicious.

Signature familiars We all like the familiar, and complex menus often just onboardhospitality.com

The burger is served worldwide and we love it! It has had many interpretations but the old snobbery around burgers has gone. Be it beef, chicken, lamb or bean, a patty betwixt a bun with a pickle, relish and salad is a burger and can now be as gourmet as you like, perhaps created with brioche, with gluten free sourdough, with tasty added cheese or a signature burger sauce. Some airlines have already cracked these at the front of the plane.

They are classless and reassuringly familiar and tasty.

36

OPINION

Water menus Water menus are back and they've moved on from just VOSS, Figi, Perrier or Evian - all claiming to be the purest, best mineral content, best hydration, even isotonic. Now the choice may be birch, maple, black water, bamboo, honey, coconut or real fruit enhanced. How did we ever manage before the tree tapping waters arrived? Hydration is obviously good for air travellers so look out for these flying soon.

Coconut Well we’ve had the water and also the milk but now it’s coconut flour starring in many new cakes and pastries. This really is the most versatile drupe, yes that really is the correct botanical term!

Coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which, botanically, is a drupe, not a nut. So you can eat it, drink it or simply spread it all over for soft and beautiful hydrated skin.

Free from Sugar, dairy and gluten free diets are all on the rise and not just individually but all together too. Some fantastic cakes, snacks and bakes are now made without sugar, gluten and dairy and what’s more some really do taste good too. Be sure to try them, before you buy but you might be surprised how good they taste and clearly some passengers need as well as want them.

Streetwise It’s not new, but judging by the ever more creative food trucks in every city of the world, street food is a trend that is here to stay, so watch for this style onboard too. In New York the Shuka Truck is an all vegetarian offering serving Shakshuka, an Israeli dish made with eggs poached in tomato sauce, served in a hogie or baguette and loaded with hot fillings

and fresh salads.

While Chipsy Kings serves Belgian style chips with about 30 different topping choices.

Plated offers six different meals for $12 and gives a choice of items such as mushroom crusted flat iron steak with cauliflower mash or spicy maple squash with lemony tofu and wheat berries. In Dubai, Biobean puts the focus on bio dynamic coffee, and The Mob Truck calls with sliders and Cuban sandwiches. Most cities have blogs on their best so follow new and emerging flavours online.

Look to the streets and you’ll see what’s coming next onboard.

Organic Likewise, this trend is not going away, in fact it’s getting bigger as awareness grows of what really goes into producing the food we eat and we see it isn’t always good. Organic farming and production is increasing worldwide, governments are investing in it and farmers’ markets have become more popular. Food frequently really does taste better when it is farmed slowly and organically so source organic meats, cheeses, vegetables and fruits for your menu and your passengers will taste the difference! • onboardhospitality.com

Pictured: Seasonal salads with a splash of edible floral colour and the street food flavours of Shakshuka, an Israeli dish made out of eggs poached in tomato sauce

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PLASTIC PRODUCTS

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we aim to inspire and Change the way people fly.

Nele Wallays, director, Gategroup Innovation CentRE, explains its response to consumer trends

e always look forward to bringing people together at WTCE for a consumer-centric experience and our aim is to help transport providers pioneer and deliver the most advanced, bespoke offering, customised to the traveller’s needs.

We all know trends change and traveller preferences change, so onboard offerings must change too and at the show we aimed to show the trends we've spotted, and inspire, intrigue, and energise the total passenger experience, changing the way people fly.

W

bring back the magic Our focus on the future means we look to come up with revolutionary food concepts, advancing new products and business partnerships, and a retail offering based on market-leading trends and technology. We are doing this through our unified Centres of Excellence under the ONEgategroup brand which now combines our expertise in culinary, retail on board, technology and innovation to leverage inspiration, quality and imagination. Our goal is to help customers bring back the magic of flying!

We believe the onboard experience can

be significantly enhanced through an innovative and consumer-centric offering and our teams put the traveller at the heart of everything they do. That’s why we had eight revolutionary culinary concepts on show in Hamburg through individual food stands, each offering regionally-inspired cuisine ideas for the front-of-cabin, main cabin and retail on board clientele. Our Absolutely ONE, turnkey solution, is designed to enhance the passenger experience and offer a range of benefits to the airline. It includes pre-order and on-the-go fresh and tasty, gourmet flavours from around the world.

That principle is also behind the diversified range of concept trolleys we have developed.

From fresh Illy coffee retailed at seat, to Magnum ice creams in a Zodiac Aerospace cool trolley, we have connected with a range of key brands to offer unique, innovative, must-see trolleys offering food and beverages but also world-class boutique brands. The idea is that these dedicated trolleys can be used in rotation to run specific promotions either linked to a route or to a promotional offer. We trialled it with a dedicated Pandora jewellery trolley and the sales results were impressive. Other options onboardhospitality.com

might be a dedicated Barcelona trolley with all niche products from the city; themed hipster trolleys or a branded duty free trolley focused around specific designer brands. This is a way for airlines to boost revenue.

duty free revival Duty Free really should be selling better for airlines than it is and being more imaginative with boutique trolleys is a way to address that. Pre-ordering also has an important role to play in this regard. Airlines need to start thinking about selling to passengers as soon as they buy their ticket.

We have brought together Inflight Service Group with Gate Retail Onboard under ONEgategroup to help them with this and to create the basis for the best retail portfolio in the industry. It is a powerful combination of business intelligence, technology and in-depth trend research which means airlines can create a dynamic travel experience tailored by passenger preference in addition to airline and market segment. Passengers shop so much in the airport now that airlines are missing out but adapting the way the trolleys work onboard can create a powerful opportunity. gategroup.com •

40

FOCUS ON

Tracklements

Keen as mustard Condiments specialist Tracklements made its debut appearance at WTCE Hamburg this year determined to boost its onboard sales. Julie Baxter dipped into its heritage recipes

R

elatively new to the world of onboard hospitality, Tracklements is a condiments business looking to the future, with half an eye on the heritage of the past.

Based in the Cotswolds in the UK, the company’s travel portions are already offered on British Airways in Business, and on Great Western Railways and as they look to conquer new onboard markets they draw on recipes that stretch back into the 17th Century.

The company’s founder, William Tullberg, set up the business in 1970 after discovering a recipe for wholegrain mustard in John Evelyn’s 17th century diary. He played around with the recommended ingredients and before he knew it he was becoming an expert in the art of mustard making, had become the UK’s first wholegrain mustard maker and had his product set before the shopping elite on the shelves of Harrods.

He picked the name Tracklements as this was the word used by his grandmother to describe the accompaniments to a meal. It is believed to be a local word originating in the county of Lincolnshire.

Since then, onion marmalade and chilli jams have been added to the range and savoury jellies have been introduced.

In fact Tracklements now has over 60 products in its line up and has won the Best Speciality Supplier of Pickles and Pictured: Guy Tullberg takes a closer look at his mustard seed source.The Tracklement individual portion pot

Chutneys five years in a row. It has no less than 170 foodie awards in its trophy cabinet. Some 46 of its products are available as individual size servings.

Today, the company is headed up

by William’s son, Guy, and despite the much expanded range, everything is still made by hand in small batches to traditional recipes.

Cook Charlie is the company’s eighth mustard maker and he and his team still grind their own mustard from whole seeds and spices, and prides itself in always using the best quality, natural ingredients for each recipe.

Guy Tullberg, md, says: “We’re an idiosyncratic, excitable, enthusiastic group of condiment connoisseurs at Tracklements and we are unashamedly onboardhospitality.com

obsessed with hunting down the criminally over-looked and the downright delicious.

"We work with British farmers and spice growers from all around the world to make sure our ingredients are always the highest quality and taste as good as the best home made.

"We know the provenance of all of our ingredients and, where possible, source them locally. We coined the term "British fair trade" internally at Tracklements as we believe in forging strong relationships with our suppliers and paying them a fair price. We are confident onboard hospitality buyers will love them.” • Profile

Tracklements offers 46 of its 60 products in the 25g single serve format: 11 mustards, six jellies, eight chutneys, four ketchups, eight relishes, seven sauces. tracklements.co.uk

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exhibition review: WTCE 2016

World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo

It’s countdown to the world's largest business event dedicated to travel catering, passenger comfort and onboard retail.

Taste of Travel 2016

Hamburg Messe, April 4-7 2016

There was hardly a seat to spare in the Taste of Travel Theatre this year where the audience enjoyed three days of chef demonstrations, debates and presentations covering trends, challenges and new products...

Coffee can taste good in the air Stuart Haden, coffee-specialist at Jacobs Douwe Egberts, led us through the story of coffee which all started with an Ethiopian goat apparently! There are two main varieties of coffee: Arabica and Robusta which are grown in the tropics.

Popularity is simply down to individual taste, said Stuart. “Popularity is all about familiarity and you can’t put a UK coffee in the Russian market.”

As we all know, altitude effects taste and in the case of coffee in the air, the acidity and bitterness increase. Stuart was not prepared to give away any company secrets but said that his master brewers were hard at work finding the perfect solution.

Herbs not additives Bert Rijk, key account manager at Intertaste Food Ingredients led a session focused on the concept of snack seasoning without salt and additives.

Holding an MSc in Food Technology,

Bert was well-positioned to discuss the the hot and spicy arena include peri peri, use of herbs and spices in the supply jalapeno and chipotle. chain, their health benefits as well as the Intertaste develops complete flavour 'ultimate taste'. “If the taste is good and systems and closely follows consumer complex, less taste enhancement and insights, flavour trends and convenience salt are necessary,” food trends. All added Bert who very useful in the "Suppliers and buyers were told us that good world of airline fully engaged from the taste comes from catering. pure ingredients moment the doors opened such as ginger, and the Taste of Travel Theatre Food value Jeremy Clark nutmeg and created great atmosphere" regaled The coriander.

Taste of Travel He said audience with memories of past onboard passengers complain that airline food hospitality glories featuring airline ads is flavourless and bland but the use of from the 1960s through to the present spices and herbs can influence taste day, all designed to reinforce the value of perception eg: horseradish or nutmeg food to airline brands. The question was in a cheese fondue. Sodium is already posed as to why airlines have difficulty prevalent in our diet and can cause extracting value from brand when high blood pressure and cardiovascular company's such as Fiat can sell its Fiat disease. Meals can be made tastier using 500 for 10K more just by the adding a chillis, pepper, ginger, mustard, wasabi Gucci stripe! Food, says Jeremy, is proven and horseradish. Trending ingredients in onboardhospitality.com

EXHIBITION REVIEW: WTCE 2016

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS

to add more value to a brand than it costs to provide it, “so why don’t airlines do more of it!” he asked.

Spirit in the Sky Tom Inden, owner of Mampe, revealed the story of Berlin’s oldest spirit brand.

Mampe has over 80 years of aviation history behind it and was even onboard the Zeppelin airships. Today Mampe liqueurs are served to airberlin passengers.

In the company’s heyday, the 1920s and 1930s, Mampe exported 78 different award-winning spirit drinks worldwide.

Its founder, Robert Exner, published the original Handbook for Mixers in 1925. A must read at a time when it was hip for a party host, as a ‘man of the world’, to impress his guests with cocktails he mixed himself!

Now, almost exactly 90 years after the introduction of the airline cocktail, Berlin’s

spirits manufacturer is on board Berlin’s oldest airline. Mampe’s ‘Flieger Cocktail’ has been right at home in airberlin’s Business class for exactly one year and The Berliner Brise is now offered in the Economy.

onboardhospitality.com

New WTCE Event Director, Syreeta Tranfield, shares her impressions of the show: "My first eight weeks on WTCE were spent learning about the market from the knowledgeable show team. I’d heard it had a great buzz and was lots of fun to attend but I really didn’t expect the relentless positive energy emanating from the stands. Suppliers and buyers were fully engaged from the moment the doors opened and the live demonstrations on stands as well as on the Taste of Travel Theatre create atmosphere, capture interest, prompt questions and conversations, as new business relationships unfold all around.

Descriptions of excellence, satisfaction, bespoke, luxury, unique, pride could be heard across the show floor and by shamelessly eavesdropping I was able to witness suppliers and buyers, passionate about their products and their ability to meet their customers’ needs.

I was surprised by the complexity of supplying to airlines and train operators. I hadn’t appreciated quite how much thought, consideration and planning went in to ensuring each passenger is offered the best possible experience. It’s also refreshing to see that in the digital age we live in, face to face is still the most powerful tool we have.

The show opened my eyes to a whole new world of hospitality, comfort, service and care and it was an absolute pleasure to be part of that. The entire event team are as passionate about WTCE as the suppliers and buyers who invest and attend. We are all inspired and look forward to delivering a valuable event for 2017."

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exhibition review: WTCE 2016

Chef demonstrations Three Taste of Travel chefs gave us a fascinating insight into the changing trends spotted within the everevolving onboard meal service.

Mathieu Castex Executive development pastry chef at LSG Sky Chefs, introduced us to his ‘Sweet Verrines’ reflecting the upcoming trend for using sweet vegetables as an ingredient in desserts. They included beetroot, carrot, parsnip and cauliflower.

Said Mathieu: “We are re-inventing tea time! With the help of my colleagues Jörg Tüttelman and Nick Vass, I made a beetroot biscuit and a carrot, orange and lemon jelly. Illustrating our current menu

experience we also served our ‘MC Arons’ in a small burger box as a little surprise.

David Small Ex-Royal train chef David Small gave a masterclass in the British breakfast and was positive about British fare on trains saying he had recently noticed a rise in quality and less emphasis on price over produce in the train catering arena.

The Taste of Travel audience was treated to English, Scottish and Welsh breakfasts as well as an Ulster fry. Each brings its own bread (wheaten bread from Northern Ireland or tatty scones in Scotland) and meat (flat lorne sausage in

onboardhospitality.com

Scotland or Cumberland sausage from Northern England). Plus you might get black or white pudding (made from pork meat and fat, suet, bread and oatmeal) in some regions; cockles or laver (seaweed) in Wales and haggis in Scotland.

Antony McNeil Emirates regional catering manager has a broad brief as he's responsible for the F&B of 28 Emirates destinations. Serving passengers with a host of cultural differences doesn't have to cramp the culinary style though as he showed with his demonstration of latest culinary innovations from his inflight menu.

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VIEW FROM THE TOP

DATA IS KEY. WE CAN NO LONGER JUST DECIDE BY INSTINCT.

ERDMANN RAUER, CEO, LSG GROUP explains his company's rebrand and looks towards a time when data is king

TCE IS a great chance to see the vision of our industry - from both the big and small companies - and we have been proud to be key initiator in its development.

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SHARING BEST PRACTICE As an industry we are all facing similar issues – legal, contractual, and of course the massive issue of security, and we have to put our heads together to work out how we can secure the lives of airlines, suppliers and passengers. Few things are more important.

At LSG Group we care 100% about security, we control everything that goes into and out of the kitchen and this security issue is very important in the current era. As a logistics company we have to deal with it and are in a good position to do so as in North America, since 9/11 we have used and developed the SCIS solutions model with many random checks. Others in the industry are also making progress but we need to find forums in which to better share best practice.

CULINARY EXCELLENCE For us, the chefs are the heart of the company. Culinary excellence is there but it is not just about a First class meal, it is

packaging, reflecting trends and cultural respect that’s important too. The passion of the people who develop and assemble our product is key and they too are increasingly using more technology to ensure the consistency of their product. Sous vide technology for example is being revitalised and becoming better and better with a lot more potential, and frozen foods are having a renaissance as a professional and viable solution for business.

Currently 3-5% of carriers’ investment is in catering which sounds small but the impact airlines can make with that investment is amazing. More and more airlines are working out where to target that spend and they are realising that looking intelligently at data is the key - not just deciding by instinct.

CONSUMER FOCUS In retail the focus has moved clearly onto the consumer. If we just develop products and services based on what we believe they want (along with the airlines) and don’t increasingly involve the customer we are missing a crucial element. There is now so much data available on demographic trends and insights into what the consumer wants onboardhospitality.com

that we don’t use sufficiently. Top industry leaders, ceos and the like understand the potential of sharing this data to become more competent and this is a trend we have to see develop.

Passengers want their airlines to listen to them and so far that listening role has been a marketing role but in truth the whole organisation has to be able to respond.

That is why we are seeing the growth of pre-ordering, of celebrity chefs, of links with established brands, so consumers actually get what they want. It's no longer good enough for us to just decide what they want.The price becomes irrelevant if you are offering something special and different and this will come. We already have the infrastructure to do it, it's just using what we have in a different way.

REBRAND WTCE served as the platform to introduce the new “LSG Group” umbrella brand, which stands for the combined power of the company’s activities. It's designed to project a consistent image while allowing different areas of the business to operate independently in their markets. •

spiriant goes East SPIRIANT expands its global presence in APAC With an ever-growing demand for premium quality onboard equipment in the APAC region, we have expanded our team and innovative capacities to serve you. Our highly committed experts work together to design onboard equipment solutions of highest quality while improving the entire supply chain with our state-of-the art logistics capabilities. Â

www.spiriant.com

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NEW PRODUCTS

Expo in focus As always, WTCE hosted a number of new exhibitors as well as some interesting product launches from established brands. Laura Gelder takes a look at some of the new products out now...

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1. Lily O’Brien's The new Cranachan Dessert is ideal for breakfast or as an after dinner treat.

This is the company’s first venture into breakfast desserts after many years of creating after dinner desserts. Smooth, creamy Cranachan is infused with crunchy granola pieces and a tart raspberry compote, topped with more granola. lilyobriens.ie 2. Snackboxtogo A number of new hot sandwich products have been added to the portfolio.

Standard in the assortment are: ham and cheese and veggie paninis, and ham and cheese-filled croissants. The hot

“Munchy Seeds' 25g snack packs come in sweet and savoury and are perfect as an alternative to crisps or to sprinkle on salad”

sandwiches come in a special paper foil which can go in the oven for re-heating. The passenger can eat the product straight out of the packaging. New flavours launched at WTCE include a tex-mex panini, a chicken panini and a cheese burger. snackboxtogo.com

France Business and Transaviar, the company is doubling in size and believes its artisan, handcrafted range meets the demand for products with provenance. A family business, Saveurs & Natur also offers chocolate bars, snacks and candies. leschocolatdepauline.com

3. Les Chocolat de Pauline Chocolatiers Saveurs & Natur made their debut appearance at WTCE targeting its Les Chocolat de Pauline brand for onboard use. Organic and made without any vegetable fat, palm oil or soya, it is a 70% dark chocolate made of cocoa, sugar and nothing else. Already onboard Air

4. Munchy Seeds Founders of Munchy Seeds, Lucinda and Crispin Clay, credit Lucinda’s grandmother with the idea for its healthy snacks.

Back in New Zealand, Lucinda's granny toasted her two-seed blend to stop her grandchildren eating biscuits.

Now based in East Anglia, UK, Munchy

onboardhospitality.com

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7. Mara Seaweed

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Seeds has five varieties of its range in 25g portion snack packs. All are naturally high in protein, iron, fibre and vitamin E, gluten-, wheat- and yeast-free. The company tries to source its ingredients from local farms.

For sweet tooths there are Honey Seeds (honey roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds designd as a snack or to be sprinkled over yogurt, fruit or muesli) and Choccy Apricot (great as a tea time treat).

For savoury snacks there are Chilli Bites and Sesame Sprinkles, ideally meant to accompany a glass of wine or beer, or to be sprinkled over salads. Omega Sprinkles are a blend of toasted pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds with rapeseed, hemp

and golden and brown linseed, rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids. munchyseeds.co.uk 5. Fine Food Moments Established 30 years ago and specialising in portion controlled sweet and savoury products for airlines. Products include potato gratins, single-wrapped cakes, omelettes, breakfast sandwiches and sweet/savoury snacks. finefoodmoments.com 6. Moustache This Brittany company has been making top-quality ice cream and sorbets for over 20 years but now onboardhospitality.com

Adding flavour whilst still keeping ingredients natural and healthy is perhaps the most long-standing quest for those working in onboard catering – and this company claims it has the answer.

Mara’s seaweed flakes and powders are harvested from 100% natural Scottish and Irish seaweed and contain less than 10% sodium.

Instead it contains natural minerals like iodine, potassium, calcium and magnesium and delivers a hit of umami – that indefinable savoury flavour which chefs hanker after.

“Mara Seaweed is the superfood of the seas and delivers a super hit of nutrients and flavour and a seasoning in the same product,” says Fiona Houston, co-founder and ceo of Mara Seaweed.

Naturally gluten-free and vegan, seaweed is high in fibre and antioxidants. It can be stirred into a dish to add flavour or used as seasoning.

There are three varieties to choose from: dulse is a red seaweed, with a rich, smoky taste perfect for green vegetables, lamb or burgers or salmon, there is also an applewood smoked version which goes well with cheese. Kombu is a smooth-tasting, umami-rich brown seaweed suited to soups and stews or to add to beans, tomatoes and mushrooms. Mara’s shony is a blend of enriching brown, red and green seaweeds great for sprinkling on eggs, salads, pasta and rice, to coat chicken or fish or to use in baking. maraseaweed.com

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wants to target the onboard market.

The eye-catching branding stars a bulldog with ice cream around its mouth.

The contents focus on quality, traceable ingredients, sourced locally and with no added flavours, colours or preservatives.

There are 200 flavours and the 125ml tub is currently in 11 flavours. glaces-moustache.fr

8. WK Thomas The British company’s single-use light linen is now flying with Jet Airways in Australia and with Thomas Cook Airlines in the UK. More than a tissue but without the need for laundering, the product is available in napkin and beverage sizes.

“Group Soi is employing a new 'fresh concept' for its line of pizzas and pizza-style snacks. It will top them with freshly-picked vegetables”

Working with the restaurant sector too, the company notes trends towards modular dining concepts and grazing menus which can be supported by a range of stylish disposable tableware both ‘funky and beautiful’ in design. wkthomas.com

9. A. Darbo AG Austrian company Darbo provides jams, jellies, honey and syrups for the retail and hotel industry in more than 60 countries and is looking to branch into travel catering. Over 20 flavours are offered in single-serve plastic and glass pots. darbo.at onboardhospitality.com

10. Group Soi

Group Soi is employing a new fresh concept for its line of pizzas and pizza-style snacks. Eschewing the usual double-freeze method, Group Soi will instead top its stone oven-baked pizzas with freshly-picked vegetables, freezing the pizza straight away so that when the pizza is cooked onboard it will be the first time the vegetables are heated.

“This ensures an incredibly freshtasting product with maximum taste and great nutritional value,” says md, Rocco Pilo.

A new range of stone oven baked hot snacks includes pizza, panzerotto, treccia, panfutello, sorrentina, caruso

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and calzone. Flavours include basil pesto and vegtables, four cheese and béchamel and spinach and feta. Group Soi also has a range of new gourmet pizzas using buffalo mozzarella, and some vegan and gluten-free options. groupsoi.com 11. Pure Oatie (Vidasal) A typical Scandinavian dessert, this brownie-like snack is gluten-free, nutfree, dairy-free and egg-free, with no added sugar. It’s made from date paste and oats blended with vegetable oils and comes in mocha (with cocoa) and arak flavour (a southeast Asian spirit). pureoatie.com

12. GIP Amongst the company’s array of new products is a sustainable sugarcane fibre napkin; a trayless solution for hot and cold meals with individual rotable containers which stack conveniently after service; a new PET cup which combines the clarity of more brittle plastics with the strength of murkier plastics; and a cart-top organiser. gipusa.com

13. Pallada These Greek extra virgin olive oil producers claim competitive prices because they oversee the whole process – from field to factory to bottle. Based in Chania, Crete, Pallada specialises in oil onboardhospitality.com

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14. 121 In-flight Catering This New York-based catering firm started 15 years ago in restaurant catering before moving into the private jet market, specialising in providing meals for large private planes with customers including heads of state. Three years ago 121 In-flight Catering made the decision to go into commercial aviation and it recently opened a facility at JFK Airport. 121 now provides meals for 12 airlines including South African Airways, Air India and KLM. Says John Hetzel, director of commercial: “We are a food-focused ‘from-scratch’ kitchen. What makes us attractive is that we give a personal service but we are flexible and can react quickly.”

The culinary director at 121 is Beck Bolendar, a chef with a background in fine dining who was the youngest ever sous chef under the famous Jean Georges.

Having Kuwait Airways as one of its first commercial customers and also being caterer to the Saudi Royal family and Qatar Amiri Flight (a service exclusively for Qatar royals and VIPs), 121 is well-versed in halal catering and has a seperate facility for halal meals.

The next step for 121 is the opening of another facility at Washington D.C, due the second quarter of 2017.

121inflight.com

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“Kosher meals specialist Langerhuize has launched a new product presentation box with a clear Rabi seal affirming its Kosher credentials�

for inflight catering and has a range of single-serve options including sachets, 12ml and 18ml plastic pots and small glass bottles. There are three varieties: extra virgin, extra virgin infused with fresh lemons and extra virgin olive oil with balsamic vinegar. pallada.gr 15. Lakrids The founder of this Nordic confectionery company, Johan BĂźlow, hails from the small Danish island of Bornholm, where he grew up making liquorice straight from the root. All products are made from natural ingredients and all are glutenfree, made with rice flour. The range of products includes sweet, salty, habanero

chilli, salty chilli cranberry, choc-coated, dark and coffee choc-coated. liquorice.nu 16. Riverside International BV This healthy snack producer offers natural, raw, organic and free-from options.

MadeGood Raw Fruit and Nut Bars are organic and gluten-free and made using a secret production method, pressing whole ingredients together at low temperatures using no sugars or syrups. They come in cherry-pecan, chia berries, brazil nutorange and almond-apricot.

Muesli Minis are bite-size balls, certified free from eight common allergens onboardhospitality.com

including gluten, soya and nuts.

Each organic serving contains the nutrients equivalent to one full serving of vegetables from six different sources including spinach, beets and broccoli. Muesli Minis come in chocolate banana, apple cinnamon and strawberry flavours, in 100g pouches or 25g bags. madegoodfoods.com

17. Scatolificio del Garda SpA This Italian company designs and manufactures packaging for catering and specialises in biodegradable and compostable packaging using corn starch, palm leaves and sugar cane fibres. sdgspa.it

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18. St. Patrick’s Distillery

This award-winning Irish spirit producer has one key difference to most other distilleries – its gins and vodkas are potato-based!

Founder Tom Keightley has a background in retail but became interested in the gluten-free market after setting up a company selling food intolerance tests to pharmacies.

After researching spirits made from potatoes at the Grand Teton distillery in Idaho he decided to set up his own business, making glutenfree artisan spirits with an Irish twist.

Said Keightley: “Potatoes actually give a smoother finish than grain because the potato has only 20% starch. Although the process is more time consuming and costly than distilling from grains, potatoes have a natural sweetness and are of course gluten-free.”

Varieties of St Patrick’s include classic juniper gin, elderflower gin, sloe and honey gin and extra dry gin, the latter distilled using juniper berries, coriander seeds, lemon peel, liquorice and angelica roots. Each bottle of St Patrick’s potato vodka is made using about 250 Clare and Rosetta potatoes.

The company also produces an oak-aged Irish whiskey and is working on a single malt and a cask-strength whiskey.

St. Patrick’s won gold at the Irish Whiskey Awards for its vodka. stpatricks distillery.ie

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19. Paul Sapin The wine specialist has launched a new option in its ‘Just’ range featuring wines packaged with an integral glass. The Just Merlot, Just Sauvignon Blanc and Just Rose are already featured onboard rail services and sit alongside the company’s PET and glass bottles for its Just and Petit Voyage selections. paul-sapin.com 20. Langerhuize Kosher meals specialist Langerhuize has launched a new product presentation box, revised to look more like a gift and with a clear Rabi seal affirming the kosher credentials. The company supplies KLM, onboardhospitality.com

Air France and Alitalia, among others, with fresh, frozen and ambient kosher options.

Langerhuize notes an increase in demand for special meals and also supplies glutenfree products.

Langerhuize.nl 21. Bayart Innovations It was the innovative range of materials that stood out on this French designer’s stand, with amenity kits made from felt, washable paper, a honeycomb effect polyester and recycled PET amongst others. Bayart is seizing on the trend for collectibles, offering up one line in 36 different materials. bayart-innovations.com

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NEW PRODUCTS

22. Hoppe The people behind the Mini Bite range of onboard snacks revealed its latest venture at WTCE – an innovative savoury muffin.

The ambient Gouda cheese muffin is designed as an alternative to the ubiquitous pizza-style snack – warm and savoury but ambient.

Shelf stable for three months, Hoppe hopes the 20% Gouda muffin will save airlines significant costs. “Choosing an ambient snack over a frozen one will significantly improve supply chain efficiency and ambient trucking and warehousing saves you up to 25% on your energy bill compared to frozen,” said Corné van Vuren, business development travel catering & B2B for Hoppe.

It’s convenient onboard too. Prepacked serving trays enable crew members to re-fill the galley ovens conveniently and fast. The Hoppe team reason that it takes 12 minutes to heat and serve 56 Gouda cheese muffins, meaning oven efficiency is 43% better when compared to the preparation of the average frozen pizza snack.

The Gouda cheese muffins are available in two sizes: minis for breakfast, and large muffins for a second service hot snack. Each muffin is individually baked and served in an eco-friendly paper tulip case. Hoppe has designed an ovenable tray for Economy, with a pull-off lid turning it into a serving tray in seconds. First and Business passengers get their muffin individually wrapped in a retro-design ovenable paper bag which keeps the muffin hot. hoppe.nl

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23. Spacerseat The Spacerseat is designed to provide additional knee space for taller passengers travelling in Economy. Once placed on the seat, the 940g carry-on Spacerseat provides two inches of extra knee space and six inches of additional leg space.

Under the 3D active ventilated fabric are three layers of foam which boost users two inches higher, rotating their pelvis forward in an active position which reduces fatique as well as the risk of DVT. Engineers, designers, and airline/ ergonomic specialists developed the product, which has won the Dutch Aerospace Innovation prize. spacerseat.com onboardhospitality.com

24. Skypro Amongst this company’s new products is a new range of t-shirts designed to keep you cool or hot , a slim-fit range of t-shirts that aid posture for crew on their feet, anti-DVT socks and anti-mosquito shirts. wearskypro.com 25. Joe & Seph The gourmet popcorn supplier is broadening its range of flavours adding gin and tonic popcorn to its cocktail collection and new savoury flavours including camembert cheese. The corn is air popped and a growing range of flavours is available in small 7g, 18g and 23g foil packs or 27g premium card boxes

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“Single-serve wines in a can with vintages from Bordeaux, Burgandy, the Rhone Valley, Provence, Beaujolais, Loire and Languedoc”

– designed to catch any mess.

The product is flying onboard easyjet, Norwegian Air, Monarch, British Airways and Singapore.

Joeandsephs.com 26. Scope Specialists in porcelains, first time exhibitors Scope produces its range with raw materials of the highest quality, designed to ensure durability. Due to high firing temperatures, Scope’s porcelains have high densification. The absence of porosity prevents the collection of germs and ensures a hygienic surface. Scope prides itself on being environmentally friendly. Most of the waste generated in

the first part of the production process is re-used later in the manufacturing process. scope.pt 27. Winestar This company served up single-serve French wines in a can, with vintages from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhone Valley, Provence, Beaujolais, Loire and Languedoc. The 187ml cans are easy to carry and stack, shatter-proof and recyclable. Winestar uses a special coating that ensures the wine stays stable in the can and protects it from the metal. The cans have a longer shelf life than PET. Winestar.fr onboardhospitality.com

28. Top’s Foods The new Currywurst range is shelf stable with no need for cooling. Ovenable and with a long shelf life, the range is based on authentic German favourites and is already flying with Thomas Cook Airlines. topsfoods.com 29. Love, Corn This new brand is shunning retail and aiming straight for onboard in a bid to liven up the snacks market in the skies.

Founder and ceo Jamie McCloskey enjoyed snacking on roasted corn for years, usually bought from his local shop and great-tasting but badly branded, and saw a gap in the market for a great-

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30. Phizz Phizz is an effervescent tablet (which turns into an orange-flavoured drink) which combines the vitamin hit of something like Berocca with the affects of rehydrating salts.

As Australians living in London and used to a long journey home, the founders of Phizz saw a gap in the market for something that combats de-hydration and fatigue in one.

They approached a professor friend from Oxford University for advice before making the final product in Switzerland, at a laboratory with over 25 years’ experience in making pharmacy/nutritional products.

Phizz contains Magnesium, B Vitamins and Vitamin C to reduce fatigue while the oral rehydration formula helps users absorb water more efficiently.

Phizz tablets come in 10 and 20 tablet tubes perfect for travel retail but the company is open to creating single-serve sachets which could be added to meal trays or amenity kits. phizz.co

tasting and attractive corn snack. "The name Love, Corn was developed because it's a love letter to the consumer," says Jamie. "The snack is speaking to them and telling them about the product inside."

Made by soaking corn for 72 hours in water and lime and then roasting in sunflower oil, Love, Corn contains no preservatives, is GMO-free and antioxidant-rich. A portion is under 100 calories and comes in habanero chilli, sea salt and cracked pepper or smokey BBQ, with sharp cheddar coming soon.

Jamie wants to work with partners on bespoke flavours.

Lovecorn.co.uk

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31. Lampe Textiles A new exhibitor with a new product, this Belgium textile manufacturer had a unique proposition for airlines – an anti-skid tray liner. The disposable woven liner is treated with a high-tech anti-skid coating which stops crockery and cutlery from sliding off any inflight tray.

“The tray liner is fully customisable and we can match specific design requirements in term of shape, size, colour, and the woven-look. We can even use specific brand colours or logos,” says Johan Bonner.

Lampe Textiles is quick to point out the labour and logistics-saving aspects of a disposable liner but the company is also onboardhospitality.com

looking at developing a green tray liner using with 100% recyclable materials. lampetextiles.com 32. Remmerco With over 20 years’ experience, this supplier of catering display and packaging solutions is seeking to modernise and specialises in premium quality, lightweight and durable disposables. remmerco.com 33. Crepes Bertel Expanding out of the French market, this company produces crepes (made from wheat flour) and galettes (made from buckwheat flour), both plain and readyfilled with sweet or savoury ingredients.

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All-French ingredients include Breton flour, Guerande sea salt, cane sugar from Reunion and vanilla from Madagascar – all guaranteed non-GMO and withiout additives, colourings and preservatives.

Bertel products come fresh and frozen. crepes-bertel.com 34. Formia Showcasing a wide range of new amenity kit styles and toiletry products, Formia showed that the fashion for amenity kits replicating luggage ranges continues.

Newest in the hard case range is the Samsonite bag, currently onboard ANA; while a Dotdrops French hard case, flying on Aero Mexico adds a level of

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personalisation as passengers can use coloured stickers provided to decorate the embossed textured ‘drops’ on each kit.

Links with other luggage ranges include Zero Halliburton aluminium cases, Giorgio Fedon leather bags (flying on Meridiana), Boggi Milano new season range (on Aero Mexico) and BRIC. Cosmetic tie ups with established brands continue including Mandarin Duck (on Swedish and Brussels Airlines), Chopard (on OpenSkies), Caudalie, Nuxe, Skoah, June Jacobs, Laneige, Payot, Borghese, and newest, Montevibiano.

Watch out for new amenity kits designed to double up as jewellery boxes. formia.com onboardhospitality.com

35. skysupply Amongst the top products on display were three new designs from Skysupply’s collaboration with the Finnish fashion house Marimekko for Finnair, already a finalist in the Onboard Hospitality Awards.

Made of natural cotton canvas fabrics, the kit design is reflective of Finland’s green environment and the airline’s environmental consciousness. It includes high-end Clarins cosmetic products and Marimekko slippers. skysupply's most unusual amenity kit was devised for TAP Portugal in the style of a sardine tin. Cleverly linking TAP’s amenity kit to a quintessentially Portuguese product, skysupply went one step further by commissioning Portuguese artists to design the sardine image. An explanation of the design and its artist can be found inside the can.

Within one year, TAP will be distributing nine different designs, creating a series for collectors. Inside the box are top-quality items such as Institut Karite cosmetics.

“The amenity kit is not only innovative due to its design and local reference, it was also our aim to be eco-friendly,” says Wolfgang Bücherl, managing director of skysupply. “The tin can itself is made of recyclable metal, the toothbrush is produced out of grain and the pen is manufactured from cardboard.” skysupply has also entered into a partnership with premium French luggage brand Delsey. The result is a miniature version of its Chatelet hard-shelled travel case. skysupply.de •

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photo gallery: WTCE/Taste of Travel

TM

The people and products that made the show such a success

onboardhospitality.com

photo gallery: WTCE/Taste of Travel

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If your photo is not featured here then check out our photo galleries on our website for a larger selection onboardhospitality.com

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SOFT DRINKS

t s r i h T

things first

The demand for premium soft drinks is on the up and more companies are targeting adults who want natural, healthy and/or unusual alternatives to the standard menu of orange juice or Coke.

Julie Baxter and Laura Gelder take a look at some newer options

A

s growing numbers of national governments – from the UK to South Africa, Mexico to the US – consider new ‘fat taxes’ on sugary drinks to combat the obesity epidemic, drinks producers are having to look at their content more closely.

While the trend for healthy often demands less sugar, the trend for natural means that synthetic sweeteners don’t always cut it. The hunt is on for drinks which can claim both properties.

Flyfit FlyFit has added six new flavours to its 125ml mini drink range, the smallest drink ever made for the airline industry. Mini drink fits any snack box and is sold as a solution for both night and breakfast services. Added to the mini drink range are orange, cranberry and raspberry, pineapple, multifruit and vitamins (with orange, peach, banana, apple and passion fruit), mango and the very latest, lemon and mint – a fresh flavour that has already proven popular onboardhospitality.com

SOFT DRINKS

with the Middle Eastern market. The ambient beverages are packed with FlyFit’s blend of highly-concentrated raw, all-natural superfruit extracts to help reduce the negative impact of dry cabin air and high altitudes. The drinks are preservative and colouringfree. vitalithealth.com

Folkingtons

raspberries, cloudy pear, summer berries (raspberries, strawberries and blackcurrants) and Colombian mango. folkingtons.com

Savse Following the success of its core range of Super Smoothies, Savse (pronounced ‘sav-say’) has launched two new cold-pressed juices: Grove Orange and Jonagold Apple, in 250ml bottles.

Savse founder, Guka Taveridze commented: “Research shows consumers have lost faith in orange and apple juices but our juices have a natural colour, taste and quality.

We’ve sourced the highest quality apples and oranges to recreate that very feeling of picking up an apple on a farm and biting into it when you taste our drinks.” savse.com

Already onboard with its 150ml cans of orange, cloudy apple and cranberry juice, the British drinks producer debuted at WTCE with a new range of gently sparkling drinks in 250ml slim-line cans – designed for onboard retail.

The sparkling drinks come in four flavours which, as always, draw attention to the provenance of the ingredients: English rhubarb and apple, Sicilian lemon and English mint, ginger beer with root "Research shows Tranquini sourced from West Africa and consumers have lost At first glance you might think wild English elderflower pressé. you’re looking at a new energy Folkingtons also has a range faith in orange and drink, but Tranquini, as the name of juices in 250ml glass bottles apple juices" suggests, is designed to relax for First, Business and lounges. rather than energise.

These are split into the core range Marketed as a lifestyle choice, (Valencia orange juice, cloudy Tranquini has been designed to English apple, Canadian cranberry, embody feel-good, positive vibes. Rather tomato juice from Navarra, Spain and English than being aimed at party animals or sports lovers Elderflower) and some more unusual options: in particular, the drink is offered as a tool pink lemonade with Sicilian lemon and English to help people in everyday situations ranging from staying calm before a job interview to unwinding after a night out.

The lightly carbonated drink contains a blend of herbs and theanine, derived from green tea. Tranquini is preservative-free and reduced sugar (30% less sugar than most natural juices or regular soft drinks according to Tranquini), it contains fructose, as well as natural flavours and colours. onboardhospitality.com

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Pictured: Flyfit flavours; Tranquini innovation and Folkington's sparkling range

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SOFT DRINKS

 The drinks come in two flavours: original and jade (with a green tea flavour) and claim to enhance relaxation with its blend of chamomile, lemon balm and lavender. tranquini.com

Prictured: Cool as a Qcumber with added flavours

it launched two new flavours and is successfully targeting the travel sector with its 250ml slimline cans.

Created from natural cucumber essence and sparkling spring water, all Qcumber variants contain Moma Yog-Oat Smoothies 100% natural ingredients and are "In the US market Moma’s ‘super’ ingredient is oats, free from artificial sweeteners, there has been a one of life’s nutritional gems. colours, preservatives and huge shift towards Wholegrain oats in particular flavourings. The new flavours vitamin drinks" contain all three parts of the are Qcumber with Mint and grain so give fibre, carbs, fat, Qcumber with Ginger. vitamins and minerals Qcumber is marketed both as a all in one. Slow release soft drink on its own and an ideal mixer carbohydrates – such as oats – with gin or vodka. are also said to give the body Graham Carr-Smith, creator of the the right type of fuel to Qcumber brand, says: “This dual usage keep hunger at bay. really benefits the travel sector where The new range of Yogspace is limited and every stock keeping Oat Smoothies combines unit has to work hard to earn its keep. oats and yoghurt into an As for its health credentials, Carr-Smith on-the-go breakfast or adds: “We don’t put ourselves out midday day snack. They there specifically as a ‘health drink’, are packed with smooth but Qcumber is certainly healthier oats, low fat yoghurt and than many other offerings available.” real fruit, and are high q-cumber.co.uk in protein, a source VitHit of fibre and have no Created by a rugby-playing health added sugar. Oats fanatic who was looking for an are also a good source alternative to high sugar energy of vitamin B needed drinks, VitHit is a healthy teafor energy, and folic acid based drink with added vitamins which supports the immune and minerals, no added sugar and system. They have soluble fibre under 35 calories per bottle. which means they are easy to Already onboard with Air digest and help maintain normal Lingus, the company is evolving cholesterol levels. its range to offer airline-friendly The newest flavours are Mango bottle sizes. It is Ireland’s fastestand Peach and Strawberry and growing soft drink product and Banana. Moma is a regular has launched in South Africa, feature on buy-on-board menus Iceland and Scandinavia, with the with Easyjet, WOW and Finnair US market next in its sights. and its porridge and snacks There are six flavours and feature on British Airways, newest in the range is Immunitea Virgin Atlantic and Norwegian.

– a drink with matcha tea and momafoods.co.uk amino-acids – great for repairing Qcumber the body. All flavours include This upmarket soft drink has juice, vitamins, tea and water. already enjoyed onboard vithit.com • success with Finnair. This year onboardhospitality.com

OPINION

63

Rob Britton

Communication matters Rob Britton explains the benefits of plain talking with customers

In recent years, I’ve written bins or under the seat in front of us. The nearlyabout the role of information in always unspoken why is that in the exceedingly improving the airline customer rare event of an evacuation, our stuff would experience, and I’d like to return make it hard to get out of the plane quickly. A to that topic today, specifically how improving forthright airline would explain the why, but the quality and completeness of the spoken almost none do. There’s a disconnect here, word (by the carrier) will improve the most between the safety commitment and airlines’ fundamental aspect of service quality, safety. unwillingness to raise the unpleasant, if highly Airlines have made astonishing progress in remote, situations. Somewhere in the distant improving safety (for example, the last fatal past, some misguided “expert” told carriers that airliner accident in the US was more than seven explaining things would make people more years ago). It’s a never-ending quest, and to fearful. In fact, we now know from psychologists be successful, most airlines have for decades that the opposite is true. nurtured a culture of safety: precision and Another good example concerns the use care always matter, in of electronic devices. everything they do.

"Airlines are beginning to see that Without the rationale, Historically, much of explaining the business can yield many passengers that culture has been think airlines are being positive results in helping built on rules and passengers understand that rules arbitrary and negative, standards: in the cockpit, especially because these exist for a reason" the captain and first tools have become so officer adhere to a long list of rules indispensable to us. In lots of cases, this results and procedures, no exceptions. In in a few violating the policy to the detriment of the cabin, too, the inflight crew the many. I recommend airlines tell passengers are trained to repeat process. why, something like “Ladies and gentlemen, This attention to rules has it’s impossible for us to test every possible paid dividends, but ruleinteraction among devices, and because one boundedness can often seem or two have been proven to interfere with the silly or arbitrary to passengers. systems our pilots need to fly you safely and to Rigidity without rationale is a provide the safety margin that you expect, we recipe for customers to ignore or push must ask you . . .” Lithium batteries – growing back on practices that benefit everyone in importance and therefore risk – fall in this on board. category, too. If they develop a fault, the During the 25 years I worked in the likelihood of serious onboard fire is high. business, I paid attention to this issue Airlines are beginning to see that explaining and occasionally tried to fix what I the business can yield positive results. Delta think is wrong: airlines thoroughly recently went “behind the scenes” to show the describe the what, but do a public how they design seats, and United just poor job of helping customers released a video showing all the things their understand why. Think about a flight attendants do. This is a positive trend, simple and common example: when and needs to be brought on board, too, to we board a flight, cabin crew tell us that help passengers understand that rules exist for our carry-ons need to fit in the overhead a reason. •

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INDIAN TRENDS

Spicing it up Nik Loukas took a culinary inflight tour to discover just what Indian airlines are serving up...

I

ndia is estimated to have over 800 presented in meal boxes rather than the full aircraft and is set to become the third trays used in Premium Economy. largest aviation market by 2020. New Choosing ahead partnerships and entrants have emerged Meal pre-ordering is big business in India in the last 18 months including a tie up with Indigo, SpiceJet and Go Air all offering between Jet Airways and Etihad Airways customers the opportunity and a new entrant, Vistara, to order a range of meals which is a joint venture between Tata Sons and "Competition has seen and snacks at the time of booking.

Singapore Airlines. airlines increasing For a fee, Indigo offers Competition has seen their inflight service a non vegetarian or airlines increasing their offerings even in vegetarian meal option inflight service offerings Economy, in order to at a cost of €3.00 and even in Economy in order customers can even book a to be one step ahead be one step ahead of cake for special occasions and most recently the competition" at a cost of €5.00.

Air India decided Meals offered onboard to start offering these flights are ambient and customers hot meals again on domestic flights make their menu choices inflight. perhaps due to the fact that new entrant Meanwhile SpiceJet customers can preVistara offers a higher level of service. order sandwiches for their flight up to six Vistara shines hours prior to departure, this is one of the Passengers on Jet Airways, Air shortest lead times in the industry. (Jetstar India and Vistara are still offered still offers one of the shortest lead times complimentary meals, however with only a four hour lead.) Hot meals can be Vistara is the only airline offering ordered up to 24 hours prior to departure at Premium Economy travel in India. a cost of €3.50 and include tasty local options Vistara passengers can expect 20% such as: vegetable biryani with mirchi ka more leg room and meals that are salan and paneer kathi roll. similar to the offerings on Jet Airways Meal concepts and Air India in Economy. Added extras Go Air meanwhile is a hybrid low-cost airline however include hot towels as well as prethat offers a Business-style cabin on all flights. departure drinks. Passengers in Economy on However customers in Business shouldn't Vistara will be served hot meals but these are onboardhospitality.com

INDIAN TRENDS

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expect too much in terms of food as offerings are quite similar to Economy meals on Jet Airways or Air India.

Economy customers on Go Air can also order a range of sandwiches and small hot meal items at the time of booking that are similarly priced to their competitors.

In terms of pre-ordered meal concepts SpiceJet offers one of the best programmes in in India in terms of choice, value and design.

The meal concepts have been created thoughtfully and the range of meal options is quite varied too. Indigo offers one of the most fun and quirky inflight buy-on-board menus in the country. Its clever marketing and use of its airline designator code 6E (sexy) lead to the naming of their inflight magazine 'Hello 6E'. •

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NEUROMARKETING

STATE OF A passenger’s

Dr. Stathis Kefallonitis, founder and president of branding.aero, recently hosted an interactive workshop exploring how passengers' brains interact with airlines.

Jo Austin reports on what he said

U

ntil recently, airlines used traditional marketing research methods, along with predictive analytics to understand passenger trends and intentions. Now however neuromarketing tests can give them a much clearer understanding of what passengers actually observe and comprehend when they are in contact with an airline, by tapping into the sensory and emotional experience of their passengers.

Watching brainwaves Neuromarketing basically looks for changes in human brainwaves triggered by stimuli. Techniques are noninvasive and provide information on how passengers evaluate, comprehend and act when airline products and services are viewed and used. It may include data from eye-trackers to understand passenger eye gaze, attention and visual impact; galvanic skin response (GSR) units to identify excitement and heart-rate changes; or facial recognition technology to establish generated emotions.

Electroencephalography (EEG) units can add further insights.

Make it multisensory The research shows an airline experience is more powerful if multisensory stimuli are used. onboardhospitality.com

So the way an airline meal is plated and presented to a passenger, for example, combines visual, nasal and taste experiences as well as touch as they respond to the texture and temperature of the food. The synthesis of all these senses generates emotions and the more positive the sensory experience, the more positive the resulting emotions. Neuromarketing identifies what matters most by measuring the effect products such as food/beverage or amenities have on the passenger and the perception of brand delivery.

Benefits for the airline Neuromarketing helps identify product elements that incorporate originality and innovation and can help airlines create products that best meet passenger needs and ensure high levels of satisfaction. It can help them find ways to stand out from the competition and encourage passenger loyalty by repeated use of the most favourable products.

Innovation makes them stand out and new products/ services raise the passenger's engagement. Being different for the sake of being different will not do the trick but meaningful innovation in response to a recognised need will be appreciated and understood by the passenger.

Product development The picture (left) shows a visual heat map tracking passengers looking at meal box items. They spent considerably longer looking at the dessert, the sandwich and the mint but also focused on the airline logo on the top right corner of the box. This gives an interesting insight to meal developers in a way traditional product research methods cannot.

Catering and inflight service providers can use similar techniques to develop and test prototype products to ensure they are right first time, eliminating the

NEUROMARKETING

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MIND Opposite page: A visual heat map of a Delta Air Lines snack box developed by Oakfield Farms (the warmer colour suggests greater eye gaze and attention) Above: A visual heat map of Wessco’s Hawaiian Airline amenity kit. Right: A visual heat map of a Kaelis’ beverage jug

need for product re-designs, reducing passenger complaints and minimising product waste.

Neuromarketing also identifies details on different passenger demographics, trends and passenger characteristics.

With data analysis and interpretation plus in-depth interviews, further insight into passenger preferences and the product attributes that create excitement can be achieved. Pictured (right) is the visual heat map on the design of a new a beverage jug developed by Kaelis. Passengers identified stronger feelings towards the attractive design elements (curved corners, sleek design, twist top, positioning of the logo, the use of a fun colour).

Emotional intelligence

Brand power

Consistency in onboard delivery is important in maintaining a positive experience. One way to keep passenger memories ‘fresh’ is to make passengers repeat the memory regularly while it is still new.

Making the passenger recall that positive experience and guiding him/her through helps re-live that moment. Another way is to provide a rich experience is paying attention to the little things, offering more passenger touch points that they are likely to recall later on.

And watch this space because neuroscience methods are expected to have a tremendous impact on the development and review of passenger-related products in the future too.

To learn more contact Dr. Stathis Kefallonitis at info@branding.aero •

Passengers connect with airline brands on an emotional and sensory level. Airline products that trigger strong positive emotions are more likely to be remembered. Product innovation takes time to understand and decode but does engage the passenger. Above left we can see the areas that passengers viewed most when looking at a Hawaiian Airlines amenity kit designed by Wessco International. It is evident that passengers spent longer identifying the airline and toiletry brands, and that the design of the amenity kit enhanced the experience and encouraged passengers to explore the product for an extended period of time.

Passengers relate better to airline brands with 'personality' and products with 'characteristics' that resonate with their own. These traits make passengers feel at ease and more comfortable. onboardhospitality.com

Neuromarketing also helps identify a passenger's emotional engagement though facial recognition, measuring passenger responses subjectively and intuitively, as well as objectively. Emotional engagement may be triggered by an unexpected product or service (such as a complimentary seat upgrade); or by added services such as checked baggage, branded food and beverage items, amenity kits; or by an unexpected product or service - say pizza, popcorn or gelato during a flight. In short, things that go the extra mile tend to help loyalty.

When something goes wrong, negative emotions carry more weight than positive ones. They are the ones that carry the strongest emotions such as frustration, anger or the perception of danger.

Be consistent

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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

The world view High-flying columnists from around the globe tell it how it is in their neck of the woods and spot onboard developments with a difference. Tell us what's happening near you via julie.baxter@onboardhospitality.com

Telling it straight...

Hong Kong

Asia

Switzerland

UAE

Cathay Pacific has decided against installing First on its Airbus A350-1000 jets, opting instead for a larger Premium cabin. The airline insists it is not abandoning First altogether and will retain it on long haul Boeing 777300ERs for routes like London, New York and Los Angeles.

The A350-900 and the larger, longer-range A350-1000, due from 2018, will fly in a three-class configuration of Business, Premium Economy (featuring an all-new design) and Economy. The airline is also said to be considering a new first class suite for some aircraft to appear in 2021. cathaypacific.com

Eight budget airlines from Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia have formed what they call the world’s largest alliance of lowcost carriers. Value Alliance allows customers to view, select and book the bestavailable airfares on flights from any of the airlines, in a single transaction, directly from each partner's website.

It brings together Singapore Airlines’ budget wing Scoot, the Philippines’ Cebu Pacific, South Korea’s Jeju Air, Thailand’s Nok Air and NokScoot, Tigerair Singapore, Tigerair Australia and Japan’s Vanilla Air. inquirer.net

Geneva Airport has been trialling a new robotic baggage handler which can help passengers with their bag drop, check-in and tagging.

Named Leo, the baggage robot has been developed by air transport IT provider Sita and is said to herald a new era in baggage handling, leading the way to complete automation in the future. Leo could use his robotics and artificial intelligence to collect, check in, transport and load bags onto the correct flight without them ever having to enter the terminal. sita.aero/baggagerobot

Navya Arma, a 100% electric and intelligent driverless shuttle, debuted in the Middle East at the Airport Show 2016. The shuttle can transport up to 15 passengers and safely drive at up to 45 km/h. Using the latest smart technology, the shuttle ticks lots of environmental boxes and offers a new, clean and cost-effective way to transport airport personnel or passengers.

Batteries can be recharged by induction and last five to 13 hours. Navaya will begin operation at Frankfurt Airport in July. navya.tech

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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

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...Making them smile

Europe

Singapore

UK

Ireland

Is easyJet taking its customer services to a whole new level? The airline, has unveiled a prototype branded smart shoe - named the ‘Sneakairs’ - which have built-in technology to help customers explore new cities without getting lost.

The smart shoe, unveiled at the ‘Barcelona Street Project’ event incorporates a technology which connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone app and uses a phone’s GPS to direct the wearer which way to walk by triggering small vibrating sensors in the shoe.

Perhaps it could direct them to their departure gate too! easyjet.com

Singapore Changi Airport has opened the world's first 24-hour Hello Kitty themed cafe. The cafe, called Hello Kitty Orchid Garden, is located in the arrival hall of Terminal 3 and serves cakes, ice-creams and pastries galore many of which are shaped like everyone's favourite cat.

Every Hello Kitty cafe has a different theme and this one's orchid theme is a tribute to Singapore’s national flower.

It is decked out with mountains of flora and fauna, candy-coloured bird houses and, of course, lots and lots of Hello Kitty statues holding bunches of orchids. changiairport.com

British Airways is celebrating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, by featuring some of the world famous playwright’s most iconic plays on its inflight entertainment system. The content includes a recording of a special live performance of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, performed at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, on London’s Southbank, which was first published in 1632. The airline believes a long-haul flight is the perfect opportunity to become reacquainted with some of the world’s best and most engrossing plays. ba.com

Aer Lingus has found a new way to tempt potential passengers into an upgrade by offering them the opportunity to experience Business cabin as if they were sitting on the actual aircraft, via a Google Maps virtual tour. In a tie up with photographer Oliver Murray, the only Irish recipient of the Annual Google European Awards for trusted partners, the online tour takes viewers into the Revival Lounge and Business cabin and marks the launch of the airline’s new and improved Business experience, being rolled out across its Boeing 757 fleet. aerlingus.com

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OPINION

Rail catering

Explorer at large Roger Williams, chairman of the International Rail Catering Group and consultant with The Catering Explorer shares his recent travel notes from a series of European rail journeys

I often have the opportunity to take in rail journeys around the UK and Europe and it’s a great excuse to keep a travel diary.

Most recently I’ve been sampling rail catering in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic.

Frankfurt to Cologne I recently joined the ICE express train to Cologne and was immediately impressed by the friendly greeting of the conductor and Bistro car staff.

The Bistro area offered an extensive menu of traditional German dishes including braised pork with dark beer gravy and cabbage, rostbratwürstchen with potato salad, potato stew and currywurst, amongst others and although I skipped desert, a speciality coffee served in a DB china cup rounded of the meal.

German rail catering services are managed by Deutsche Bahn (DB) itself, co-ordinated by the very capable onboard service team in Frankfurt which determines menus, pricing and service standards. There are nine station logistics centres spread across the country and a half hour walk around the basement of Cologne station soon confirmed it is a slick operation.

Logistics staff help onboard operations by providing flasks of pre-brewed coffee, trays of fresh-bake pastries and fresh salads, all prepared centrally and delivered directly to the train.

PROFILE

Roger Williams For further details on the rail catering industry, travel research or catering consultancy projects contact Roger on: roger@thecateringexplorer.com onboardhospitality.com

Some train deliveries are made from dedicated pathways set between the tracks, rather than battling through customers on platforms but as with many older railway stations, the operation relies on lifts that are many decades old - a key factor when maintenance issues arise.

On the return trip I also tried the golden German Pilsner from the bar, a real draught beer on tap and served in proper beer glasses. So much better than beer from a can!

Vienna to Linz The majority of intercity trains in Austria are operated by OBB (Austrian State Railway) and are catered by DO&CO. A private railway called Westbahn also operates trains on a single route and these are self-catered. Both run between Vienna and Linz so we could compare the two.

The OBB trains are Railjets - spacious carriages, with a buffet counter, small galley and about 15 dining seats. A catering trolley is operated through Standard, and waiter service into First, but there was not much evidence of ‘selling’ during our trip.

Sitting in the Bistro car we ordered coffee, water and savoury snacks, which were served by the DO&CO member of staff with reasonable speed but little attention to detail. The coffee arrived with no spoon or sugar and the water

OPINION

without a glass or ice being offered.

Menus were sticky, tables were grubby and uncleared and the catering offer did not add to the travel experience. Marketing references to a branded offer - Henry am Zug - promised culinary delights but none of the passengers were buying, even though it was lunchtime.

Overall it wasn’t particularly impressive and the Bistro looked in need of refurbishment.

With an OBB tender process for a replacement caterer ongoing, perhaps uncertainty and staff shortages are having a detrimental effect.

The Westbahn return journey had a different and even lower catering specification. Staff were checking tickets, cleaning and (in some small way) providing catering but there was no catering vehicle and the only snacks were in a locked cabinet, unlocked on request. Coffee was from a vending type machine and of poor quality. A disappointing catering experience.

services. In First, the at-seat complimentary offerings on the Pendolino included Bohemia Sekt Sparkling Wine as a welcome drink, hot Vienna to Prague and cold drinks and a snack - baguette, salad At the newly-refurbished Vienna International or yoghurt. Interestingly, complimentary water Hauptbahnhof we joined the CD (Czech is handed out in Standard too. Menus have Railway) Railjet train, been developed by CD catered by JLV. Fresh "Given Austria is such a refined restaurant chef, Martin and clean, with smart society with a discerning customer Jiskra and his team and JLV staff who were base I was surprised. I came away the restaurants were immediately interested feeling that both operators need well frequented. The bar in serving you. We’d counter and galley of the to up their game" opted to travel in Intercity train has recently First at only a minimum supplement, and on been refurbished allowing for a greater range departure the host came into the carriage of snacks, draught beers and speciality coffees offering complimentary water and newspapers to be served. Galley equipment has been and taking orders to be served at seat. improved too with dishwashing facilities and The advertised breakfast included hot new ovens. What sets the Pendolino apart from porridge with apple slices and cinnamon; or both the Intercity train and Railjet is the online warm smoked ham, cheese and relish with fresh offering. Wifi allows customers to order hot baked bread; or even the delicious smelling snacks from their seat with delivery guaranteed sausages and mustard sauce. within 20 minutes. JLV reports a decent take-up Traditional Czech meals with regional rate has pushed up meal sales levels. • flavours were also offered onboard including braised sirloin in cream sauce with dumplings and cranberries.

Prague to Pardubice The Pendolino and Intercity trains both have well-presented restaurant, buffet counter and trolley onboardhospitality.com

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Above: Czech Railways Pendolino Bar serving draught beer Below: Martin Jiskra (second left) with other members of the Czech National Team of Chefs and Confectioners leading menu development for JLV

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FOCUS ON

Source

Customer facing Green Gourmet has a new consumer-facing lead brand for its travel and leisure range. Source is designed to communicate its commitment to authentic ingredients. Laura Gelder reports

G

reen Gourmet's new Source brand will be built on social media, through Facebook, Twitter and, in particular, Instagram as a fast way to share experiences with both caterers and consumers.

Says Barry Jordan, marketing manager, Green Gourmet: "The name encompasses our globally-inspired mix of menu classics and forward-thinking products.” That mix has seen a significant expansion and new dishes showcased at this year’s WTCE included sweet potato fries, buttermilk blueberry pancakes, a range of burritos, a beef piffero (folded flute-like pizza snack) and the New York deli sandwich, a product already recognised by the Onboard Hospitality Awards.

The pastrami, emmental and gherkin sandwich uses American mustard and rye and caraway bread and was identified as a ‘One to Watch’ in the awards.

Says Jordan: “Our research showed that American foods are some of the most talked about, prevalent food products right now so we wanted to make this classic American sandwich available for inflight caterers as a hot-serve toastie.”

Green Gourmet has a history of taking popular products from the ground and making them work in the air – such as its fish and chips which British Airways first introduced onboard two years ago.

Jordan says: “We want to find the products that other industries take for granted, like great chunky chips, and get them onboard for the first time.”

Jordan hails the development of Green Gourmet’s double cheese burger as an Pictured: A British classic: beef pie and chunky chips

example of its innovation: “The burger is presented in two halves, cutting the height of the product for efficient tray loading.

The two slices of tangy Cheddar cheese protect the bread from drying out. Along with a special recipe dough, this helps the product perform well in an airline oven.”

Creative kitchen The Gloucestershire-based development kitchen is the hub of innovation but the Green Gourmet team goes far and wide to research the latest food trends.

"In the UK, outlets like Marks and Spencer Food and Pret a Manger are at the forefront of food trends and packaging design. Our development team go on food safaris, visiting high street shops and food markets to see what's selling,” says Jordan.

“It influences our product development programme. For example, the New York deli sandwich appeared on 11 of the UK high street menus we tracked in 2015 (up from five in 2014). Having that evidence of onboardhospitality.com

consumer familiarity with a product makes it a more compelling choice for airline caterers,” he adds.

The Source brand also champions responsibly-sourced ingredients. The new range of British Classics (another food trend identified by Green Gourmet) offers a British beef pie with the Red Tractor seal of approval, an independently verified seal of quality. Similarly, its fish and chips contain MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified fish – the first time this was applied to a pre-packaged onboard product.

Source's flow-wrapped products also feature a new, recyclable premium PET film that's 40% lighter than its predecessor.

So what's next? Jordan thinks organic is a trend to watch. “An amazing 18% of new products in the German retail market were certified organic in 2014 and it's growing in other western markets. We have a great organic offering for our UK school meal business so we're in an ideal position to develop this for travel caterers ,” he says. •

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NEW ARRIVALS

Onboard Innovators

Yaos Start-up is not a word you often hear in travel catering circles, but yaos is bringing a tech edge to inflight catering. Laura Gelder met the team at WTCE The Swiss technology company yaos LLC was founded just under a year ago but its concept was developed in 2012 when a group of university students identified a need to make onboard catering smarter and more efficient.

“We saw that we could help airlines load more efficiently by predicting what and how much their customers will want so that they only load what will be used,” says co-founder of yaos, Fabian Niederer.

Optimising loading configurations, Fabian explains, can save airlines money in terms of fuel and in turn reduce CO2: “Even for the smallest fleets, load optimisation is worthwhile because at the bottom line they save money with our application.”

The LimeFlight Inflight Catering Management Suite by yaos allows airlines to manage their loads, inventory and invoicing. “LimeFlight is an intuitive modular web-based application which we can configure based on each client’s needs,” says Fabian. The system also allows airlines to exchange any data captured with other IT systems they may use to increase efficiency across the business.

Like most start-ups, yaos is developing and there are more modules/features to be added. The team is working towards one goal:

to forecast the consumption on each flight to reduce the loading of unnecessary items.

The case study The team has already completed a key step towards this vision after a successful pilot-test with the Swiss airline Edelweiss.

LimeFlight has been given the thumbs up by the carrier, which said: "It helps us be agile and lean, save costs and focus on passengers’ needs.”

Working with the yaos team, Edelweiss imported data from its old catering system into LimeFlight and instantly started predicting the effects of loading changes.

According to yaos, the time it took to complete a loading configuration was reduced by 97%.

LimeFlight shows the user in real time the exact impact a loading configuration change has on weight and the savings which can be achieved, providing statistics and forecasting after one loading cycle.

Thanks to the LimeFlight mobile app onboardhospitality.com

the crew is able to search offline on their mobile phones for items loaded into the galley – a big step forward from the paperbased reports provided by other solutions, which can lead to confusion and errors.

The external caterer can be given access to the system as well. Fabian says: “This way we can ensure that everyone is working with the same up-to-date data. It's what we call the ‘single point of truth.’”

For Edelweiss, the pilot-test resulted in an 80% reduction in crew errors, 42% reduction in handling errors and 42% reduction in miscommunication with caterers. Edelweiss has now switched off their old system and moved to LimeFlight.

But yaos is still honing LimeFlight.

According to Fabian, one of its greatest strengths is how user-friendly it is and yaos offers constant updates to the software and tweaks the application based on individual airline’s needs. With the team set to double capacity in its first year, flexibility shouldn’t be a problem. yaos.ch/fabian@yaos.ch •

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IN PERSON

Cindy Lam FOUNDER, CINDY LAM INFLIGHT PRODUCTS (CLIP)

A stylish new onboard solutions company has arrived under the leadership of product, design and styling guru, Cindy Lam. Jo Austin talks to its founder

Q. You are a very familiar face in the industry. Tell us how it all began?

A. I consider myself a curious and sociable person. I was born in China and raised in the US where I graduated with a degree in marketing. I moved to Hong Kong in 1997 and having spent the first few years in the hospitality industry, I joined Gate Gourmet.

Fast forward, 20 years having lived in Europe and the Middle East, I’m back in Hong Kong and have embarked on another adventure.

I have held senior executive roles covering everything from sales and product development and overall responsibility for operations and supply chain. My last position was md for Helios Hong Kong office.

Q. So where do you feel is your home?

A. I consider myself a global citizen and am fortunate to call several places home. Home is where my heart is and right now, with my family settled in Hong Kong, this is home. It is my anchor and also the most amazing and dynamic place to live and work!

Q. Where does your product and market development expertise come from?

A. I’ve been fortunate that in my past roles I defined my own job description. Without boundaries, I was free to explore and expand in all avenues. This allowed me to bring fresh ideas, concepts and products to life, whether working as a consultant for an airline or

Having time to step away from the market and seeing how the dynamics of the industry had changed, I knew I was too young to retire and too old to work for someone else!

Q. So how has Clip come about?

A. In 2013 I decided to take a sabbatical to enjoy some quality family time. Many people in the industry, customers and suppliers alike, suggested that I start up my own business. So, having had time to step away from the market and see how the dynamics of the industry had changed, I knew I was too young to retire, and too old to work for someone else! I reached out to an investor who is very established and has several businesses in the aviation industry and brought on board a Swiss design team with an international clientele portfolio. Together, we formed Clip.

developing a full tableware service concept for Business or Economy. I do believe ‘the world is your oyster’ and it’s about how you want to make it and expand your horizons.

Coming from hospitality, there are a lot of parallels with the inflight business. The products are very similar and I try to take inspiration from leading hotels and restaurants to capture the same feel and atmosphere at 35,000 feet. I love to travel and being open to new ideas, customs and cultures and having an inquisitive mind, I gather different impressions and apply them to my development and work. The inflight market is very specialised and has many onboardhospitality.com

constraints so what sets us apart is knowing the market well and creating surprises that exceed expectations!

Developing products that are fit for purpose and are aesthetically pleasing is a constant challenge and every airline has its own set of requirements. Knowing, understanding and helping to resolve those challenges are what inspire me to innovate and create smart solutions onboard. A genuine want to understand as much as possible and challenge the norm in order to be knowledgeable and have airlines come to count on us. This is what Clip aims to do, to provide smart solution onboard.

Q. Tell us about your Clip partners and future projects?

A. Forming partnerships is essential in our business. We form partnerships that bring value and advantage to the business. For example, we have an exclusive partnership with a luxury lifestyle brand, Kuan’s Living, which was the winner of the Onboard Hospitality Awards for textile products developed for China Airlines. Kuan's creates

Kuan's Living textiles

IN PERSON

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Noritake partnership

bespoke luxury bedding for five-star hotels, private yachts and department stores in the US and have prestigious retail locations all over Asia. For premium tableware, Noritake has engaged Clip to sell its Western and Japanese tableware products to new potential clients. We also have very high-end tableware brands for the uber premium classes and private aviation sector. Not to mention international skincare and bag brands we can offer for the amenities business. We believe the key is to find the right match for both the brand and the airline, creating a win-win-win solution for all.

In terms of projects or innovation, one major international airline has completed test flights of a new product and this will be launched in July. We have several exciting projects in the pipeline and hope to share those successes with your readers soon!

Airlines and brands have engaged Clip to help them with various developments, whether it’s design for particular products or for amenity kits, or pyjamas or bedding or new concept development. Lots of things are happening at Clip - watch this space!

Q. What is your vision for Clip?

A. We are the ‘new kid on the block’ and it

PROFILE: Cindy Lam

Cindy was born in China and raised and educated in the US where she graduated with a degree in marketing. After finishing university she moved to Hong Kong to witness the handover in 1997. She then worked in Europe and the Middle East before returning to Hong Kong where she has embarked on her new venture. She has an exclusive partnership with Kuan's Living and is working with Noritake.

onboardhospitality.com

takes time for the market and customers to know us as a new company. We had a very successful WTCE this year, with an overwhelming number of visitors. Our ambition is to help our airline customers create products that enhance the overall guest experience by creating enjoyable, memorable and lasting impressions. We aim to make a real difference in the market and to see as many of our products fly on as many airlines as possible. •

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focus on

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Forum 365

The fine art of seduction The seventh Forum 365 hosted by Formia at WTCE saw industry design guru, Keith Yates, turn the focus onto a luxury trend towards the subtle and understated, Julie Baxter reports

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uxury is experiencing a time of transition, says Yates. While luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Cartier, Burberry and Prada have become a staple of conspicuous consumption in the Chinese market, elsewhere around the globe change is decoupling the link between brand and luxury.

He says: "There is something happening at a deep psychological level. Those who really want exclusive status have migrated to a less fuss, inconspicuous type of luxury.

They want less of the logo-laden stuff, less mass market products and more artisan, handmade products. They want the less ostentatious, the more subtle.

"We need to understand that the way we use brands in the aircraft may not be so clever any more. Do we really need the airline name on everything from the sugar’s packaging to the napkin? This 'less fuss' group wants its luxury toned down. They are people who want to be seen as connoisseurs, as collectors. We are moving from a focus on ‘having’ to a focus on ‘being’. We all have that ‘having’ drive, and want things, but it seems it has been getting out of control.

"Now we are moving towards a more balanced position. The inconspicuous consumer is putting the brakes on having in favour of experiences. Witness the rise of celebrity chefs, and of watches with Did you know?

Where are luxury consumers found?

30% in China, 24% in US, 18% in Europe, 10% Japan and Asia, 7% Rest of the world

no logo that can only be bought through social media by those in the know. Witness the growth in spas and wellness holidays, and in restaurants that sell out years in advance. Look too at the rise in the sharing economy where travellers stay in someone else’s home, dipping into their lifestyle instead of staying in a hotel.

"As an industry, we are selling space, and the experience around that space.

Bring space and quiet together and you will win. For airlines it will be about how they manage the passengers’ time. It is vital they persuade us that we are having a good experience so things like dine-ondemand, which has become a signature experience for Etihad, will be key.

"Excellence and product are still key but there is also a growing need for human connections. Personnel is key, as is tapping into our need for our family; creating onboardhospitality.com

intimate spaces, personal experiences and human interactions as we travel.

"The luxury experience is increasingly a state of mind and to provide it to each individual you have to listen and care about what creates that state of mind.

These people need to know they are noticed, that they are included and that they are special. We have to develop the art of offering them things they want before they even ask for them.

"This trend is particularly prevalent in the millennials of 35 or younger – this is a vast and diverse group, spending 13% more than other generations on travel, and spending on quality – single origin coffee, artisan breads, antibiotic-free meats, butter from grass-fed cows and the like.

They have a different way of interacting with the world and we have to respond to that." •

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entertainment & connectivity WHAT'S NEW? Here, Richard Williams reports on the news and views from the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. Watch out for our next dedicated Onboard Entertainment & Connectivity supplement, out in September. Get involved!

Email: richard@appinpublishing.co.uk or sue.williams@onboardhospitality.com

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GOGO / SITONAIR CRYSTAL CABIN AWARDS ROCKWELL COLLINS ARCONICS VIASAT PANASONIC / SKYLIGHTS / GLOBAL ONE MEDIA DIGECOR INMARSAT / THALES GEE MEDIA

Spending up as IFEC gets personal THE Passenger Experience Conference took place in April, the day before the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) began with 700 exhibitors, including 145 firsttimers. Event organiser, Katie Murphy, said spending on IFEC in the past year was up 30%, and this was reflected in the increased size of the IFEC Zone.

Jason Chua from Airbus encouraged delegates to focus more on luxury, saying that although airline travel has become cheaper in response to consumer demand, luxury items such as bespoke suits, gourmet meals, Bentley and Rolex products showed there was an opportunity for airlines to earn more by bringing more magic to the flying experience.

Alexis Steinman and Duncan Abell of Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE) focused on digital media trends and flagged up the importance of 'BIG Content'. Some 160 movies were launched in the US in 1980 compared to 700 this year, and big subscription-based content providers such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are now threatening to eclipse even these.

With 7.2 billion mobiles in the world, and 71% of passengers using streaming on their phones, the question for airlines is how to best get involved with the personal electronic devices (PED) eco-

system. Steinman appeared to advocate a curated approach to IFE with a rousing call to "know your demographic, your consumers, and your own brand".

Andrew Doyle of Aerospace moderated a discussion on leading innovation, asserting that: "The most important innovations will be the ones that simplify the experience."Â Don Buchman, of ViaSat, said increased bandwidth through ViaSat 3 would deliver 1Tbps on each of its three satellites "ushering in the age of no seatback". onboardhospitality.com

While Francois Rodriguez of SITAONAIR is predicting a complete digital transformation onboard, in cabin and cockpit. He said: "The market is fragmented; consolidation will continue, with both airlines and solutions providers.

Contracts are getting larger, and there is a lot of pressure on us to deliver."

He forsees pressure from pilots too, insisting on the latest and most innovative technology to ensure safe and efficient flight operations. aircraftinteriorsexpo.com

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ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT & CONNECTIVITY

SITAONAIR's portal gets personal with content

Gogo tracks wifi demand MORE than half of all global travellers factor in wifi provision when choosing a flight, according to a global passenger survey from Gogo.

Some 75% of travellers within the US and Canada say they are interested in using inflight connectivity while in the rest of the world, where inflight connectivity is still in its infancy, interest is higher at around 86%. When it comes to wireless IFE, 76% of global passengers show interest against 67% interest from US and Canadian travellers.

The number of passengers boarding a flight with at least one wifi enabled device also continues to climb, and now stands at 90%. “There are very few places on earth today that people can’t connect and the plane is really the last frontier,” said Ash ElDifrawi, Gogo’s cco. “What’s surprising to us is that the demand is actually higher outside of the US and Canada, where we are just scratching the surface in terms of connecting planes. This growing demand creates a significant opportunity for airlines

servicing these regions,” he added.

Gogo has announced a partnership with Airbus Corporate Jet Centre (ACJC), an Airbus subsidiary, to install, on retrofit basis, its 2Ku inflight connectivity technology on new A350 aircraft.

Delta Air Lines will be the first customer and expects delivery in 2017. Additionally, Delta has become the first US airline to launch domestic 2Ku service on its narrowbody aircraft.

“We are looking forward to working with ACJC to offer this product to airlines,” said Michael Small, Gogo’s president and ceo.

“Working with ACJC and Airbus to make 2Ku available on the A350 is great news for airlines interested in the most future-proof inflight connectivity solution.”

Gogo has announced 2Ku contracts with Delta Airlines, United, GOL, Aeromexico, JTA, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, JAL, Hainan, Beijing Capital and recently the IAG Group comprising British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia. gogoair.com onboardhospitality.com

THE latest version of SITAONAIR's onboard portal personalises content on the seatback screen by drawing in details from the passenger's social media accounts such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

This version of Internet ONAIR is now flying with most of their airline customers including Philippine Airways and Qatar. The new version has a number of other features including moving map and destination guides.

The full suite of products includes Crewtab, an advanced system for passenger and service management for cabin crew. For the cockpit there is also an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and a ground-based Flight Tracker.

The EFB has just been adopted

by Royal Brunei Airlines (RB), which will deliver paperless operational information to pilots onboard its Airbus A320-200 fleet. The technology will also be deployed as a backup on its Boeing 787-8 fleet.

Said David Lavorel, SITAONAIR’s ceo: “We have worked very closely with RB over the last 15 months introducing Datalink Services, Flight Messenger and Flight Tracker, and now with the implementation of our EFB Solution, RB will be able to further optimise their operations and digitise the cockpit.”

sitaonair.aero

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Crystal Cabin Awards 2016 - the winners NOW in its 10th anniversary year, these awards, run by the Hamburg Aviation cluster, set a new record with 95 entries from 18 nations.

Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said: "Hardly any industry is as open for creativity as the aviation industry. It is essential that we encourage and appropriately reward those who are prepared to experiment and innovate." The winners were:

Passenger Comfort Hardware went to Rebel.Aero for an innovative standard seat for Economy.

The concept promises more leg room thanks to a seating surface that can be folded upwards during flight.

Cabin Concepts was won by Etihad Airways. Ingenious use of space gives the company’s Boeing 787 First Suite the same comfort as the Airbus A380. Working together with Acumen Design, the airline from the United Arab Emirates picked up a trophy for the second year in a row.

Electronic Systems went to Lufthansa Systems. The company’s BoardConnect Portable solution is a portable, and therefore much lighter, complete solution consisting of server, modem, entertainment packages and access point for up to 50 passengers and their mobile devices. The hardware box is thoroughly flexible; the crew can carry

it through the cabin as needed and new content such as films can easily be installed via USB stick.

Cabin Systems went to B/E Aerospace from the US for the Viu LED lighting system.

Flexible LED elements make it possible to illuminate almost every space in the cabin, from the entry to the overhead lockers.

Material and Component went to Sekisui SPI for its infused imaging technology that allows for much more creative printing on cabin elements, seat shells, partition walls, etc.

University Category All three finalists in the University category came from Delft University of Technology. The winner was Manon Kühne for her idea of a hammock as a headrest in Economy. Fold out wings provide a more comfortable anti-slip position on the headrest. onboardhospitality.com

Greener Cabin, Health, Safety and Environment was awarded to Boeing and the Fresh Lavatory. The onboard toilet sets new standards in terms of hygiene, automatically disinfecting surfaces and the water supply to the washbasin using UV light the moment the passenger leaves the room. Furthermore, infrared sensors make almost completely non-contact usage of the toilet, water tap, hand dryer, and door lock possible.

Visionary Concepts went to Zodiac Aerospace for its Lifestyle Cabin.

Instead of the traditional, established class system, there are different areas – sleeping, meeting, and lounge. Instead of leaning back in your seat, for example, you can go to the upper deck to the sleeping area.

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ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT & CONNECTIVITY

in conversation with...

Rockwell Collins Richard Nordstrom, senior director global marketing, stresses his company's avionics credentials

ROCKWELL COLLINS' systems exponentially more value. are installed on 14,000 flight We are seeing exciting developments in the decks and in 1000 airports connectivity market. Inmarsat’s GX system and we have a commercial is the best option available today for truly relationship with 300 airlines. Our avionics global coverage. It is consistent, seamless credentials and experience with flight and scalable. deck-critical operations are Rockwell Collins is working just a part of our broader on a new electronically experience with the whole steered array terminal aviation ecosystem. for the OneWeb Low Earth Now we are applying that Orbit (LEO) constellation of 800 experience into the cabin to ensure satellites that will provide global that what we deliver is reliable and costcoverage in 2019/20 timeframe. effective.

Recently announced projects Our established for us include a avionics background hybrid overhead "We know that what we ensures we have a good and seatback system produce for the cabin needs to be intuitive, simple and understanding of what for 20 aircraft flying easy to use" the original equipment with Sichuan Airlines, manufacturers (OEMs) a GX connectivity require relative to line fit and the long-term deal on three B767s for Astana Airlines, viability of products, so that when airlines and an all inseat Boeing line fit for Biman install something, they know it will last. In the Bangladesh Airlines. Boeing said that this cabin, we do the same thing; the hardware was the first time that an IFE system worked really has a quality that ensures it is reliable, perfectly the first time they turned it on. It is available and effective. currently operating on 99.998% availability, But more than that, we know that which is flight-deck level reliability. what we produce for the cabin needs rockwellcollins.com to be intuitive, simple and easy to use. We aim to deliver a product and service that fits our customers’ requirements in three areas: total cost of ownership, ancillary revenue potential and increased operational efficiency.

Since we acquired ARINC two and a half years ago, Rockwell Collins is now able to extend beyond traditional IFE hardware, providing connectivity for passengers as well as in support of the aviation ecosystem.

Airlines want to use that connectivity to drive onboardhospitality.com

ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT & CONNECTIVITY

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CloudStore's a hit for Arconics

©ARCONICS.COM

DUBLIN-BASED Arconics has heralded CloudStore, its Wireless In-Flight Entertainment (W-IFE) platform, a success following its launch into revenue service with Tigerair Australia, less than 12 weeks after the contract was signed.

The Tigerair configuration of CloudStore offers free and paid-for entertainment content including movies, TV, music, flight information, moving map, onboard product and service options as well as destination information. Additional features and content are planned.

The system is approved by the major Hollywood studios and certified

by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority for gate-to-gate operation on passengers' own devices connected to the onboard wireless network.

Gary Byrnes, digital marketing manager, says the system can be used with or without a fully-connected aircraft. Its strength is its back-end system, which facilitates the loading and management of content, and its clear user interface.

Adam Rowe, commercial director,

Tigerair Australia said: “We saw valuable product for Tigerair Australia.” significant uptake and interest in the In announcing the deployment at AIX CloudStore App from our passengers in 2016 in Hamburg, Arconics cco Fergal the first week of the IFE product offering, Murray said: “Tigerair is one of the first showing us that there is a real appetite low cost airlines globally to deploy for BYOD (Bring IFE. Enhancing Your Own Device) the passenger "We’re working to deliver delivery of inflight experience while a game-changing and entertainment. contributing to the industry-leading ancillary We are excited bottom line has long revenue stream" about this growing been considered a opportunity for holy grail by carriers. sales of IFE content and believe that, as “We’re already working with Tigerair we grow this ancillary revenue on a series of enhancements based channel, it will become a on their long-term vision and the unprecedented customer insights that our platform delivers. We’re proud to be working hand in hand with the commercial and technical teams at Tigerair to deliver a gamechanging and industry-leading ancillary revenue stream.”

Arconics also has an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and Document Management System (DMS) for the cockpit. These are currently in use by Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Qatar, and Philippine Airways. arconics.com onboardhospitality.com

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ViaSat predicts the end of seatback

DON BUCHMAN of ViaSat grabbed the that this is not just a fad – it’s real and headlines at AIX by announcing his it’s powerful. intention to ‘blow seatback wifi out of “So, when we have ViaSat 3, what the water’ when ViaSat 3 is launched in do we do with all that capacity? Well, 2019. in terms of airlines, ViaSat 2 will offer people can bring on "We’re not talking about 300Mbps when it their own devices, killing IFE – that’s just an is launched next option. Ultra low-cost airlines with their own are especially interested in year, but ViaSat 3 content rights and that, saving costs and fuel" is a constellation of subscriptions, and three satellites each airlines can, for projected to deliver 1Tbps. "The three the first time, have real options that versions show our service evolving from enable them to think about getting domestic to regional to global,” said out of the content curation business.

Buchman.

They no longer have to buy and “In the last two years we’ve created maintain expensive, heavy seatbacks or a lot of chaos in the market. Everyone get involved in curating and loading was within 10% of each other; Gogo, content on aircraft. We’re not talking Global Eagle Entertainment, Panasonic, about killing IFE – that’s just an option.

Inmarsat, they were all selling the same Ultra low-cost airlines are especially pitch. They didn’t know how to deal with interested in that, saving costs and fuel.” us, because we came from a consumer ViaSat already supplies connectivity background. Now that we’ve been in the to JetBlue and United in the US, with market for a couple of years and signed Thales as the integrator lead. Virgin up a few more airlines, people can see America, El Al and Qantas have also onboardhospitality.com

taken the service, with ViaSat itself as the integrator. This reflects the strength of the ViaSat 1 service over the US, and regionally over Europe and Australia.

“Now that they’ve seen the value of what we bring, they’ve shifted from wanting the installation to wanting the service. The airlines have told us they just want to work with us directly.

“We’re delivering service to 700,000 homes in the US, doing 30,000 installs a month at our peak, so we know how to manage high-volume, high capacity installation and distribution pipelines.

We’re confident that we’ve got enough capacity worldwide to meet demand.”

Buchman also announced that the STC had just been received for the Ka-band antenna and the Ku/Ka hybrid radome, which they developed for Virgin America to use on their routes to Hawaii.

Qantas is also interested in using this on their A330 fleet on their seasonal routes to Singapore and the Philippines.

Buchman said that they had been using this antenna for nearly two years on a government B757. Its Ku network has been serving up to 1000 government and private aircraft, and 4000 boats through their maritime division KVH Industries. viasat.com

ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT & CONNECTIVITY

Skylights Theater headsets

Panasonic adds an app PANASONIC is backing the trend towards personalisation with its Companion App which enables passengers to book and check-in, and then engages him or her with a whole raft of extra options to personalise the flight.

Passengers can also preview the film and audio selection, choose playlists, preview a destination guide and even book services such as transfers, hotels, events and activities through the app.

This gives the airline the potential to enhance revenue by selling these services. Passengers can also be persuaded to engage with the airline before, during and even after the flight, with, for example, concierge and feedback services.

Onboard, the passenger uses his own device to access the seatback screen, which welcomes him personally and prepares his playlists. Then, with full details of frequent flier status and credit card details, the customer can shop from the buy-on-board menu, select duty

free, and organise their trip by booking activities and services in the destination.

The personal device can be used as a second screen to email, update Facebook, access the internet, see the moving map, etc. Robert Wood of Panasonic says: "The advantage of this system is that you do not put the airline app away - it comes to life onboard."

It is also a useful tool to address irregular operations, such as delays, baggage problems, and connecting flights. An attractive Business class upgrade could potentially include an even more personalised concierge service accessed through the app.

The launch customer for the app is Singapore Airlines, which has selected Panasonic as its solutions provider for its entire 787-10 fleet and A350 Ultra-long-haul fleet. The airline has just taken delivery of its first A350 aircraft equipped with Panasonic’s eX3, its most advanced IFEC system. panasonic.com onboardhospitality.com

SKYLIGHTS Theater's cinema headsets, with 3D goggles specially designed for airline use, are now being trialled on XL Airways France.

Deployed with BOSE headphones, the units are soon to be integrated into a single headset. They are light, with a battery capacity of six hours for 2D and 3D movies, and give access to the Fox and Dreamworks catalogues.

Passengers pay to use the headsets, which provide an impressively immersive experience, and seem potentially to promise an alternative source of long-haul inflight entertainment. Skylights supplies and supports the kits, including recharging, maintenance and content updates, so airlines simply hand over the headsets to the passengers.

Four other European and Middle Eastern airlines have booked trials.

skylights.aero

Bespoke IFE from One Media UK-BASED content service provider Global One Media is offering to engineer a bespoke IFE passenger experience through its One Inflight service. The service takes on Graphical User Interface (GUI) design and content planning while building software interfaces to create an exclusive design that is easy-to-navigate and user-friendly.

The company works with Gulf Air and has 50 other clients worldwide. It offers content such as Hollywood movies, international films, TV, child-oriented design, audio licensing, software, and disability content. It designs for AVOD active content and also redundancy content for fallback operations. globalonemedia.co.uk

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in conversation with...

digEcor David Withers, ceo, talks about his highspeed journey since acquiring the company three years ago

DIGECOR has a high value complete new GLIDE passenger service offering, so there is now no system, is on schedule to be completed to a excuse for airlines not to have tight six-month schedule. an embedded high-res IFE As for branding, of course we can always system with lots of content, that is easy to change the screen colour and logo for a navigate and very reliable. customer, but we can also provide a We want to change the perception of completely customised GUI and interface. digEcor as a low-end supplier and with If airlines want to attract sponsorship, we our current programme for a premium can also help them with that process. We Business class on EuroAtlantic, we are now a can offer banners, pop ups, pre-rolls, postsubstantial player across rolls and even help the the full range of cabin airline sell to potential "It is notoriously difficult to types. We are focused sponsors. select content. Move away on consolidating our IFE content is from mainstream content range of products, and changing from the and everybody wants expanding screen sizes. traditional US-centric something different" EuroAtlantic is a charter model of Hollywood company, based in Lisbon, movies and US specialising in long aircraft leases. The deal is TV shows to a more global focus. This is for three 767 aircraft to be equipped in a interesting, as our storage capacity on aircraft high-density Economy class and a premium grows, airlines can put bigger libraries on Business class. Business class has a fully- their flights and satisfy the increasingly niche reclining seat with a 15-inch screen and demands and interests of their passengers. a tethered controller. The fit, including a DigEcor is one of the few hardware suppliers to also offer a full content selection and management service. This works well for small airlines, who prefer to go to a onestop shop for fitting IFE and their content selection and services.

There is a trend towards diversity; if you offer passengers more choice, they demand even more. It is notoriously difficult to select content. As you move away from mainstream content, you find everybody wants something different. We launched our new content selection service last year abd the commercial model is now much more attractive for airlines, as they can satisfy their increasingly discerning audiences with a much bigger library of more diverse content – at the same cost as before. digecor.com onboardhospitality.com

ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT & CONNECTIVITY

New AVANT from Thales

Inmarsat ready to roll out GX INMARSAT president Leo Mondale has announced a joint venture with Chinese state-owned Beijing Marine Communication Navigation Company (MCN) for inflight connectivity.

Based on the Global Xpress (GX) service, the system will be operational in summer 2016 as the only legal source for cabin/ cockpit communications in China.

Mondale admitted the current SwiftBroadband service is, like other systems on the market, a cockpit service adapted for cabin use and can be unreliable and inconsistent in the cabin, despite a 20 year success record in the cockpit. He stressed the importance of designing for predicted usage and said that with millions of passengers a day projected to be using the service, it made sense to design for purpose.

He pointed out that Inmarsat's Global Xpress is a point to point system designed for mobile applications, and therefore superior for aircraft use.

He claims 100% coverage of the airline

route system, and says that the seven future Ka-band satellite payloads Inmarsat has committed to will ensure extra capacity around airline hubs, where it is needed.

The final, fifth generation, Ka-band satellite will launch this summer, followed by the combined L and Ka-band payload I-6s in 2020, for which Airbus is building the first two satellites.

Commercial trials for the European Aviation Network (EAN) will begin in 2017.

This will integrate an Inmarsat satellite network with an LTE-based air-to-ground network, operated by Deutsche Telecom.

"All this means that the cost to airlines is going down as the bandwidth goes up. All the pieces are in place, and the functionality is there. Airlines have to make the right decision on choosing their connectivity partner, not just for today, but for the future."

Initial customers for the new GX service include Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and Kuwaiti airline Jazeera Airways. inmarsat.com onboardhospitality.com

THALES’ new lightweight AVANT system offers 1080p Full High Definition (FHD) video in a broad range of sizes.

And, for premium passengers, Thales offers a new handset, Avii, with Air Mouse motion control. The system can be paired with passenger devices, providing intuitive navigation and personalisation.

AVANT is currently flying on more than 230 aircraft and is offerable on all newgeneration Boeing and Airbus.

Thales was chosen to equip Singapore Airlines’ medium-haul A350 XWBs with its latest IFE and connectivity solutions earlier this year and will equip Hainan Airlines’ future fleet of wide-body A330s; the first is planned for delivery late 2017.

Airbus has also selected Thales as lead supplier for High Bandwidth Connectivity (HBC) on A320, A330 and A380 aircraft, enabling Thales to offer line-fit connectivity.

Thales’ vp of global sales, William Huot-Marchand, said: “The market has been expecting a level of performance that creates a live, connected, and personalised experience for every passenger. We are enriching the travel experience through a complete ecosystem that provides airlines valuable services to improve efficiencies and increase passenger engagement.” thalesgroup.com

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GEE adds new ENTICE AIRLINES are demanding 20-50 times the current bandwidth in order to satisfy passenger demand for streaming content, according to Aditya Chatterjee, cto at GEE (pictured below).

Chatterjee said: "We have to think beyond one spectrum so we have an open connectivity architecture, which means we are increasingly agnostic on Ku or Ka and use easily adaptable technology. We work with big partners, such as Hughes network systems for digital technology, Qest for antennas, and SES for satellite connectivity. And our new Airconnect Global inflight connectivity antenna features parts that can mostly be used on both Ku and Ka-band antenna. To change over, you simply have to swap the dish, which takes a matter of hours."

He said that as Ka coverage is globally limited, Ku was GEE's key focus for now, adding: “In the US, capacity issues demand that you look at both. And the need for extra capacity could happen in Europe tomorrow. Ka is likely to be a popular option for North America, with the rest of the world remaining focused on Ku, for the next few years at least. An airline can also opt to split its fleet between Ka and Ku, if necessary.”

Regarding the challenges of antennas, Chatterjee said: "The more precisely you can point the antenna, the better. Ours is a three-

axis antenna, which allows us to track a Unlike most systems today, which offer satellite from a lot of different angles." an anonymous experience, the system is He added: "The phased array antenna personalised. It knows who I am, knows is getting more my preferences, popular, but we and makes have not had good recommendations.

"The new ENTICE wireless IFE experiences with It allows me to solution will target airlines them. The motors resume what I have which have not previously on the three-axis been watching, considered IFE an option" antennas are highly and so offers me reliable but these a more seamless antennas are heavier, resulting in more experience flight-to-flight. fuel burn."

“In terms of costs, we take on most of GEE will target airlines which have the cost of the system and bundle it to not previously considered IFE with its the airline with a simple monthly charge.

ENTICE wireless IFE solution launching We will weight the content so that it this year. It is a lightweight but fully matches the cost profile, with a lot of installed multiple-access point solution popular and international movies (not with large capacity based on proven early-window), TV content, and shorter hardware previously used by GEE, YouTube-type clips. with no issues regarding reliability or "We have to offer something new certification on multiple aircraft types. that will be attractive to new airlines Alexis Steinman, svp digital media that have a short-haul mentality, solutions, said: “The size of the library we particularly regional airlines working are offering is massive, with up to 10,000 on a low-cost or ultra low-cost model.” hours of movies, TV, audio and games. geemedia.com onboardhospitality.com

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airline passenger experience association

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The leading global event for travel catering, onboard retail and passenger comfort

Save the Date

4 - 6 April 2017 worldtravelcateringexpo.com Co-Located with:

Organised by:

NEW VENUE

Alternativ e Ener gy

EVENTS

93

WTCE Middle East Where: DICEC, Dubai When: May 9-11, 2016 Who: Jeremy Clark reports WTCE in Dubai seemed not quite the same in size as previously and coming so close to the huge success of Hamburg, perhaps many struggle to justify attendance, but there were some interesting new items on show. Among those catching my eye was Acao a new beverage from Germany.

Aimed at a health-conscious audience, it combines the taste of quince, seabuckthorn and citrus fruits with stimulating guarana berries. It's available in 250ml slim cans for onboard use. From Russia, a new product called La Batata Home Cuisine offered completely natural ready-to-use healthy vegetables and bean dishes; while Emirates Flight Catering/Food Point represented the UAE, and Bin Ablan Foods showed a tasty new mini muffin, the EMI cardamom with dates cake. wtceme.com

CALENDAR September 8 –

9 Air Experience Co ngress 2016, Business Design Centre, London terrapinn.com September 19

–

21 IFSA Expo, McC ormick Place Convention Cent re, Chicago ifsa.net.com September 21

– 22

lunch!, Business Design Centre, London lunchshow.co.uk

October 24 – 27

AIX ASIA and AP EX 2016, Marina Bay Sand s, Singapore apex.aero; aircraftinteriorse xpoasia.com

Lunch!

Air Retail Show

Where: Business Design Centre, Islington, London When: September 21-22, 2016

Where: Business Design Centre, Islington, London When: September 7-9, 2016

Bringing over 350 suppliers and 6000 trade buyers together in London this year, lunch! will turn the spotlight onto the food-togo industry and new developments in this sector.

Promising to be even bigger than last year's record show, the event offers a range of networking opportunities and a chance to source many new product ideas. A dedicated Start Up Zone will showcase over 35 new foodie enterprises all targeting the food-to-go market. lunchshow.co.uk

Combining conference sessions and an exhibition, the Air Retail Show aims to educate the industry and showcase innovation.

For 2016, the show format is being refreshed to include more interviews with travel sector game-changers, new chat showstyle panels and rapid-fire floor seminars on upcoming technology. terrapinn.com

onboardhospitality.com

94

people on the move

Changing places Introducing...

Now making their way among the up and coming, next generation of the onboard catering industry, it was good to see Laura Friedrichs and Sebastian Schlaadt on the Frankenberg stand at WTCE this year. Laura and Sebastian are working with Rüdi and Helga Friedrichs as assistants to the management, building their industry expertise and helping to plan and develop new initiatives. Laura was previously with DO&CO and Sebastian has been within Frankenberg for the past two years. In addition to showcasing its fresh flavours and menu innovations from the stand, Frankenberg also unveiled a new logo and branding for its tailor meal solutions.

Karam Chand Royal Brunei Airlines To: Chief executive officer from: chief commercial and planning officer Karam has over 20 years experience at various flag carriers and Virgin Australia. He said: “We have tremendous opportunities ahead of us and in a good position to fly the flag higher.”

Jef van de Vegte QiZiNi To: sales manager airlines From: Huis van Beleg Jef will be responsible for developingh ready to eat and ready to heat food concepts. He will be looking for the best ingredients and packaging solutions for fresh sandwiches, frozen snacks, paninis, burritos and wraps. Jef describes himself as a foodie the challenging world of airline catering.

Rajan Kurien Addis Int'national Catering TO: chief operating officer FROM: operations & technical manager Rajan has over 40 years of experience in airline catering and has held senior management positions in Oberoi Flight Services, Taj SATS Air Catering and Ambassador's Sky Chef, amongst others.

In his new role, he will develop airline catering, aircraft cabin cleaning and retail services.

Sheldon Hee Singapore Airlines TO: gM UK & Ireland FROM: vP marketing communications Sheldon will be based in the London office with immediate tasks including the continued roll-out of Premium Economy cabins. He will assume strategic leadership across all operations

within the region, overseeing sales, marketing, PR, finance, reservations and ticketing and HR activities. In his previous role he oversaw the brand’s ‘Lengths We Go To’ advertising campaign, as well as the launch of the airline’s title sponsorship of the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix.

Kate Harding Crown Foods Ltd. To: foodservice marketing manager From: My Local With experience in blue chip companies Cadbury and PepsiCo and international sales at SME Little Miracles drinks, Kate was last year recognised as one of The Grocer magazine's Top New Talents. She says: “Crown Foods has such a strong family heritage, an enviable growth trajectory and so much scope it’s a really exciting time to join.”

John Liu Mills Textiles To: Assistant Manager Asia From: Home Textiles, Qingdao Coomex Sourcing Qingdao-based textile and sourcing specialist John Liu joins the Mills Textiles team and will be reporting to the company's director of Far East, Tang Bo. Educated at Qingdao university, John has great experience in the world of textiles from his previous role as head of customer services and home textiles for Qingdao Coomex Sourcing, a company specialising in home textiles.

please send your appointment news to laura.gelder@onboardhospitality.com onboardhospitality.com

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is what we do best.

Legacy carrier or low-cost airline; economy, business, or first class; direct or connecting flight; local cuisine or a meal for special religious or dietary needs‌ every company is different, every flight is unique, every one of your passengers deserves our utmost attention.

With our broad palette of savoirfaire, committed employees, superb product offers, and premises on four continents, we stand ready to serve you, equipped with the solutions best-suited to your needs.

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ou Design and production:

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19 – 21 September 2016

* McCormick Place Convention Center 2301 Lakeshore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616

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