Onboard Hospitality 75 June/July 2018

ONBOARD HOSPITALITY � ISSUE 75 � JUNE/JULY 2018

JUNE/JULY 2018 ISSUE 75

Natural selection Onboard innovations for a greener world

WTCE review • Our 2018 Awards winners

SUSTAINABILITY PERSONALISATION WTCE REVIEW AWARDS WINNERS

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Bringing experts together to enrich your customer’s journey Stand out in the market and give your end-consumers a memorable experience with the LSG Group’s integrated solutions. We bring valuable expertise in catering, packaged products, onboard retail and equipment together to smoothly and efficiently create powerful concepts for our customers in the airline, train and convenience retail markets. With our extensive network, you can also enjoy a smooth global rollout.

Follow us on:

Connecting Experts. Creating Experiences.

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JUNE/JULY / 03

Inside this issue...

46

07 Winners announced

ENTERTAINMENT & CONNECTIVITY

26

46 49

WELLBEING Sustainability: How onboard buyers can do their bit for the planet Focus on: Getting emotional: insights from Formia's Forum 365 New arrivals: WellbeMed launches chocolate to help passengers sleep

26 33 34

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Tech targets retail: Innovations from the Passenger Technology Solutions event Opinion: Is the retail trolley dead?

In conversation with...

Robert Dalboth of En Route How to... use psychology to sell Opinion: Retail apocalypse?

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55

Our biggest team yet tours the stands and checks out the trends, tastes and top topics explored at the Taste of Travel

82

FOOD 82

RETAIL 36

50 53 54

AIX review: Updates from the show In conversation with... Jan-Peter Gaense of Lufthansa Systems Case study: What NEXT for loyalty?

Focus on: Viasat, as wifi at speed Opinion: Why wireless charging could be a game-changer Focus on: Linstol at 25

70

56

DESIGN & INNOVATION 56 61 63 64 69

Personalisation: Just how personal will personalisation be?

In conversation with... Anne De Hauw, of IN Air Travel Experience Focus on: Hipsters inflight with Joon Table manners: Creative showstoppers from tableware designers Focus on: Warewashing with Meiko

84 86 87 89 91 93

Rail catering: How rapid growth is creating great opportunities and new security challenges How to... reinvent convenience foods with Evertaste In conversation with... Fabio Gamba, Air Catering Association Focus on: Petrow, no nonsense nuts In conversation with... Gottfried Menge of Gate Gourmet How to... create heritage dining In conversation with... Federico Germani coo of gategroup

94

BEVERAGE 94 97

REGULARS

WTCE REVIEW

Hot goes cold: The heat is off as beverage buyers look for cold options Focus on: Bless juices

17 Our Mentoring Network Grants / 19 Industry Update / 98 Galley Gossip / 100 Global perspective / 102 Events

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AWARDS

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WELCOME / 05

SALES & EDITORIAL Publisher: Sue Williams

sue.williams@onboardhospitality.com Editor: Julie Baxter

julie.baxter@onboardhospitality.com Deputy Editor: Laura Gelder

laura.gelder@onboardhospitality.com Business Development Manager: Craig McQuinn

craig.mcquinn@onboardhospitality.com Contributing Editors: Steve Hartridge, Andy Hoskins, Jo Austin (For Taste of Travel

Data driven...

P

enquiries: jo.austin@onboardhospitality.com)

ersonalisation has become the buzz word of the onboard hospitality industry and the hero of the hour, it seems, is data.

Contributing Writers: Jessica Pook, Benjamin Coren, Roger Williams, Richard Williams.

(For IFEC enquiries: richard@appinpublishing.co.uk) DESIGN & PRODUCTION Creative Director: Matt Bonner

For many, the current tech talk is either mind-blowing or mindnumbing, but as back office analytics are used to crunch the numbers, refined passenger profiles and clearer insights into their habits and hang-ups are already beginning to drive product and service development.

The wealth of data appears to offer some exciting opportunities for suppliers and buyers to translate a rich digital harvest into products passenger are known to actually want. That will of course offer benefits to travellers (as you can read in our personalisation feature on page 54) but there will be wider benefits too. The issue of sustainability is moving up the agenda fast (as we explore on page 26), and if all this data can help airlines and their suppliers match supply and demand more accurately, they will cut waste and ensure every touchpoint has added value - to the benefit of travellers, operators and the planet alike.

In this issue we are also pleased to recognise the winners of our 2018 Onboard Hospitality Awards (page 7), identifying some top products, trendsetters and true forward thinking. Congratulations to them all and here's to those creative minds standing by to translate all those digital inputs into yet more incredible onboard passenger experiences.

Lead Designers: Louisa Horton & Monica Notarnicola Designers: Ross Clifford & Zoë Tarrant Production Manager: Clare Hunter Production Controller: Steve Hunter Subscriptions: Kay Fisher

subscriptions@bmipublishing.co.uk 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 © BMI Publishing Ltd 2018. Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, BMI Publishing Ltd cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions.

Julie Baxter Editor, Onboard Hospitality

ISSN: 2046-2042 Cover image: ©istockphoto.com

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE IN AIR, RAIL & CRUISE onboardhospitality.com/awards

You need to know...

ONBOARD FINDER Our one-stop sourcing platform for all your essential onboard hospitality contacts

GET YOURSELF CONNECTED

 @OBHMagazine  Onboard Hospitality at linkedin.com

onboardhospitality.com Regularly viewed by readers in over 70 countries worldwide. Read this magazine in digital form, share it virtually or subscribe • catch up on back issues • find supplier details

GET ON TRACK

Join us for rail-specific insights and debate at The Onboard Hospitality Forum - Rail at InnoTrans (Sept 19), run in collaboration with the International Rail Catering Group.

Contact: Julie Baxter

STAY CURRENT

For latest onboard news and interesting quick reads don't miss Onboard Hospitality Weekly, our regular enewsletter now read by over 14,000 key decision makers.

Contact: Laura Gelder

AWARDS 2019

The 2019 Onboard Hospitality Awards will be open for entries on September 1, 2018.

Watch out for full details in the weekly enewsletter and online in the coming weeks.

Contact: Sue Williams

SINGAPORE CALLS

The Onboard Hospitality team is this November (13-14) working with the Future Travel Experience exhibition, IFSA and APOT.Asia to host a new Onboard Hospitality Forum - Asia Contact: Craig McQuinn

ALL OF A TWITTER

We aim to help you connect in the virtual world too. Follow us on LinkedIn and through Twitter. Use #onboard #OBHawards to follow the conversation. @OBHMagazine

onboardhospitality.com

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Rail Gourmet (RG) - your one stop shop solution RG is the leading provider of catering, logistics and retail solutions to the travel industry.

We offer a One Stop Shop Solution from logistics and supply chain, customised retail concepts and technology to onboard catering and service.

Menu & Product • Category planning & management • Packaging & consumables • Product development • Food production

Logistics & Supply Chain

• • • •

• Warehouse and Central Distribution • Stock planning & purchasing • Use of SSP Group purchase power for lowest costs

Retail • Product mix selection to maximise retail sales onboard • Winning brand partnerships through SSP's portfolio of over 450 brands • Daily tracking of sales data to minimise waste

Technology Real time sales data, web & mobile EPOS online & mobile Payment solutions Pre-order/at seat order solutions

Onboard Service

Concept & Marketing

• Premium onboard service concepts • Recruitment and planning of finest service talents • Training & Development

• Development of award winning onboard concepts • Use of live consumer data to anticipate trends • Marketing strategy & planning

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20 ME 18 ET W O IN UR N ER S

WINNERS ANNOUNCED CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE RECOGNISED IN THE 2018 ONBOARD HOSPITALITY AWARDS Buyers and suppliers of onboard catering and services gathered at the Radisson Blu in Hamburg as we rolled out the red carpet and the winners of the 2018 Onboard Hospitality Awards were announced...

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AWARDS 2018 / 9

Saluting our

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CHAMPIONS

uyers and suppliers of onboard catering and services gathered at the Radisson Blu in Hamburg as the winners of the 2018 Onboard Hospitality Awards were invited to walk the red carpet and receive their recognition.

In a hotly-contested process organised

by Onboard Hospitality magazine, the 2018 award winners each received an impressive trophy celebrating their success in ten onboard categories, plus a Ones to Watch category which recognised products not yet onboard but actively targeting the market.

Finalists were chosen by Onboard Hospitality’s readers – the buyers and suppliers of onboard hospitality – through an online vote, and through assessment by a panel of industry experts which then went on to select the final winners.

Onboard Hospitality editor, Julie Baxter, said: “These awards have become a compelling annual barometer of change for our industry.

It is fascinating to see how the entries reflect trends in consumer Judging criteria expectations and First impressions / quality, operational changes. durability / life span / weight / The standard of usefulness / design functionality entries reflects the / taste / content / customer industry’s ongoing experience / innovation commitment to enhancing the onboard experience and the evolution of the passenger journey. We are delighted to champion this year’s winners and the exciting creations they have produced. Expect to read all about them in future print editions and online.”

Lifetime Achievement Award

Recognising the great people behind onboard products and services, Onboard Hospitality presented its annual Lifetime Achievement Award to En Route founder Alison Lessman Alison Lessmann founded En Route in 2002 and the awardwinning En Route team achieved phenomenal international reach under her leadership. Starting in Europe and moving on to cover the USA, Middle East and Australia, it became known for its global footprint and consistent quality. Delivering one product throughout 64 countries at one point was among Alison’s biggest achievements, along with establishing the company's trendsetting position in the industry, winning multiple awards and recognition for its can-do attitude and the business mantra: “nothing is impossible.”

Read our judges comments on the winners at onboardhospitality.com/awards

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Read our judges comments on the winners at onboardhospitality.com/awards

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WINNERS & FINALISTS BEST ONBOARD AMENITIES KIT (Economy, Low Cost Carriers) WINNER: Air Astana - Kaelis HIGHLY COMMENDED: Garuda Indonesia - WESSCO FINALIST: Aeroflot – AK Service BEST ONBOARD AMENITIES KIT (Premium Economy) WINNER: China Airlines - FORMIA HIGHLY COMMENDED: Delta - Buzz FINALISTS: Alitalia – Galileo Watermark, Cathay Pacific - FORMIA BEST ONBOARD AMENITIES KIT (Business) WINNER: Qantas Curates - Buzz HIGHLY COMMENDED: Air Astana - FORMIA FINALISTS: Lufthansa – SPIRIANT; United Polaris – WESSCO/Linstol; HK Airlines – CLIP; TAP Air Portugal – skysupply BEST ONBOARD AMENITIES KIT (First) WINNER: Lufthansa - skysupply HIGHLY COMMENDED: American Airlines - Buzz FINALISTS: Singapore Airlines – FORMIA; JAL – WESSCO; United Polaris – WESSCO/Linstol BEST FOR ONBOARD KIDS WINNER: Singapore Airlines (Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel) - Buzz HIGHLY COMMENDED: Air Astana – AK-Service FINALISTS: Hawaiian Airlines – Galileo Watermark; Icelandair – KidzInflight; Saudia Airlines – Buzz; Milk Jnr – Marella Cruise BEST FOR SUSTAINABILITY WINNER: Black bagasse tray WK Thomas HIGHLY COMMENDED: E.Lite bone ceramics - deSter FINALISTS: ANA Neal’s Yard amenity kit WESSCO; Media Box - Media Carrier

AWARDS 2018 / 11

TEXTILES (Premium Economy/Economy) WINNER: WESSCO for Café Kit for Air Canada HIGHLY COMMENDED: Intex for its Icelandair blanket and message pillows FINALISTS: Qantas/Sheridan baby blanket – Galileo Watermark

BEST ONBOARD SNACKS (First/Business) WINNER: NibNibs – McGuire & Associates HIGHLY COMMENDED: Jymy 1917 Pine Organic Ice cream, Suomisen Maito FINALISTS: Italian Gelato - MV Food

TEXTILES (First/Business) WINNER: American Airlines Caspar bedding facilitated by WESSCO HIGHLY COMMENDED: Saudia Airlines loungewear - FORMIA FINALISTS: Singapore Airlines loungewear – FORMIA; British Airways/ White Company - Matrix; Qantas/ Sheridan – Galileo Watermark

BEST FOR ONBOARD SERVICE EQUIPMENT (Crew) WINNER: Zodiac Cool Trolley by Zodiac Aerospace HIGHLY COMMENDED: ECRGo2 Retail Systems, recognised particularly for rail use FINALIST: Malton In-flight - Ministro flask

BEST ONBOARD BEVERAGE WINNER: Hawaiian Airlines - On the Rocks Craft Cocktails HIGHLY COMMENDED: Gateretail MiniBarBox FINALIST: ANZ – Fine Wines of NZ BEST FOR ONBOARD CATERING INNOVATION JOINT WINNER: Virgin Trains - RG JOINT WINNER: Absolutely One gategroup FINALISTS: Schaer gluten-free range (Oakfield Farms); The Barista Cup; SATS Soups On-the-Go TREND SETTER BUSINESS OF THE YEAR WINNER: FORMIA BEST ONBOARD SNACKS (Premium Economy/Economy) WINNER: Qantas Ovenable Noodle Box – Global-C HIGHLY COMMENDED: Snackbox To-Go – American Pancake Bites FINALISTS: En Route - Tapas Box; En Route - Pastrami Ciabatta; Gategourmet – BitesWeLove; The Bake Factory – Vegetable Gratin Pie; Mr Lee’s Noodles

BEST FOR ONBOARD SERVICE EQUIPMENT (Passenger) WINNER: SAS Cube - deSter HIGHLY COMMENDED: Lufthansa Economy concept - SPIRIANT FINALISTS: Alessi for Delta – Buzz; Hong Kong Airlines - Clip FUTURE-SCOPING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR JOINT WINNER: Galileo Watermark JOINT WINNER: Matrix BEST FOR WELLBEING ONBOARD WINNER: Uppy! The Genius Flyer FINALIST: American Airlines Casper sleepwear - facilitated by WESSCO TECHNOLOGY WINNER: BoardConnect from Lufthansa Systems HIGHLY COMMENDED: Gogo 2KU FINALISTS: Level Pair & Pay; INPLAY IdeaNova Technologies ONES TO WATCH • Interlocking Box – Global-C • PC Glassware and Bowls – RMT Global Partners • STR-EATS Food • Single Use MYdrap table linen

Read our judges comments on the winners at onboardhospitality.com/awards

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AWARD WINNERS GALLERY

BEST ONBOARD FOR TEXTILES – FIRST/BUSINESS AMERICAN AIRLINES

FUTURE-SCOPING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (JOINT WINNER) GALILEO WATERMARK

HIGHLY COMMENDED: AMENITIES KIT ECONOMY/LCC WESSCO FOR GARUDA

BEST ONBOARD AMENITIES KIT PREMIUM ECONOMY FORMIA FOR CHINA AIRLINES

BEST ONBOARD FOR KIDS BUZZ FOR SINGAPORE AIRLINES

BEST ONBOARD AMENITIES KIT BUSINESS BUZZ FOR QANTAS

BEST ONBOARD FOR BEVERAGE HAWAIIAN AIRLINES

BEST ONBOARD CATERING INNOVATION (JOINT WINNER) GATEGROUP

BEST ONBOARD SERVICE EQUIPMENT FOR CREW ZODIAC AEROSPACE

Read our judges comments on the winners at onboardhospitality.com/awards

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BEST ONBOARD SERVICE EQUIPMENT FOR PASSENGERS DESTER

BEST ONBOARD AMENITIES KIT FIRST SKYSUPPLY

BEST ONBOARD AMENITIES KIT ECONOMY/LCC KAELIS

BEST ONBOARD CATERING INNOVATION RG

FUTURE-SCOPING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (JOINT WINNER) MATRIX

BEST ONBOARD FOR SUSTAINABILITY WK THOMAS

HIGHLY COMMENDED: TEXTILES PREMIUM ECONOMY/ECONOMY INTEX

BEST FOR WELLBEING ONBOARD UPPY

Read our judges comments on the winners at onboardhospitality.com/awards

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AWARD WINNERS GALLERY

AWARDS 2018 / 15

BEST ONBOARD SNACKS PREMIUM ECONOMY/ECONOMY GLOBAL-C FOR THE QANTAS NOODLE BOX

HIGHLY COMMENDED: SERVICE EQUIPMENTFOR CREW ECR RETAIL SYSTEMS

TREND SETTER BUSINESS OF THE YEAR FORMIA

HIGHLY COMMENDED: SNACKS ECONOMY/LCC SNACKBOX TO-GO

HIGHLY COMMENDED SNACKS FIRST/BUSINESS JYMY ICECREAM

BEST ONBOARD SNACKS FIRST/BUSINESS NIBNIBS

BEST FOR ONBOARD TEXTILES - ECONOMY WESSCO FOR AIR CANADA CAFE KIT

BEST USE OF ONBOARD TECHNOLOGY LUFTHANSA SYSTEMS

Read our judges comments on the winners at onboardhospitality.com/awards

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MENTORING AWARDS / 17

The Onboard Hospitality Mentoring Network is this year proud to support two new mentoring grants awarded as part of the 2018 Onboard Hospitality Awards

Break-through grant

Open to any young business (SME trading for at least one year) entering the 2018 Onboard Hospitality Awards, the grant offers a new business in our sector a cash prize plus practical and promotional support and advice from our mentors and the Onboard Hospitality team.

SHORT-LISTED APPLICANTS:

Good4U is focused on healthy snacking alternatives

• Mr. Lees Pure Foods • Olly’s Olives • Good4U

Leadership recognition

Businesses entering the 2018 Onboard Hospitality Awards which are already active in our sector were offered the chance to join the Onboard Hospitality Mentoring Network, share best practice and receive advice on professional development and talent spotting projects.

SHORT-LISTED APPLICANTS:

• Clip Limited • IdeaNova Technologies

WINNER - Clip Limited

WINNER - Good4U Established in 2004, this family business has been actively targeting airline business in the last 12 months. It has an established track record in retail, and believes its Super Bites range now branded ‘Energy Balls’ is a health-conscious snacking product well aligned to the onboard sector. The range is freefrom all the top 14 allergens making them the first allergen-free energy ball on the market. A healthy alternative to confectionary, the snacks have the power to enhance the travel experience of vegans, allergy sufferers and coeliac intolerant passengers. The Good4U strategy is based around avid innovation to deliver around buyer’s needs and it regularly develops new products for both own-label and the Good4U brand. A determined and fast-growing company, Good4U believes mentoring support will further boost its chances of success in the onboard sector.

We wish them every success!

Mentoring award winners

Clip is bringing new design thinking to the onboard field

Clip Limited is young design driven company in the airline equipment field. With head office and production in Hong Kong and design studio in Switzerland, Clip's designers also serve as professors at the University of Art and Design in Lausanne (ECAL), one of the world’s top design school. Through this practice, they are able to share with design students their experience of designing products for the airline industry and draw the student’s attention to this field. The company’s success relies on innovation. It is design focused and has built a solid reputation in the marketplace. Clip's internship scheme has acted as a launchpad for young designers’ careers. Some have stayed to help build the team and have been given the opportunity to take responsibilities.

Clip is bridging the gap between the highly specialised onboard industry and non-industry specific design studios to champion true innovation.

Our award acknowledges Clip's leadership

More info: onboardhospitality.com/mentoring

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industry update / 19

industry

Top stories from across the industry

update TOP STORIES FROM ACROSS THE INDUSTRY

New onboard show Onboard Hospitality Forum Asia launches in Singapore

Brand stand

Plastics specialist Gispol comes out from behind the scenes

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Special delivery

Buzz delivers in Business for Eva Air and Air Canada

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Greek gastronomy gets onboard Aegean Airlines is bringing the best of modern Greek cuisine onboard for Business onboardhospitality.com

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20 / industry update Top stories from across the industry

Let's talk Asia - new forum for Singapore Onboard Hospitality has formed a strategic partnership with Future Travel Experience Asia EXPO to invite inflight catering, wellbeing, design and innovation specialists to meet at this well-established show, within their own dedicated area.

Over the two days of the show (November 13-14, Singapore), specialists will hear Asia-specific market intelligence and insights from visionary speakers and get the chance to experience Asian hospitality and culture first hand.

Onboard Hospitality will collaborate closely with leading trade bodies to support the event.

IFSA's ceo Joe Leader and nearly 40 IFSA member airlines based in Asia will be supporting and attending the show which will offer the onboard hospitality sector the opportunity to future-scope their

Asian business and showe their products to the region.

A further collaboration with APOT.Asia (Asia's leading representative group for airline hospitality, services and the supply industry) will ensure Asian-themed networking activities are an integral part of the event.

The Onboard Hospitality team will work with APOT.Asia founder, Keerthi Hapugasdeniya (Happy), and his team to offer relaxed networking events created specially to bring the flavours of the region to the show and connect the passenger experience to the destinations airlines serve.

Being co-located within the FTE Asia EXPO show will also allow airline visitors to meet onboard technology suppliers and innovative start-ups, working to connect the entire customer experience.

FTE Asia EXPO is in its eighth year and has become a firm fixture in the diary for airline and airport executives. It is the major free-to-attend aviation and technology expo for the region and attracted over 40 unique airlines and over 30 unique airport operators in 2017. A high-level conference runs successfully alongside the event.

Further information contact: craig.mcquinn@onboardhospiality.com

Arrive fresh. Stay sharp.

Uppy! contains essential minerals and vitamins wich you loose during a long flight. It hydrates you and make you arrive in good shape. uppyflyer.com Untitled-3 1

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industry update / 21 Top stories from across the industry

Buzz delivers for Eva Air and Air Canada Buzz has delivered on two new amenity contracts for Premium cabin kits on EVA Air and Air Canada.

The company partnered with design brand Georg Jensen for the design of a new amenity kit for EVA Air’s Royal Laurel and Premium Royal Laurel passengers.

The kits feature a duo bag design which offers flexible storage options for passengers (pictured). Comprised of a black safiano bag with a detachable chocolate brown bag, the kits can be used for glasses jewellery, technology storage, or as a wash bag, and post-flight use as a travel organiser.

Each kit contains 3LAB skincare products including ‘Perfect’ hand cream, ‘M’ eye cream and ‘Perfect’ lip balm. A Georg Jensen dust bag, Georg Jensen eyeglass cloth, comb, socks, eye mask, earplugs and a White Glo dental kit are also included.

Buzz has also been involved in the launch of Air Canada’s new Signature service which includes an enhanced range of personal comfort items including amenity kits featuring WANT Les

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Essentials and Vitruvi skincare. The Signature offer will be available for Premium passengers travelling on international flights from June 1 on selected routes within North America.

The kits include premium care products by Vitruvi such as lip balm, face lotion and hand cream inside a plush WANT Les Essentiels bag. buzzproducts.com

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22 / industry update Top stories from across the industry

RiM innovates in retail onboard

Fleury Michon targets Asia Fleury Michon Airline Catering (FMAC) has joined forces with the California Rice Center (CRC) to serve the growing Asian airline market.

“By combining our respective products and developing new culinary offerings, FMAC and CRC will address the needs of current and new airline clients,” said John Allard, FMAC general manager.

FMAC is headquartered in Montréal and has manufacturing facilities in France, Italy and Spain too. FMAC’s product portfolio includes international and continental frozen airline meals, snacks, and food components but it recently appointed new Chinese and Japanese chefs too.

CRC is located near LAX Airport and specialises in Japanese meals. “We invite airlines to visit for a meal tasting and culinary workshop,” said Claude Bergeron, FMAC's president. fleurymichonairlinecatering.com

Ramsay targets onboard sales Airport and station F&B specialist, SSP, has a new partnership with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay to operate a new Gordon Ramsay ‘Plane Food To Go’. premium concept for airports worldwide. Building on his Plane Food picnics format, Ramsay will create high quality, healthy food formats to take on the plane. foodtravelexperts.com

Retail inMotion has announced a new collaboration with low-cost carrier Eurowings and NX-FOOD, the innovation hub of cash-andcarry brand METRO, in a bid to bring new and exciting food solutions onboard.

NX-FOOD, short for Next Generation Food, is the future-scoping arm of METRO, seeking out new technologies, trends and innovative food and beverage products shaping the future food system.

It offers food start-ups the opportunity to showcase their product in a three-month market trial at the real hypermarket, METRO Cash & Carry, and now onboard Eurowings.

The new venture with Eurowings will follow the same model NX-FOOD uses with on-the-ground retail – start-ups will apply to NX-FOOD, all airlineappropriate food and beverages will be submitted for approval by a joint jury, with representatives in this case from Eurowings, NX-FOOD and Retail inMotion, the onboard retail arm of LSG Group.

The top ten products will presented to the jury in a Dragons Den-style assessment and then up to four products will be selected to fly for a threemonth period. The product’s life onboard beyond the three-month trial will be decided based on sales data and customer feedback, including social media comments. At the same time, the jury will be selecting new menu items in an ongoing process to bring fresh products onboard.

Retail inMotion is also supporting Etihad's dutyfree boutique and an innovative new retail range of catering, beverage and amenity items with greater focus on personalisation. retailinmotion.com

Cerruti onboard Skysupply has overseen a new collaboration between Lufthansa and fashion brand Cerruti 1881 to offer passengers in Premium Economy stylish luxury amenity kits. The unisex kits, available in two elegant grey shades, carry the design style of the Cerruti high-end fashion brand. skysupply.de

FFG supports French Bee New Paris-based airline French Bee (formerly French Blue) has partnered with Flying Food Group in San Francisco to provide the catering for its US debut services.The long-haul flights now operate between San Francisco and Paris/French Polynesia four times each week. flyingfood.com

onboardhospitality.com

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industry update / 23 Top stories from across the industry

Practical + Inspirational You can have both – that’s the #SpiritOfSPIRIANT

We design everyday essentials that are far from everyday, such as this ‘magician’s box’ that saves up to 50% of trolley space.

Whether exploring exciting new sustainable materials or developing ways to make items even lighter, we balance performance with inspiration so that you needn’t compromise. That’s the Spirit of SPIRIANT. onboardhospitality.com

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www.spiriant.com

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UNIFORMS OF THE

FUTURE GLOBAL LEADER IN

DESIGN - PRODUCTION - LOGISTICS

WWW.WEARSKYPRO.COM/CORPORATE

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industry update / 25 Top stories from across the industry

Leading manufacturer Gispol comes out of the shadows to pitch its range

Making a splash at WTCE was Gispol, until now a behind-the-scenes manufacturer of plastic tableware for the airline industry.

A family-owned company, Gispol is located near Lisbon and has dedicated itself to the airline market since its first aviation contract with TAP Air Portugal. It became the exclusive production manufacturer for Helios in 2000 and produced rotable, disposable, injectionmoulded and thermo-forming products including trays, glasses and cutlery, until Helios was bought by gategroup in 2012.

Gispol offers an end-to-end service, concept to delivery, with in-house design studio. It claims European quality with competitive prices thanks to direct sourcing, in-house manufacturing and

independent logistics. Services include 3D prototyping and printing and Gispol also offers cardboard, eco packaging, stainless steel and amenity kits through its trade partners. It has an airline-exclusive contract with fine porcelain company Spal. gispol.pt

Alpha LSG celebrates Alpha LSG has held its third annual OMG! Conference for Thomas Cook Airlines’ cabin crew.

More than 200 members of cabin crew from the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and Belgium attended the event which revolved around workshops and seminars aimed at helping them achieve better sales and rewarding outstanding performance.

Alan Hayes, Alpha LSG’s inflight retail and managed services director, told the crew that thanks to their efforts the airline had achieved recordbreaking retail sales for the second consecutive year. alphalsg.co.uk

Asiana upgrades its kits with SPIRIANT style

Asiana Airlines has introduced two new amenity kits developed for passengers in Premium cabins and put together by SPIRIANT. Passengers in First will receive a revamped Salvatore Ferragamo bag with an updated design and loop handle for improved functionality.

The bags come in two shades of grey, and match the included Tuscan Soul

Quintessential branded cosmetics collection by Bianco die Carrara.

Business travellers are also offered a L’Occitane bag that doubles post-flight as an iPad Mini case, available in brown and beige. It is made with padded cotton canvas and has a wide zippered opening, to suit a small tablet or other essential electronic gadgetry. spiriant.com

All-star Aegean AEGEAN has brought together three leaders in modern Greek gastronomy to create a new Business menu.

Michelin-starred Lefteris Lazarou, Christoforos Peskias and Stelios Parliaros will created dishes that carry the aromas and flavours of Greece. Alongside them will be Greece’s first ever Master of Wine, and AEGEAN’s wine consultant, Konstantinos Lazaraki. aegeanair.com

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26 / SUSTAINABILITY

y

su

n i a i t n s g u s inab i a l t it s

Momentum is gathering towards greener choices.

Julie Baxter checks out ideas and initiatives from onboard suppliers upping their eco credentials

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R

esearchers in Australia recently calculated that global international tourism accounts for eight percent of all carbon emissions. That’s several times more than previously estimated and the biggest ‘culprit’ in these stats is international air travel.

The revised figures comes at a time when there is growing concern about the environmental impact of plastics too. David Attenborough's underwater documentary series Blue Planet II for the BBC was the most-watched TV show of 2017 with the first episode alone attracting more than 14 million viewers.

Paul Sheffield, coo of Haven Power, one of the UK’s largest business electricity suppliers, is banging the drum for renewable energy within the aviation and hospitality sector and says: "Social and environmental awareness is not just 'on-trend' but is fast becoming a cornerstone of mass tourism. In fact a recent study revealed 54% of holidaymakers are more likely to book with operators Consumer pressures with a social Sometimes the scale and conscience." complexity of environmental He argues that Environmental issues seems overwhelming introducing solar, awareness is fast but for onboard buyers biomass, wind or becoming a cornerstone hydropower renewal and suppliers it is no longer of mass tourism something that can be parked energy into a business is in the 'too difficult' tray. good in terms of CSR, but also Millennials are said to be 50% happier to purchase benefits businesses in terms of reducing operational a product if they feel it is ethical and eco-friendly, costs, improving energy efficiency and PR. and growing numbers of eco-savvy consumers are He says: "The travel industry is already seeing a shift making choices based on their concerns and their in how consumers choose their operators, and this conscience. Add in the growing need for companies impacts businesses big and small. Now is the time for big and small to commit to significant Corporate Social savvy businesses to get ahead of the charge and look Responsibility (CRS) strategies, and the need to make a at becoming more sustainable." change becomes compelling.

DHL, with Gatwick Airport and British Airways at If conversations at WTCE and entries into this year’s Heathrow, has won plaudits for leading the way with Onboard Hospitality Awards are anything to go by, it waste management plants that turn waste into energy, is not carbon taxes or high profile media campaigns and its new GoGreen programme is designed to make that will solve the problem, but creative thinking and it the world’s leading ‘green’ logisitics company. product innovation, and these are increasingly top-ofmind for procurement teams and suppliers alike.

Below: Eco-friendly style from Bayart Innovations

Brand actions Big brands such as Thomas Cook and Ryanair have already announced ambitious new sustainability strategies, with Ryanair’s sights set on becoming the world’s greenest airline. Hurtigruten, the world’s biggest expedition cruise operator, has announced a ban on all unnecessary single-use plastic by July covering everything from plastic straws, drink mixers, plastic glasses, coffee lids and plastic bags. The goal is to become the world's first plastic-free cruise company. And it won’t be long, according to some commentators, before airports, catering operations and onboard hospitality suppliers across the board are judged by their commitment to the environment and sustainable best practice. onboardhospitality.com

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Above from left: WK Thomas corn-starch spreaders; biodegradable Bio Form products from Matrix and Linstol's ECO-PET Plus blanket

Chris Jackson, vp product development DHL Supply Chain, says: "Our environmental protection programme GoGreen is our way of ensuring a sustainable future for our planet. By the year 2050, we want to reduce our logistics-related emissions to zero."

But while macro level operational change is important, so too is attention to the many million smaller items being put onboard.

Onboard Hospitality was pleased to award Futurescoping Business of the Year awards to two companies already working to make a difference in this regard, Eco credentials Galileo Watermark and Matrix.

Airport operators are increasingly presenting an eco Both have the many million plastic bottles used by face with green spaces and nature trails within Changi airlines globally in their sights, and launched solutions International; a honeybee apiary designed to tackle the problem at Toronto’s Pearson Airport; of plastics. energy and eco initiatives at San Harry Zalk, commercial Francisco among the examples. director at Matrix, says: “None None of us can save the Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi planet single handedly of us can save the planet single has been recognised for its use handedly but we can all do but we can all do of battery powered vehicles; something, and our goal is to something electric catering trucks are being give airlines some options. As trailed in some locations and a business we know we are wind turbines are finding a home on airport land too. producing millions of plastic tubes and bottles and we feel we need to do what we can to have less of an environmental impact, minimalise our footprint.”

Having reviewed many options, Matrix launched a new plastic products brand, Bio Form, through an airline exclusive deal with plastics additive business Breakdown Plastics. Breakdown Plastics specialises in plastic products that are 99% the same as standard plastics – with all the same features and quality – but one percent comprised of a patented additive proven to breakdown plastics faster. A plastic that might take up to 500 years to degrade in landfill, takes just five years to breakdown when made this way.

Zalk adds: "Globally across many sectors there is a onboardhospitality.com

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huge drive towards reducing packaging and reducing packaging. We the impact of plastics. Big grocery and coffee chains manage the endare already using this type of plastic and when you to-end process, we are think of the amount of plastic used across the onboard aware it is a vast problem hospitality sector we believe bringing it to airlines can and that it will take more than really make a significant impact." us to solve it but what we really Bio Form can be used in any context: wrapping, want to do is raise awareness of this polyester blankets, tubes, bottles and rotables, and global problem and challenge those while it adds marginally to the costs Zalk believes in our industry to think differently and buyers will recognise that the single digit percentage look at ways into a more sustainable increase in cost brings value in terms of an airline’s future. It is not sufficient just to do things CSR and environmental credentials. At WTCE his better, we have a responsibility to do team showcased what it believes is the world’s first better things." sustainable amenity kit formed Buzz has been of all recyclable and sustainable among eco pioneers materials (below) with Bio making a difference Form tubes, hair brush and It is not sufficient just to onboard with regards toothbrush; eyemask from to blankets. Its Economy do things better, we have bamboo, recycled tissues, and blanket for Emirates went a responsibility to do organic cotton bag and socks. onboard last year made from better things 100% recycled plastic bottles.

Ocean friendly The blankets are made using Galileo Watermark has come at the problem from ecoTHREAD™ a patented technology which turns 28 a slightly different angle. It has focused on the vast recycled plastic bottles into a blanket. The bottles are quantities of plastics that end up in our oceans and recycled into plastic chips before being turned into developed a solution using reclaimed plastic waste. yarn, creating a polar fleece material.The fine thread Kenny Harmel, head of aviation at Galileo Watermark, is then woven into blankets. By the end of 2019, says: “Clearly there is a problem and either we run and Emirates ecoTHREAD™ blankets will have rescued hide from it or we tackle it and use it as an opportunity 88 million plastic bottles from landfills– equivalent to move into a new chapter. Plastic is so cheap and to the weight of 44 A380 aircraft. This makes it the so durable. It’s built to last forever and we just keep largest sustainable blanket programme onboard. In making more of it. OCN is an industry first supply addition, the manufacturing process of using recycled chain, collecting plastic from beaches and oceans polyethylene terephthalate (PET) reduces energy around the world and repurposing it into cosmestic emissions by 70%.

Below from left: Kuan's Living seawool duvet set from Clip and a fully-sustainable amenity kit envisaged by Matrix

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Above from left: WK Thomas black bagasse tray and new bamboo solutions from RMT Global Partners Below: OCN amenity tubes from ocean reclaimed plastic

Future fabrics cornstarch and wheat straw which are biogradeable, Linstol and Clip are also working in this area. Linstol compostable and non-allergenic. has an ECO-PET Plus blanket positioned as softer Turning tables than modacrylic or wool, and made of recycled Tableware suppliers are innovating to boost green plastic bottles and certified by GRS. Every million credentials too. SPIRIANT's team has been working blankets made rescues 21,000,000 bottles (3,000 on the sustainability issues and claims being ecotons of recycled plastics). Added benefits are the fact efficient is now at the heart of everything it does. that the product is antistatic, hypoallergenic and Daniel Knies director design & products, says: "Less naturally flame retardant. It can be customised to any is more. We use sustainable materials and reduce specification. waste and costs through Clip works with Kuan’s Living recycling or re-using inflight to promote a unique seawool products wherever we can. We blanket and lightweight duvet We are trying to offer always offer clients the option made from a new and recycled airlines a range of of a greener materials solution material. Seawool is a material alternative to single use when possible and only work made using oyster shells and plastics onboard with suppliers that follow ecoPET bottles to create a fibre friendly practices and meet which generates a functional our own environmental goals." insulation to hold body heat while allowing moisture Dester has hired someone to work solely on its eco to escape. The product looks and feels soft, the duvet material options and Filip Fransen, design director, is thin and lightweight, and in addition to being antistatic, it has quick drying statistics says: "We are looking at the life-cycle of materials. said to beat all other products in the It’s a complicated story and one solution does not market when laundered. necessarily work in all situations. For example, some Bayart Innovations also has a airports force airlines to burn waste. recycled PET collection which Dester has tried to simplify options with three comprises amenity kits, blankets ranges: one using recycled materials, one using biodegradable bagasse and one bio-based range and socks. Its Pacifique range made from PP plus bio materials which take less comes with items made energy to produce. The company is phasing out from bamboo and cork, stryrene plastics. and it also offers combs WK Thomas is trying to bring eco-conscious and toothbrushes products forward into premium cabins with its matt in materials such as onboardhospitality.com

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black bagasse tray made from lightweight, 100% biodegradable sugar cane and evolved to look stylish, modern and sturdy. Calculated to be 300% lighter than plastic atlas trays, it has edges that ensure it can slide easily onto cabin trolley rollers.

It won this year’s Onboard Hospitality Best for Onboard Sustainability Award.

Des Thurgood, sales director, says: "We are trying to offer airlines alternatives to single use plastics."

The company has also developed a spreader made from a sustainable cornstarch based biopolymer. It is 100% biodegradable and available in vibrant colours to lift presentation in the service of scones/pastries/rolls. It weighs 3g and is 68% carbon neutral.

Interestingly, Thurgood sees the debate around plastic rotables as evolving too. "Rotable went out of fashion for a while but if you assess your ecocredentials based on weight and longevity, they are the way to go."

Likewise with glassware. RMT Global Partners won

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One to Watch recognition in the Onboard Hospitality Awards for its polycarbonate glasses. They may be plastic, but they are far more sustainable than regular glasses, ensure no breakages, last longer in operations so create less waste, and are ultimately fully recyclable. The company has also added a range of bamboo products to its portfolio - light and biodegradable, they have a cool eco-friendly and perform like melamine.

Arguements around the best way to achieve the best eco-credentials will no doubt rage on but it is exciting to see the onboard hospitality industry is creatively producing some serious solutions and has at the very least begun joining the debate. •

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FOCUS ON / 33

Getting emotional Professor Dr Michaela Merk believes you can transform your passengers into ambassadors only if you touch their emotions as they travel. Here she explains how

S

peaking at Formia’s annual Forum 365 during WTCE, Merk, an expert in luxury brands and consumer behaviour, identified five key emotions that can truly touch and impress a passenger: trust, pride, identification, recognition and passion.

She said: “Without passion, nothing happens. Your business has to transmit passion and it does that through your team. Be sure they can tell the story of your product, and create visual clues across the passenger experience that build the value of your product and touch emotions. Passion is contagious and is transmitted like fire.”

Make passengers proud Trust is triggered through first impressions, she says, so a truly authentic, genuine welcome counts for a lot.

Passengers also need to identify with your brand’s values and feel they reflect their own human values. She says: “Having a great concept isn’t enough.

Passengers need to feel comfortable in the environment you put them in – it needs to smell pleasant and be warmly lit, with touchpoints such as fabric, art or plants that communicate a sense of home.

Your brand’s DNA must be reflected in the product you offer.”

their repeat business in the future.”

You can give your passengers a sense In conclusion she encourages businesses of pride in the choice they have made to prioritise positive first impressions and to travel with you by being innovative brand personality. Add touches to make and different she says. “Consumers love passengers feel at to be associated home and personalise with a brand that is the offer. a trendsetter. If you It’s not just about promote your brand Passion is contagious the products you as modern, innovative and is transmitted offer she insists but in and pioneering they like fire the way you present will be proud to and position those know they are part of products, the service and experience something new and different.” around them. She says: “Consumers Exceed expectations are all different but they have one thing When it comes to rewards, she says brands in common – they all want a unique get real thanks when they exceed their experience. They will say something was clients expectations. “Give your passengers awesome, as soon as they are touched by something they don’t expect and you will emotion. It is these emotional connections win recognition from them. Personalise that bring value to your offer.” • the offer or give them a thank-you gift, make them see you recognise them as an Discover more with Onboard Finder our one-stop sourcing site individual and they will reward you with SEARCH...Formia onboardhospitality.com

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34 / NEW ARRIVALS

Sleeping well *N

EW ARRIVALS *

Swedish food tech company WellbeMed has created an on-the-go chocolate bar designed to encourage sleep onset using only natural ingredients Everyone loves a success story and here at Onboard Hospitality we have been excited to see just how successful companies become once onboard.

We're on the look out for new arrivals to the industry, so if you're just making your way into the onboard market, get in touch and we'll spread the word and champion your cause!

Bed time chocolates Spotting a gap in the market for sleep enhancing food products, WellbeMED has created a chocolate bar using only natural sleep-promoting ingredients that are designed to encourage the body to wind down and relax.

The chocolate bar contains a mixture of herbs, lemon balm, hops, along with oats and oat fibre and was developed through a clinical pilot study and research from the University of Lund in Sweden.

All natural Tasty, easy to eat anywhere and giving a sense of fullness, the product provides the energy the body and brain need to fall asleep. Passengers are advised to have the snack 30 minutes before they want to go to sleep

Research into lemon balm and hops suggested that a combination had a sedative effect

for the best results. The bar supports the natural onset to sleep, but its sleeppromoting properties only last for 60 minutes after eating.

Victoria Lagnevik, managing director of WellbeMed said: “We saw a niche in the market that no one else had claimed and that was a food product that could help people fall asleep. Research into lemon balm and hops conducted at the university suggested that a combination of the herbs had a sedative effect on humans. Both lemon balm and hops have been used as medicinal herbs for centuries.�

The company will launch a shot with the same characteristics as the bar in August, with plans to address other lifestyle related problems with a new product that is due to launch in October which will be aimed at targetting cholesterol levels. •

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36 / PTS REVIEW

retail Tech targets

Data analytics and artificial intelligence are transforming the travel experience and opening up online retail opportunities. Benjamin Coren toured the new Passenger Technology Solutions (PTS) stands to find out how

T

he idea of the PTS event was to bring together the tech companies that are 'joining the dots' between every aspect of the passenger experience, and certainly a tour of the stands soon showed how technology can be used to create a seamless and personalised passenger journey and increase retail revenues.

Held as part of the Passenger Experience Week in Hamburg, the show featured cutting-edge innovators in big data, machine learning and predictive analysis.

Analytics company Black Swan Data probably won the prize for the biggest announcement, unveiling an alliance with Panasonic and gategroup which is set to break new ground by allowing pre-ordering of meals based on accurate predictions of what particular types of passengers on certain routes are most likely to want. Gategroup also unveiled a new application for onboard ordering created in collaboration with the tech partner (read more on page 37).

The new software is expected to help cut waste by up to 60%, as well as securing 15% in cost savings. The collaboration shows how data analytics can help passengers get greater choice and control over their onboard experience, in a way that is achievable logistically for the airline and their caterer.

Gary Townsend, cto at Black Swan said: "The passenger can browse product online and when it comes to paying, the system pairs with their personal device and the order goes direct to the crew to retrieve immediately. When the passenger has purchased once, they can save their details to set a one-click buying process, similar to on Amazon, so there is no need to supply details for each purchase."

Other innovations impacting the onboard retail sector include chatbots, new e-commerce platforms, cabin management tools and the growing range of passenger engagement technologies.

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Duty-free focus French startup Airfree, for example, focuses on selling duty-free retail product.

Operating primarily inflight, its white-label software allows airlines to more easily monetise the flying time through duty-free sales. Agnes Debains, co-founder, said: "Our solution has been designed for connectivity onboard. The technology can be pre-loaded on the ground to give passengers inflight the impression they are browsing online. They pay onboard and the product purchased is ready for them at the destination."

Minime Labs launched its Flying Plaza project as a new revenue earner offering personalised travel retail and entertainment services viewed through the passengers' own devices. Dino Demetriou, ceo, said: "Our solution is hardware agnostic and will work with any onboard servers from any hardware supplier, not just our own. We can then supply on-demand content

and manage onboard commerce."

Minime Labs has its own media server that requires no specialist fitting and is suitable for budget airlines, the solution requires only one box per aircraft (A320 size). "In addition to entertainment there is also huge potential to offer inflight shopping, personalised offers and links to airline loyalty programmes," he added.

Minime Labs reports that latest trends show even legacy airlines are looking into buy-on-board as a serious way to increase ancillary revenues, as well as a way to provide passengers with more choice.

Onboard retail and payment experts Guestlogix released updates to its data-driven airline commerce and analytics platform, built to help carriers increase onboard sales, drive day-of-travel ancillary revenues and deliver a better passenger experience through personalised and relevant offerings.

Gary Edwards, decision scientist working with

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38 / PTS REVIEW Below L-R: Guestlogix reveals details about the updates to its commerce and analytics platform; Conichiwa shows its proximity-based technology

Guestlogix, said: "The advantage of presenting retail opportunities during the flight is that airlines can create a captive retail space and they know in advance who is coming into that space."

This allows them to create a strong sales pitch to advertisers too. Cross-platform advertising specialist Motus showcased technologies delivering content which provides data analytics and insights.

software can use AI chatbots to deliver messages to passengers at certain moments. For example, it could boost ancilliary sales by recommending products or upselling to passengers as they fly.

IT-service provider Sirena Travel has a suite of commercial options for airlines, with software covering inventory management, e-commerce and revenue Destination data management; while ASIP focused on a new app Foxtripper is evolving its interactive moving maps to called fflya. ASIP offers micro satellite systems which provide airlines with data based can facilitate free messaging for on the information passengers passengers and e-commerce via access about the cities they its bluetooth-based platform.

Airlines have a captive ASIP’s Adam Chapman said: "It’s a over fly. Passengers can browse and then book activities offered retail space and know very low-cost satellite system with in the destination they are window-mounted antenna. The in advance who's visiting and also plan future trips. coming into that space antenna are located either side of Foxtripper co-founder and ceo, the aircraft and, airlines can sell Mehdi Mokhtar, said: "We have an interactive map using apps. Wifi is always online, but with bluetooth called City Plan which can be viewed on the seat you only send and receive information when you need back screen or on a passenger’s own device, with or to, so you don’t waste bandwidth." without wifi. There is interactive information on the Airline chatbot developer Aviget showcased how map as well as prices for flights to other destination white label chatbots can simplify communication and other services. The airline can receive business between passengers and the airline fielding enquiries, intelligence on the passengers’ online activities to help scheduling updates and promotional offers. Peter identify which destinations are the most popular."

Kollar, ceo, said: "There is also an interface for a human On-the-ground retailers already make use of beacon to step in if the chatbot does not know the answer, technology which nudges shoppers but broadly the chatbot learns over time and can to come in store by sending increasingly answer more complex questions." them offers and incentives as Whether chatbots will ever be able to do as good they pass by their shop front a sales job as well trained and enthusiastic crew and Conichiwa offers similar onboard is still open to debate but certainly in our proximity technology onboard ever more connected journey, the technology to help to trigger certain actions. The airlines make that sale is developing at a pace. •

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OPINION / 39

Shoppertainment gets onboard

Is the trolley dead?

Julien Sivan founder and ceo of SKYdeals, an inflight retail platform, talks live offers and interactive shopping and predicts an end to retail trolley service as we know it

At any moment, 700,000 passengers are flying above our heads, and with inflight connectivity we are now able to interact in real time with this population offering brands, services and targetted offers onboard. Shopping becomes part of inflight entertainment.

Passenger personalisation But passengers won't buy products or services just because they have the time to browse online catalogues. To be successful, the deals being offered must be attractive, exclusive and personalised to the passenger's profile as flight in an engaging well as being available interactive way that a at a very competitive Airlines can now present trolley service never price. The challenge is could achieve. special offers in an how to achieve the best engaging interactive way Win, win personalisation of the that a trolley service Shoppertainment is a offers using the data could never achieve source of new revenue for airlines have. airlines and accelerates Our solution is Inflight Shoppertainment.Any time passengers connect the return on investment. And at the same time it’s a great platform for brands and services to they find new, fun and exciting offers including: reach millions of passengers while onboard. It's deals on products and services related to the fun for passengers and offers them great deals zone, region or country the plane is flying and exclusive products so it is a win, win. over, a ‘Group Buying’ scheme, where the more It is futile to waste time on broad catalogues passengers that or large offers - airlines will never compete buy the deal on with Amazon or pure players, but instead the same flight, they can invest on animations, commercial the better the offers, exclusivity and merchandising. Inflight offer and ‘Flash e-commerce must be thought of as inflight Sales’ available entertainment, it has to be interesting, for short 15 dedicated and frequently renewed. You should minute time have a different selection at every flight, every periods. The month and even every day. technology SKYdeals is already deploying in Europe, the allows airlines US and in the Asian airlines as well as working to offer special on cruise, rail and autonomous car solutions. offers over the Shoppertainment has a bright future. • duration of the

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IN CONVERSATION / 41

SUDDENLY PRICE ISN’T THE FIRST THING BUYERS TALK ABOUT

Following the retirement of Alison Lessmann, founder of En Route, new md Robert Dalboth looks ahead to new opportunities and trends

I

t’s an exciting time for our industry.

The quality of everything the industry does has increased and we are seeing an upswing in requests for real innovation and choice. Airline catering budgets have become slightly bigger and suddenly price isn’t the first thing buyers talk about.

There is a new interest in regional products, provenance and sustainable packaging. This all adds complexity to onboard programmes but complexity is what we thrive on! The lines are blurring between cabins too. The Economy passenger of today may well be in Business tomorrow and wherever they sit, they increasingly expect to be surprised and entertained by the onboard offer. They want it to come with a real sense of theatre.

Can do culture En Route is in great shape to respond to this change, largely thanks to the tremendous internal culture Alison always fostered. I believe in that too, having been a part of it for

the past eight years and having seen how it enables the business to thrive.

En Route is known for its agility and a ‘no challenge too difficult’ approach, so looking ahead we will build on this, focusing more than ever on our products and on our geographical reach. We are pushing out across Europe, developing operations in the Middle East, Far East and Australasia, and building our footprint in the US.

Connecting brands Product wise we will continue to focus most on what we are really good at – our bakery heritage, innovative cheese ranges, hot handheld snacks and snack boxes.

Onboard retail is clearly going to grow significantly and a big part of that will be about bringing retail brands onboard.

The consumer has confidence in brands

they already know, and increasingly those brands are also keen to be onboard but they don’t always understand the constraints and logistical demands. This is where our expertise can help both parties and ensure that big name brands, such as Kraft Heinz and Nando's, get onboard in a form which suits crew operations and galley requirements, maximises yield and is as environmentallysensitive as possible. It takes time to align their needs and working practices but this is something we are keen to do more of.

We have ambitious growth plans and being part of dnata has helped us decentralise our model and accelerate our development. We are well placed to put our ‘design-deliverdelight’ mantra into effect. • Discover more with Onboard Finder our one-stop sourcing site

SEARCH...En Route onboardhospitality.com

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5/21/18 01:21 PM

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how to... / 43

How to...

...use psychology to sell Guestlogix vp of product & strategy Robin Hopper and decision scientist Gary Edwards explain how psychology can help increase your ancillary sales… give back control Passengers often have no sense of control when they fly (a phenomenon known as ‘learned helplessness’) but giving them access to information on aspects of their journey helps. Apps that track baggage or give updated flight information reduce stress triggers and boost the opportunities to offer revenue earning services.

Focus on gains Passengers are sensitive to losses versus gains so it's important to present transactional choices as options reduce uncertainty and risk. For example potential ‘losses’ (long queues, baggage fees) can turn into gains (early boarding privileges, seat upgrades). A 'luxury' purchase becomes a worthwhile gain to a tired, frustrated or busy passenger.

Push the relevant offer at the correct moment. show empathy There are natural opportunities for airlines to show empathy and drive sales, but to do so they need flight applications that tie customer needs directly to crew solutions. Advanced analytics can help carriers understand passengers in context and deliver the right offers at these moments.

Nudge them Nudging is a well-established, nonintrusive way of influencing consumer behaviour - small, non-financial rewards ('nudges’) to entice them towards highmargin products. Airlines have ample

opportunity to engage in mobile-based nudging and in the process they have a chance to reimagine how they do retail. promote the middle option Use research on buying behaviour in your retail strategy. From baggage to packaged meal solutions you can drive buyers to your preferred options.

Fact file Last year, 3.8bn airline passengers spent an average of $15 each, taking total revenues to $57bn When offered small, medium, or large, 80% of coffee drinkers choose the middle option

Robin Hopper and Gary Edwards PhD spoke at the Passenger Expereince Conference in Hamburg. Gary has 25+ years experience helping brands adapt selling strategies by analysing customer behaviours and buying patterns

use data science Self-service tools empower passengers but won’t deliver revenues unless airlines listen, learn and act on what passenger data tells them and combine that with behavioural science. Predict and anticipate needs and solve those needs in real time by getting the right merchandise to the right customer at the right time. Airlines need powerful data science strategies combined with technology platforms. • Discover more with Onboard Finder our one-stop sourcing site

SEARCH...Guestlogix onboardhospitality.com

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5/21/18 04:25 PM

Professional wash-up systems for Inflight Catering

Cleaned for take-off Fly on the wings of perfection in terms of cleanliness, hygiene and safety: MEIKO Inflight Catering warewashing systems.

Security and safety are the most important values an airline can offer today. A great number of checks are required before the captain and cabin crew of an aircraft are finally able to welcome the first passenger on board. This includes, making certain that travellers will receive a clean and hygienic service. With our warewashing systems for Inflight catering, we at MEIKO stand for a clean and perfect start. Whether you are city-hopping or launching for a long haul flight, MEIKO’s professional warewashing systems are guaranteed to reach the recommended level in purity, hygiene and cleanliness without comprise. This is the reason why you can find our technology everywhere around the globe where reliability, safety and efficiency count – from small business airports to large international traffic hubs. Discover the versatility of our tailor-made warewashing systems. Find out what we at MEIKO call the clean solution.

www.meiko.de

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OPINION / 45

The end of retail as we know it

Apocalypse now?

Roger Williams chairman of the International Rail Catering Group and consultant with The Catering Explorer prepares for dramatic retail change

In the most significant change to global consumer behaviour in generations, an ‘apocalypse’ of in-store retail caused by the shift to online shopping is being forecast. Half of all shopping malls are predicted to have disappeared by 2023.

New retail tricks But retailers are fighting back, using immersive technology such as Magic Mirrors and Virtual Reality Modelling to attract customers. Hold up a garment to the mirror and it will give you all the data you need about how to wear it, where it was made, what from view menus, this can be and how much it costs. weeks before travel. Who Similarly in the modern knows if you’ll want a F&B retail market, more Now is the time to think ‘hot baguette’ that far outlets are embracing in advance, let alone outside the box with digital selection and which one? However, your railway client to smart payment to cut future purchases can be attract new retail queues and speed up influenced by improving customers service, whilst many selfour value marketing serve products can be QR linked to ticket purchase scanned to provide information on with: ‘Next time, buy one get one half price’ ingredients, provenance, allergens, cooking e-voucher and the like. styles and taste info.

Given the challenge for caterers of how to Get smart grow onboard retail sales, learning from these With smart ticketing increasing exponentially technological approaches is critical. IRCG’s across railways, concentrating on value driven customer prompts and reminders just before recent research revealed three travel helps push the choice in real time. key expectations that are Likewise, as a broader range increases universal, regardless of a sales volumes, personalised pre-order online customer’s location or menus using purchase history, target the cultural background: customer’s most likely choice and avoids Real-time information; personalised solutions; unnecessary wastage. Where pre-ordering for speciality meals is offered for First customers and easy to use stepby-step technology complimentary, why not sell these meals to all (intuitive). customers through smart ticketing systems?

So whilst customers Now is the time to think outside the box booking tickets online with your railway client to attract new retail can be prompted to customers before the train departs! •

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46 / AIX REVIEW

Onboard Entertainment & Connectivity

Putting passengers first

R

ichard Williams toured the AIX stands and reports in full online. Check out his coverage on our regularly updated Onboard Tech News pages at onboardhospitality.com and catch the headlines here...

PANASONIC LOOKS TO NEXT GEN

KID-SYSTEME X 4

The KID-Systeme portfolio includes four solutions. SkyPower supplies MCUs and an in-seat power module with a new USB C-type socket. This has a customer base of over 80 airlines. The SKYpower USB system will feature on the Hawk seat as part of Mirus’ major launch contract with AirAsia, for 300 aircraft over 10 years.

Next, Watchdog, an Airbus-only solution for both linefit and retrofit to avoid inadvertent slide deployment. Thirdly, a Universal Video Surveillance System (UVSS) for cargo, cabin and First suites supplied to both Airbus and Boeing and 20 airline customers. Finally, a wireless IFE streaming system to be used by Saudia Airlines. kid-systeme.com

The new ceo of Panasonic, Dave Bartlett, said the company "was on a mission to invent the next generation of inflight experience". Updating the order book, he reported 553 IFE linefits, 200 IFC linefits, 9000 aircraft with Panasonic IFE and 2000 with IFC. Recent new deals include 50 Turkish Airlines widebodies to be fitted with IFC, and six Egyptair B787s. He introduced Panasonic’s Solutions: Next XT hardware and software platforms, Next Online, and Next Cloud, which he claims to be the first global data analytics centre for the Internet of Things infrastructure. These enable Panasonic to offer Next Loyalty, a personalised digital platform currently used by Singapore Airlines for their MyKrisworld companion app, and Next Marketplace, a retail platform. panasonic.aero

PX COM GETS INTERACTIVE

Xplore by PX Com is a system of interactive digital content to go on an airline’s seatback IFE setup. The airline gets a set of templates that it can use to populate the IFE system with content from car hire firms, hotel groups, and sports and entertainment options. The system has been adopted by Air Canada, Air Dolomiti and Air Caraibes for its destination content, and is waiting to go live with Air France. pxcom.aero

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AIX REVIEW / 47

IMMFLY DIGITAL ROLLS OUT

Immfly announced at the show that its onboard digital services are going to be GOGO ADDS FLEX DEVELOPER used on 76 Pegasus Airlines aircraft. The Gogo’s order book for 2Ku installations is at over 2000, with Turkish low-cost carrier will soon start 600+ completed, the majority being for Delta Air Lines aircraft. It to install Immfly’s solution on its fullaims to have 1000+ completed by the end of 2018. Alaska, fleet roll-out to 70 international and 38 Iberia, Gol, British Airways and American Airlines domestic destinations. have all started installations with Air France/ Last year, Immfly tripled KLM and Cathay Pacific in the pipeline. The its number of aircraft SMARTSKY company has linefit agreements with Airbus installations and now NETWORKS and Bombardier and is in the process of supplies airlines such Michael Toedtli, director A&S getting linefit certification with Boeing. as easyJet, Volotea, XL Partnerships, said the company's new Gogo also offers a new Flex Developer Airways and partners 4G LTE system would be operational later toolkit for airlines to customise their own with American this year. It will be used first on business connectivity, no matter which providers Express and Rakuten. jets in the US, then on commercial aircraft. they use. British Airways is using it to Immfly’s technology The air-to-ground (ATG) system is claimed build its own portal partnering with can upgrade to full to have 20 times more spectrum and Black Swan analytics, and KLM is another connectivity at any be 10 times faster than current customer. gogoair.com time. immfly.com ATG networks in the US. smartskynetworks.com

LUFTHANSA SYSTEMS

Lufthansa Systems won the 2018 Onboard Hospitality Award for Best Use of Onboard Technology, for its BoardConnect suite of three products: BoardConnect Portable, Classic and Plus.

Jan-Peter Gaense announced new customers for BoardConnect Portable include Virgin Australia, which is installing the boxes on regional services.

They are also upgrading existing BoardConnect Classic systems with Gogo connectivity. lhsystems.com

SITAONAIR

David Lavorel, ceo, said the company’s crew tablet solution, currently used by Etihad, Virgin Australia and Aeroflot, was effective in creating a crucial link between cabin crew and passengers.

It can be used not only for manifests, briefings and safety notes, but also for capturing passenger details such as meal selections and frequent flier status.

Lavorel also said that their eWAS electronic Weather Awareness Service was an important safety tool. sitaonair.aero

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#travelexperience

Connect.

Entertain.

Empower.

We live in an era of choice, where options create opportunity.

Airlines demand a reliable IFEC approach that leads to a measurably great passenger experience.

Global Eagle is perfectly positioned to deliver this.

Let us know how we can help: travelexperience@globaleagle.com

globaleagle.com © All rights reserved. Global Eagle 2018.

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2 18

J U S T

CONNECTING STARTUPS WITH CORPORATE INNOVATORS IN TRAVEL LAUNCH CORPORATE PARTNER:

OVERVIEW

DELIVERED WITH THE SUPPORT OF:

L A U N C H E D !

w w w. F u t u r e Tr ave l E x p e r i e n c e. c o m Jo i n t h e c o m m u n i t y a t w w w. f t e - h u b . c o m

MARINA BAY SANDS SINGAPORE 13-14 NOVEMBER 2018 MANDALAY BAY LAS VEGAS 10-12 SEPTEMBER 2018

ADVISORY BOARD

EVENT THEME:

SALVADOR BRITANICO Vice President for Inflight Services, Philippine Airlines

VIVIAN LO GM Customer Experience and Design, Cathay Pacific Airways

BABAR RAHMAN

Head of Global Sponsorships/ CSR and In-Flight Entertainment/ Connectivity, Qatar Airways & APEX Board Member

JON NORRIS

Sr. Director Corporate Sales & Marketing, Panasonic Avionics Corporation & APEX Board Member

JOE LEADER CEO, APEX & IFSA

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IN CONVERSATION / 49

THERE ARE TOO MANY PROVIDERS DOING THE SAME THING IN A MARKET THAT IS NOT LIMITLESS Change is coming. Jan-Peter Gaense, Lufthansa Systems, predicts tech consolidations and the need for supportive partnerships

C

onsolidation is coming to the industry. There are too many providers doing the same thing for a market that is not limitless.

In the wireless IFE space, for example, in order to survive, you need something special. We've got great technology, lots of customers, and both Retail inMotion and Lufthansa Technik behind us to support our customers. In the past, we've lowered our prices to compete. I think that was wrong. With our resources, we can offer something special to customers in terms of strong technology and solid support.

Connectivity As for the connectivity providers, looking at the statements they all publish it does not appear there are any profits to show so far. So I also believe we will see a consolidation in that area too.

Connectivity is the future of IFE, because onboard internet is the prerequisite for real-time communication, streaming live events and additional services from external partners. Connectivity remains our focal point and we are currently working with partners Inmarsat and Lufthansa Technik to install broadband internet on the short- and medium-haul fleets of Lufthansa, Eurowings and Austrian Airlines.

Award winning The BoardConnect suite: Portable, Classic and Plus won Best Use of Onboard Technology in this year's Onboard Hospitality Awards. The latest version 5.0 has a new user interface and open platform architecture which enables airlines to run their own applications and those of external partners through it.

Passengers simply connect to the onboard wifi to access all of the connected services via a standardised user interface that can reflect the corporate design of each airline. Airlines have numerous options for integrating new offers and generating additional revenues because the suite is designed for fast and easy technical integration.

New customers for BoardConnect Portable include Virgin Australia, which is installing the boxes on its smaller regional aircraft. The airline was one of our first customers for BoardConnect in 2013, and is now upgrading its Classic systems with Gogo connectivity. We are also retrofitting 50 of Indonesian airline Citilink’s A320s with BoardConnect, with connectivity by Inmarsat’s GX Aviation. • Discover more with Onboard Finder our one-stop sourcing site

SEARCH...Lufthansa onboardhospitality.com

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50 / CASE STUDY

What NEXT for loyalty?

Singapore Airlines is the launch customer for Panasonic’s NEXT Loyalty, an onboard platform that extends the loyalty programme into onboard services and personalised IFEC

P

anasonic’s NEXT Loyalty onboard platform was designed to enable the airline to offer personalised inflight experiences to its passengers. Singapore Airlines was the launch customer on its new fleet of Airbus A380s, the first of which entered service with the airline late last year.

Panasonic and its subsidiary company Tactel used NEXT Loyalty to develop a new IFEC solution for Singapore Airlines called myKrisWorld, which was designed to offer the most comprehensive set of personalised offerings available to the airline’s frequent flyer programme (KrisFlyer) members.

The myKrisWorld offer was an evolution of the airline’s existing KrisWorld IFEC, also provided by Panasonic. It ensures the experience starts before passengers board their flight. They can use the Singapore Airlines’ app or website to preview content and set up their customised playlist. Once onboard, they can either synchronise their mobile device or log in at their seat to access their pre-selected content.

Crowd-sourced data offers up alternative titles that are popular. It can ask passengers if they want to finish the movie that they started on the previous flights. It can also make

recommendations based on a passenger’s individual habits and whatever content is trending inflight at that time. It can store language preference and wallpaper customisation between flights, and offers exclusive content based on their frequent flyer tier.

The system is developed around ‘the Internet of Me’ vision, taking all the things that people care about and bringing them together to deliver personalised and contextualised experiences. The features are made possible by Panasonic’s actionable analytics, where data is used to improve the quality of the passenger experience. •

THE BRIEF: BUILDING ONBOARD FEATURES SINGAPORE Airlines introduced new Airbus A380 aircraft into its fleet in December last year and planned a wide range of passenger experience enhancements with the new aircraft.

As part of this, long-standing partner Panasonic was challenged to upgrade the airline’s IFEC offering.

Building on the airline's previous investment in Panasonic IFEC technology, the tech supplier developed a new suite of personalised experiences.

TheNEXT Loyalty system embraces the culture of mobile, transforming what was once a passive entertainment system into another digital channel the airline can use to serve its customers better, and with added features for frequent travellers.

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Pick and Mix BoardConnect –configure your cabin platform See a movie. In the stratosphere. Listen to music. Check the news. Or go shopping.

A world of digital experiences.

Easy to access. At 450 miles per hour. Satisfy many demands.

With a single platform. Completely flexible.

BoardConnect. Wishes come true.

Lufthansa Systems GmbH & Co. KG | Marketing & Communications | Am Messeplatz 1 | 65479 Raunheim info@LHsystems.com | www.LHsystems.com

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FOCUS ON / 53

Inflight wifi speeds up Viasat is a global communications company making serious inroads into the aviation market.

Richard Williams discovers why airlines are choosing its connectivity solutions

U

s-based Viasat supplies communications services to the military, governments, businesses, airlines and home internet users. In 2017 it launched ViaSat-2, the highest-capacity communications satellite in orbit today. In February it became the first satellite internet provider in the world to offer 100 Mbps download speeds to consumers.

Inflight, Viasat’s satellite capabilities enable it to offer high-speed internet.

Customers such as JetBlue, United Airlines, American Airlines and Qantas use the service, which is said to provide an on-the-ground internet experience to passengers.

In Europe, Finnair, Icelandair and EL AL Israel Airlines have all partnered with Viasat and SAS officially launched its high-speed wifi service in May offering the signature 12 Mbps service.

The ViaSat-2 service is now rolling out to home users, and Don Buchman, vp and general manager, commercial aviation, says: “ViaSat-2 for commercial airlines is expected to launch in summer 2018. The service will be available across North and Central America,

the Caribbean, a portion of northern 85 aircraft of its domestic fleet.

South America as well as the primary As technology has improved, inflight aeronautical and maritime routes across connectivity has developed more uses the Atlantic Ocean.” for both critical Viasat also acts as and non-critical an internet service communications.

Viasat promotes a provider (ISP) to The appetite for airlines. In February more bandwidth 'full, fast and free' it announced it had connectivity strategy is increasing at an taken over from exponential rate to Thales the contract for the equipping of support internet access and applications 73 of United's aircraft, B737MAXs plus such as streaming video, web browsing, others, with its IFEC system. aircraft safety, crew, operations and pilot It is also linefitting both the American communications.

B737 MAX aircraft and the EL AL’ s In 2020, Viasat expects to launch the B787 Dreamliners. The process is well ViaSat-3 class of satellites, which will underway. It is also undertaking a retrofit offer more than 1 Terabit per second installation programme with JetBlue for (1 Tbps) of total network capacity. The next-generation hardware (antennas, three ViaSat-3 class satellites are planned modems and Wireless Access Points), to provide full global coverage, giving which Buchman says is on schedule. more airlines the opportunity to offer In Australia, Qantas has adopted seamless around-the world connectivity, Viasat’s ‘full, fast and free’ strategy (full whether flying London-to-Paris or service, fast internet, free to user) on the London-to-Perth. •

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54 / OPINION

Step change

Wireless wonders Wireless charging facilities have the potential to improve the ever-connected passenger experience.

Dan Bladen CEO and co-founder of Chargifi explains how

Mobile devices are at the centre of our world and ensuring they are powered is increasingly becoming a basic human need.

We’re entering a new era of wireless power which offers a number of opportunities for both those travelling and the wider onboard hospitality sector.

Consumers crave convenience and now what wifi did for connectivity, wireless charging is about to do for power. We have developed a wireless solution where passengers with wireless enabled devices are able to simply place them on wireless charging enabled surfaces and quickly power them. travelling to and from, or even their unique traveller This solution also has habits. Brands can then the ability to gather provide travel updates in What wifi did for unique and rich data real time based on where connectivity, wireless about those using it, charging is about to do the consumer currently is, allowing travel players accompanied by relevant, for power to understand exactly highly contextual where their customers are promotions, such as at on a micro level. This means transportation parking options or onboard menu offers. brands are able to use wireless charging spots In this way, brands can offer the consumer to pinpoint exactly where users are in an airport additional value by letting them know how or on a train - providing in-seat ordering of far their gate is from their current location or food from restaurants or onboard retail outlets. providing food vouchers via a travel app when a Brands are also able to communicate directly delay has occurred. with those charging their devices and offer The possibilities for wireless power to improve them unique, personalised communication the customer experience in an age where that targets them exactly where they stand brands must supply hyper-relevant interaction in an airport lounge or train station. Wireless with their consumer base is power also has huge potential to support loyalty huge. • programmes as the location-based data feeds into that to personalise travel experiences whether in the airport duty free, on a station platform, or in an onboard cruise retail store.

This data can be combined into mobile wallets to keep travellers engaged. Locationbased data can also be combined with existing CRM systems, including where they are

Data gathering

PROFILE

Chargifi builds foundational technology for a wireless world allowing global brands such as WeWork, Hyatt and Pret a Manger to transform the way they manage, monitor and monetise power.

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FOCUS ON / 55

Linstol at 25 This year sees amenities and headsets supplier, Linstol, mark its 25th anniversary. Julie Baxter looks back with founder Peter Woolhouse and ahead with the team

W

hen Peter Woolhouse took early retirement aged 57, he realised almost at once he wasn’t quite ready for slippers and a rocking chair. He took on consulting roles with his former employer Hunting Avionics and simultaneously started Linstol, but little did he know he’d still be getting a buzz from the business 25 years on, as he turns 83.

Woolhouse founded Linstol with his wife Peggy and developed it with the help of his son-in-law Ole Bek and more recently with current cfo Kevin Peat and ceo Mark Russell. Today the company has 35 employees and offices in the UK, the US, Hong Kong and Shanghai. It has broadened its reach beyond avionics to include amenity kits, comfort products and disposables alongside the headsets and prides itself on offering creative, customised solutions for airlines, as well as inventory management and forecasting.

Woolhouse says: “The biggest change has been in the importance of design.

Technology is not just about good sound or noise cancelling now, there is so much more from the finishing and features to the style. Airlines have recognised that good quality inflight entertainment attracts passengers to their brand, it’s an integral part of the experience, and it is unquestionably still evolving. ” To mark its anniversary Linstol launched a new headset in collaboration with high-end audio brand Meridian, and to reflect its broader portfolio also

unveiled new additions in its rotable and on the environmental or charitable level. amenity collections.

It has a number of ongoing community The new Super Cup allows crews to projects including a partnership with the store 25 double-walled cups in a 14 inch headset brand, LSTN, founded specifically stack compared with the standard 15 per to change lives. A portion of the proceeds stack and comes with from all LSTN products strong eco credentials. go towards hearing Its earth coating can be aids via a charity pulped or recycled rather Airlines want to see partner. than joining the Its latest brand transparent and 98% of paper alignment reflects this thoughtful brands cups which commitment for doing go to landfill the right thing - a new because of PE linings. Russell partnership unveiled with Skin Regimen. says: “We have been working A lifestyle brand with a focus on wellness on this for 18 months. Earth and relaxation, the range comes with coating exists in retail settings scientific credentials which suggest its but not in airlines and the fact natural formulas actively address chemical that this is an innovation which is changes in the body triggered by stress cost neutral or even cost saving and environmental pollution. makes it a game changer.”

Russell adds: “Increasingly airlines want Linstol has made significant to see transparent and thoughtful brand commitments to doing the right philosophy and this has been at the heart thing within business whether of our activities for many years." •

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56 / PERSONALISATION

Getting personal Suppliers are navigating a route to greater onboard personalisation by focusing on specific passenger types, and now data specialists are revving up to further refine those profiles, says Julie Baxter

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PERSONALISATION / 57

T

he onboard industry is on a mission, and the mission it seems is personalisation.

As passengers seek out greater control of their onboard experience, experts are falling over themselves to tell us just how and why you can, and must, tailor your product to ensure every passenger feels they are unique.

Give them the tools to reimagine your product, let them design their own experience from your portfolio of offerings, and treat them all as individuals, recognising their personal style and motivations.

Nice talk, but honestly, just how easy is that going to be. Just how personal is all this personalisation?

Buzz this year launched what it calls the world's first personalised amenity kit - offering Delta One passengers the chance to add a monogram to their TUMI kit in-store, post flight. A nice touch for sure but with over eight million people flying every day the truth is it's never going to be quite that personal for all of us. It is much more about identifying our type and defining market segmentation.

Just your type

to their airline's demographic, it makes some assumptions about certain types of people and responds with bundles of options that could suit.

It brings the passenger profile to life but increasingly it is not about genuinely 'knowing' your passenger but about the relentless harvesting of digital data.

Amenities specialist Formia, working with consumer Data profiling behaviour specialist Professor Dr Michaela Merk, has Gategroup has unveiled its big next step on this identified four key traveller types. The aesthete (arty, journey by unveiling a partnership with predictive fashionista types), the explorer (adventurous traveller), analytics company Black Swan Data and Panasonic the modernist (keen to try new and niche products) Avionics to develop a retail platform utilising and the advocate (healthy and eco-friendly). It aims passenger data. The data to create amenity kits that best will allow it to predict the match these types, and presents types of orders passengers its portfolio in away that Data will allow us to with a specific profile will helps airline buyers align with predict the types of most likely request, and use brands best matched to their orders passengers with a that information to offer a passengers' profile. specific profile will most more personalised passenger LSG Group has also focused experience. We are not talking in on three key traveller types likely request about taking every individual’s or lifestyles as a way to more personal data – with all the privacy issues that could clearly present the onboard experiences its teams can stir up – but rather profile data such as age, sex, offer. Each type demands a slightly different type of nationality, route travelled, frequencies of travel etc. food offerings and presentation for every touchpoint The results, which will get more reliable as more data from buy-on-board through to luxury.

The personas reflect differences in style and personal is gathered, will enable carriers to have a more reactive pre-ordering menu and identify, and sell, more of the needs (curious or self-determined) as well as the retail products passengers actually want. societal values (authenticity, sustainability, trust). They Passengers can order food and duty-free products, include a classic male favouring Business luxuries while entertainment and destination products via their working and Premium Economy for leisure; a 'natural personal electronic devices through a stand-alone app 'n' local' focused female and a hybrid male looking to that can be built into an airline’s own app. be for inspired across Business and Economy.

The platform is currently being trialled by a couple This segmented approach helps onboard of airline partners with the full platform expected procurement teams get a handle on what to offer onboardhospitality.com

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( ECO-FRIENDLY ) www.bayart-innovations.com contact@bayart-innovations.com

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to be rolled out by the first half of 2019. It reaches customers across all the touchpoints of the journey so they can pre-order, order during the flight and re-order favourite items at home post-journey.

John Moriarty, chief retail officer, gategroup says: “From an airline point of view, the platform allows them to improve the passenger experience. It’s more tailored and provides a more specific offering. If you know your passenger, you can predict what they want, and reduce wastage. Many partners have expressed interest in this. We’re very excited.”

The group's design company deSter, plans to use this information too and has launched the first ever bespoke amenity kit service through its Harmony brand. The passenger will get options through their e-ticket and end up with a comfort kit tailored to their needs and journey. It also offers a new Travel Buddies retail concept with themed kits to fit certain profiles: the ‘Get it Done’ kit for business travellers, the ‘Grab Some Sun’ kit for holidaymakers, the ‘Keep it Tight’ for the health conscious. Olaf Menschel, gm at Harmony says: "We’re seeing choice for onboard meals so why not amenity kits? Harmony is specialised in making curated concepts but we have to understand what the customer wants before they come onboard and that's all about understanding the profile of the customer."

Personal shopper LSG Groups' Retail inMotion is forging ahead with efforts to personalise the onboard shopping experience through its retail management software, Vector. This captures and processes payments on board, and runs data analytics to ensure optimised products and services offered. It will drive a new buy-on-board offer for Etihad where Linda Celestino says: "We will now be able to push the boundaries of personalisation even further by evolving our proposition to provide wider choice and allow guests to truly customise their journey with us.”

Curated content And there are new ways to provide more personalised IFE choices onboard too.

Spafax, has a new data analytics platform designed to provide insights on passenger viewing habits.

Henry Gummer, Spafax vp entertainment, explains: “Airlines can see at a glance the number of times a movie has been viewed, what each view costs it, what language it was viewed in, and which titles perform best on certain routes or in certain cabins.

These analytics help us understand how different demographics engage with content and from this we can build a content strategy for very specific demographics. By harvesting data communicated via social networks too we start to understand exactly what to provide for each consumer. If we understand how they behave onboard, we can offer tailored recommendations.”

By using social network tools such as ‘liking’ content, airlines can engage with passengers further, enhancing the profiles via fun questions, comments and interactions which will fine tune the understanding of what content passengers want.

Thales has announced a new platform called Inflyt 360 which allows an airline to prepare the experience they want for passengers, on the ground. Offered at three levels: Core, Avant and Prestige, the platform can shape content to suit users and introduces targetted advertising to passengers without inhibiting the experience.

Steve King, ceo Black Swan Data sums it up when he says: “Artificial intelligence is able to continually reassess passenger data to help improve the product. It's the start of making a passenger’s experience much better. •

Above: Gategroup has partnered with Black Swan and Panasonic to turn data into a more tailored offering onboard Below: The personalised TUMI kit by Buzz for Delta One

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The possibilities are

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13:26 14/05/2018 15/05/2018 12:37 17:42

in conversation / 61

we want to be an accelerator of change for airlines Former gategroup executive Anne De Hauw launched IN Air Travel Experience at WTCE and is looking to shake up the passenger journey

U

ntil now, there has been a gap in the market for a neutral, independent company that analyses the passenger journey and identifies and improves the touch points.

At IN Air Travel Experience we look at the full travel experience, from booking to arrival. As specialists in air travel we can design end-to-end travel experiences which boost customer satisfaction, increase loyalty and generate savings.

How do we do it? By really listening to what passengers and airlines want. But we offer more than ideation and consulting – we want to be an accelerator of change for airlines and an incubator for start-ups.

Trust & transparency We take a soft approach but we want to get our hands dirty! We research, analyse, interview and experience the journey before coming up with a solution which embraces the customer, the airline's

strategy, data analytics and technology.

We consult the crew as well as the executives. They are the touch point between the passenger and the airline so they must be engaged in order to improve the overall journey. We are aiming for a cultural change in the organisations who recruit us and people have to believe in it for it to work.

One way we achieve change is through innovation workshops which we organise, manage and moderate for airlines.

Airlines often have people working in silos and as a consequence have different providers for different products which they have to bring together in a cohesive passenger experience – we can do that.

IN Air Travel Experience is building a network of disruptive, specialised start-ups

which we can match-make with airlines.

Their combined and niche expertise can transform the passenger journey.

Thinking differently Together, we will design and implement an end-to-end experience using our expertise in food concepts, brands, sustainability, comfort, technology, inflight entertainment and loyalty programmes.

We share our know-how!

Not only can we save airlines money, through reducing costs and weight, we can save them time and save the planet.

I love this industry, I love to travel and I’m passionate about people. With trust and transparency, team work and thinking differently we can make big changes to the passenger journey and have fun! •

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Hipsters inflight Think you can target millennials? Benjamin Coren checks out Air France's trendy new airline, Joon, purpose-built to do just that

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ate last year Air France launched a 'new generation travel experience' geared specifically towards the millennial market. Named Joon (a play on the word jeune - young in French) it has been tagged the 'hispter airline' and has a very particular onboard vibe.

The new onboard offer features craft beers and organic coffee and the crew sport a cool, casual uniform. Air France pitches it as a new model of airline, somewhere between a traditional and lowcost carrier, offering a flying experience they say is both stylish and relaxed.

Michael Ruet, head of partnerships and advertising at Joon, says: "We wanted to create a product that was fast and quick to market. We wanted to think forward and create a new passenger experience something different and recognisable, and developed on digital connectivity and tailor-made experiences."

Based at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport, the goal is to have 28 aircraft in the fleet by 2020, comprising 18 medium-haul and 10 long-haul aircraft. An in-house laboratory will create and develop onboard products internally and evolve the digital product.

Passengers are offered 'You Joon' an onboard strreaming service which delivers movies, airmaps and flight information

direct to their personal devices and on All passengers get a free welcome drink long-haul aircraft new IFEC systems will and the carrier offers a large onboard link with Skylights systems to provide VR menu of more than 60 products from headsets for rental onboard. aperitifs to snacks and shopping services.

Cabin crew have been given a casualSome 20% of food products offered are chic look designed to set the uber cool organic and locally-made in France. vibe onboard. Ruet For premium travellers explains: "We wanted there is a Business different uniforms to product on short haul, send a signal to the We see millennial as and Business and passengers that we Premium Economy on a state of mind as are approachable. long-haul. In long-haul opposed to a Crew dress the same Business cabins there are demographic way our customers lie-flat beds and super do and in styles designed to make them trendy cocktails developed in collaboration feel comfortable too." The uniforms are with the Experimental Cocktail Club. made of fabrics spun using 60% recycled Ruet says: "We want to make sure people plastics, providing an on-message can personalise their journey from the eco-solution millennials will rate first mile to the last. We see 'millennial' too. Onboard product is focused as a state of mind as opposed to a on presenting a broad menu demographic and are going to be very of options so passengers can present on social media. Our campaigns customise their experience. will be purely digital." •

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table manners Designer ideas for tableware can bring a touch of beauty to onboard dining. Julie Baxter and Laura Gelder check out some of the latest show-stoppers

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or tableware suppliers, WTCE provides an opportunity for design teams to turn on the style and get creative with collections that inspire and innovate.

Kaelis, for example, took its inspiration this year from 'designs that appeal to the senses'. The Sense of Space range has space-saving in mind and uses new mattcoloured finishes and stone-look plastics. The Sense of Rhythm collection draws on geometic shapes and showcases new rose gold and copper tones as well as coloured and printed glassware. And organic natural shapes and prints were centre-stage for the Sense of Being collection.The team sought to reduce the number of tableware items needed with its Sense of Infinity portfolio, including a multi-purpose bowl and plate with a bridge plate for high-end dining.

Creative manager Manoj Pridhanani says: “Our senses help us comunicate, feel, smell, and visualise the world we live in, and it is a combination of these senses that give rise to the emotions that allow us to experience a moment. Textures, colours, shapes, materials and functions come together. We reflect this by using elegant shapes to create modern service concepts. We've used lightweight durable porcelain with a brighter pearl tone and materials with improved resistance to washing and thermal shock. The goal is to provide top-quality onboard and match high-end dining fashion trends with bespoke designs and branding options.”

SPIRIANT put its focus on premium dining too, and showcased a series of six tableware designs under the banner Islands in the Sky. Each was designed to be a stand-alone concept but is available and compatible together for those airlines which want to combine elements from each range. Eva Hotz, product manager for premium experience SPIRIANT, says: “There are many faces

Pictured: The Kaelis Sense of Rhythm collection

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of premium and we aim to help the customer define their premium approach to suit their passenger. The Islands in the Sky series was inspired by geometrical shapes and all combine classical tableware parts with innovative products. Our Jamaica series with organic shapes has a real The goal wow factor.”

concept, featuring exciting colour and texture combinations. Gone are the days of the classic table setting and strict etiquette!

"Our Muse tableware juxtaposes traditional luxury materials with unexpected elements to create surprising, sensory and tactile experiences." is to match The team showcased a new high-end dining fashion textured take-out coffee cup, Holistic success for example, which could trends with bespoke SPIRIANT recently won an iF be offered to passengers on designs and branding Design award for its Étagère short flights, extending their premium concept. The bone china set combines experience off the plane. versatility and aesthetics, to create a holistic meal "We look at how we can make food moments feel experience where visual appeal and functional special, says Van de Perre. "Each course should be requirements are combined.

The bone china is the finest porcelain, with thinner and transparent walls, making it both elegant and lightweight. The modular design of serving plate, smaller plate and bowl can be arranged in several combinations and stacked, making it versatile and interactive. It can also be used in lounges or bars.

Above from left: Buzz has championed initiatives to bring high-end retail brands onboard with its Alessi collaboration for Delta; Gispol has taken inspriation from nature for its Roots rotable set. Right: deSter's E.lite bone range

Food moments At deSter the designers were focused on 'making food moments special onboard'. Stef Van de Perre, managing director, said: "People in the front cabin know dining trends – they frequent some of the best restaurants in the world. We are trying to take those trends onboard so we no longer develop collections but offer a range of ideas to create a mix and match onboardhospitality.com

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unique and surprising, engage the customer and give a glassware range developed with sommeliers to them memorable moments onboard." elevate the aromas and optimise the flavour of wines deSter also offers E.lite bone, a ceramic made from being served in the air. three types of clay with the look and feel of real Innovations are also being applied in Economy bone china, for a fine dining where the Absoutely One experience, 30% lighter and with solution has been developed to 50% more stacking capability. offer the same restaurant-feel Our aim is to engage Filip Fransen, design director as its predecessor, with more at dester, adds: "We now have flexibility and size options. Neo customers and give a director of experience who Bistro can be assembled in them memorable looks right across the onboard front of the customer to create moments onboard experience, and we collaborate a sense of theatre. It comprises with industry experts and chefs at our design lots of small plates in pebble shapes with a natural, centre in Belgium to brainstorm innovative ideas." organic feel.

These collaborations lead to new designs, such as Fransen explains: "Stepping away from regular rectangular shaped trays makes a statement. It can be offered in many colours and customised in terms of shape and size to suit each airline. With this concept airlines can lift the whole dining experience by eliminating one set tray from their service.”

Gispol’s in-house design team aims to combine function, reliability and aesthetic. A spokesman says: “Our designers take inspiration from everywhere, every small detail can serve has a starting point for creating an all new tableware set. Being proud of our Portuguese heritage we draw a lot of our inspirations from our culture, our colours and architecture. We try to translate these into ideas/concepts which relate to the airline’s identity as well, creating a meal service which will, at the same time, stand out and be in perfect harmony with the food.” •

Above from left: SPIRIANT'S La Table series for TGV Lyria; and iei's focus on colours, textures and decals crafted into tableware designs. Left: Clip's collection for Hong Kong Airways

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Wash and go Meiko has been a vital warewashing partner for airlines worldwide for decades. Julie Baxter discovers how this modest pioneer quietly just keeps on evolving its essential services

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hile every airline is focused on flight safety, the high quality of the dishwashing technology they use may not always be their first consideration. But for warewashing specialist, Meiko, achieving the highest standards in this arena has been at heart of what it does for airlines for over 90 years.

Incredibly machine warewashing dates back to the 1800s but when Meiko founders Oskar Meier and Franz Konrad got in on the act their goal was to create the very best machines for the job. They created the company's DNA to reflect their own: level-headed, prudent and ambitious without running risks. CEO Dr. Ing. Stefan Scheringer explains: "The risk takers don't survive structural changes, economic crises and world wars. Those who do are the kind who concentrate on enhancing their own performance day after day, incrementally, unspectacularly but continuously working on improvements."

Meiko believes the innovations and spectacular improvements achieved for

its customers come from this process. communication that now ensure Key developments have included the maximum efficiency. Electronics can set launch of the M-iQ, which saved 40% of dosage levels and cycle length, track running costs in one errors and analyse fell swoop; and the all processes, with M-iClean undercounter M-Commander Meiko's reputation is InVision analytic dishwasher which show it is possible, even in software a market based on both its the 21st century, to quality products and leader. completely rethink the But Meiko's service solutions structure of a hood type reputation is not just dishwashing machine with automated based on quality products, but services systems. Most recently has come the M-iQ too with The Meiko Academy and Meiko multi-track machines.

Service departments also providing vital Meiko GreenEye-technology - which support solutions for airlines and their efficiently spots any loading gaps; its caterers. With more than 600 employees ccInsight control and monitoring systems, and 4,500 authorised service technicians conveyors, trolley, pot and smaller glass around the globe, there is always someone and dish washers are in flight kitchens available to ensure reliability is the and lounges worldwide, as well as in company's trademark. • medical and fire service sectors too.

It is the fully electronic control Discover more with Onboard Finder our one-stop sourcing site systems with diagnostics and data SEARCH...Meiko onboardhospitality.com

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Flavours of the future

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his year’s WTCE was the biggest yet, expanded to four halls with both exhibitor and visitor numbers up. More than 125 first-time exhibitors starred in revamped New Exhibitor Villages.

The sessions were really interesting and gave me lots to think about. Bringing healthy meals onboard is a very challenging area so that was a useful session with really good speakers

Onboard Hospitality Onboard Hospitality fielded its biggest team to date, showcasing the 2018 Onboard Hospitality Awards winners on the stand and supporting the Taste of Travel theatre, moderated by former editor Jo Austin.

Topics included catering for changing lifestyles; millennials; packaging and how to build a brand. Highlights included:

Heidi-Maria Paivikko, Finnair

Local flavours Master chef Sturla Birgisson was joined

by Iris Anna Groeneweg, onboard service development at Icelandair, in a session that revealed how airlines can represent their country and culture in the inflight experience. Attendees sampled Icelandic smoked arctic char with caviar and dill puree, local lamb, scallops and sea truffles.

Rail innovations Chef and new product development manager for RG, Jenny Greenhalgh revealed the stories and secrets behind the celebrity chef James Martin’s All-Day Menu. And Czech chef Miroslav Kubec demonstrated how Czech Railways are setting new standards in rail catering.

Tackling trends Trend-spotters, Ariane van Mancius, of Now/New/Next, guided attendees through the habits and hang-ups of today's millennials while AirlineTrends founder Raymond Kollau gave a fastpaced presentation on innovations in onboard hospitality. Chef Steve

The show is great for bringing everyone together in one place, as well as showcasing new products” CHriS HenSon, Head oF ProCureMent at virgin atlantiC

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Walpole demonstrated how to use ‘on trend’ ingredients and techniques to cater for special diets; while James Strawbridge, of Posh Pasty, focused on incorporating superfoods into popular dishes to create healthy and colourful meals onboard.

Healthy choices A panel of industry experts, led by Lance Hayward of The Hayward Partnership, discussed the importance of healthy choices onboard. Dr. Rupy Aujla, the GP chef behind the ‘Culinary Medicine’ concept, said: “There is a lot of scope for change in the industry.” Chef Valentina Harris showcased high quality olive oils from Castello Monte Vibiano and the benefits of a Mediterranenan diet and of using good quality, simple ingredients.

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Sweet treats

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Coming to the show is one of the best weeks of my working year and a great opportunity to see the latest products and services launching on the market" Claire Serdet Product Manager, Inflight Supply Chain, TUI

Chef Will Torrent, a leading pastry and chocolate expert, immersed the audience in a sensory chocolate tasting, comparing a wide range of quality chocolates from around the world.

Waste not want Gerard Bertholon, chief strategy officier of Cuisine Solutions turned the spotlight onto ways to cut onboard waste by cooking up some nutritious and delicious dishes from often ignored and discarded foods using extraction and cryoconcentration.

Mentoring support Brand and product experts led by Alpha LSG's onflight retail director, Alan Hayes plus the Onboard Hospitality Mentoring Network were on hand to share tips and trends to help get new products onboard.

Get set for 2019!

As part of Passenger Experience Week 2019, WTCE will again be co-located with AIX and Passenger Technology Solutions.

It will run April 2-4, 2019 at the Hamburg Messe, with The Passenger Experience Conference running prior to the exhibition on April 1. worldtravelcateringexpo.com • onboardhospitality.com

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Taste of Travel theatre

New arrivals We gave a handful of new products and new exhibitors at WTCE the chance to make a quick two-minute pitch to a panel of buyer experts. No prizes but plenty of applause...

Best breakfast pitch Three exhibitors tell us (in a quick fire pitch) why they think their breakfast product should go onboard.

Judged by James Strawbridge, Posh Pasty Company; Marc Warde, glutenfree restaurateur, and Roger Williams, International Rail Catering Group (IRCG)

Cuisine Solutions gave a stunning twist to oatmeal

Five exhibitors tell us (in a quick fire pitch) what makes their packaging stand out.

Judged by industry experts Ariane van Mancius of Now/New/Next and Vassilios Georgakopoulos, director product innovation & concepts.

W. K. Thomas - Matt black bagasse

Foodcase International BV -

tray made from lightweight, 100% compostable sugar cane residue.

Global-C - Introducing a turnkey solution for airlines that want to change to CPET hot meal containers using our unique sealing film.

Matrix - offering sustainable Bio Form plastic which biodegrades in five years Galileo Watermark - showcasing OCN ocean-reclaimed plastic packaging.

Healthy Berries Smoothies Groward Group - Omelette and scrambled egg dishes from Lithuania Cuisine Solutions - A duo of hot and cold coconut oatmeal dishes

WINNER

Cuisine Solutions Cuisine Solutions (entered by AMI), served a duo of hot and cold coconut oatmeal created from coconut oatmeal, passion fruit and mango tartare and jelly, finger lime caviar and shaved coconut.

It is served by multiple US-based airlines as well as Emirates and is presented in a coconut shell which makes the presentation outstanding.

The panel rated it for its innovative flavours, healthy eating credentials and on-trend ingredients which combined made it a breakfast option with a real difference.

Congratulations!

Fabulous packaging

WINNER

Galileo Watermark

OCN packaging made of ocean reclaimed plastics

The OCN plastic range was pitched by senior creative, Simon Kwan. It is the first onboard packaging option made from ocean recycled plastic collection.

Approximately eight million tons of plastic makes its way into the ocean every year and figures indicate that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean.

As part of Galileo Watermark's ongoing sustainability efforts it developed OCN plastic as an alternative to standard recycled plastic and to the creation of virgin material. It uses reclaimed and repurposed plastic from coastal areas and waterways to create plastic cosmetic packaging amongst other items and present this to airline partners for use onboard worldwide.

Congratulations!

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37th Floor, Singga Commercial Centre, 148 Connaught Road West, Hong Hong Tel: (852) 2882 1810 • Email: chatsford@airchats.com.hk • www.chatsfordhk.com Chats.indd 2 1 Untitled-1

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On the up Bold new designs, innovative flavours and game changing products abound in this industry.

Laura Gelder toured the stands in search of new onboard offerings 2

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1. Portfolio Partners Bulging with new products, Portfolio Partners showed off Fentimans 250ml slim cans of Rose Lemonade, Wild English Elderflower, Curiosity Cola and Cherry Cola; Walkers' rebranded range of biscuits, including a new chunky oat and raspberry edition; new 35g box packaging from Corkers crisps; Bachelors Pasta 'n' Sauce pots in flavours including mac 'n' cheese and chicken and mushroom; 20g singleserve pots of Applewood Spreadable cheese; the Organix range of baby and toddler baked snacks like apple rice cakes and crunchy carrot slices; and re-branded classic biscuit brand Meredith & Drew in Wonderful White Choc or Marvellous

Milk Chip cookies, Scrumptious Shortie Swirl and Irresistible Oat Crunch flavours. tryportfolio.com

2. Phizz This popular rehydration tablet is added to water to make a vitamin-and-mineralinfused drink and now comes in a singleserve format designed as an addition to a meal service or amentiy kit. phizz.co

3. Just be A range of wine-based cocktails, bottled in 200ml light aluminum bottles with easyopen ring-pulls. They come in five flavours: BeSecco, a plain Prosecco with 10% ABV; BeHugo, with elderflower, mint and lemon

flavours; BeSprizz, with herbs, bitter orange and mint (similar to Aperol Spritz); BeBerry with cranberry, strawberry and mint; and BeRhubarb with rhubarb and strawberry.

All the cocktails are 5.4% ABV and free of artificial flavours. just-be.com

4. Bayart Innovations Bayart has partnered with exclusive French designer Castelbajac, offering branded bags in vivid patterns with matching beauty products. Its new Decouverte range of collectable bags comes in bold designs and extends to 50 unique pouches. For kids, Bayart has a license with The Little Prince, a famous French fable and franchise, offering charming baby amenity

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Kaelis is offering what it claims to be the world's first probiotic air purifier for aircraft cabins

kits including a bag, a feeding spoon with paper aeroplane wings and a bib. For older children, the Cockpit kit features a zip bag which opens to a board game, plus activities like mini tattoos to create finger puppets. bayartinnovations.com

5. FlyFit New additions to the health-in-the-air specialists' range includes Effervescent Tablets with vitamins and minerals for rehydration which come in apple and cranberry flavours. It also has 25g snack bags for its Vitamin E fruit and nut mix, fiber nuts and bean mix. Its 72% cacao superfood chocolate is now available

in 4.5g portions for complimentary. flyfit.com

6. Kaelis An exclusive partnership with Better Air offers what it claims to be the world’s first pro-biotic air purifier for aircraft cabins.

The spray purifies using Enviro-Biotics technology to target harmful bacteria. It also works to replenish healthy bacteria in the same way pro-biotic drinks support a healthy gut. kaelisgroup.com

7. Franklin & Sons New product Crooked is an alcoholic soda brand with a malty alcoholic base and natural fruit juice. It contains less

than 5g of sugar per 100ml, and is Vegan Society-approved. The 330ml cans are all 4.7ABV and come in Midnight Stage (blood orange & passion fruit), Dayhlo Skies (raspberry & lime) and Mother Moon (peach and pomegranate). franklinandsons.co.uk

8. DK Books Dorling Kindersley is moving into the onboard market with cute kids packs ranging from flat cardboard box packs to reversable backpacks. It has created a range of books for young travellers too: Pilot Olly and Pilot Polly and Let's fly to... and has licenses with Lego, Star Wars and Marvel. dk.com

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MINISTRO, OFFICIALLY THE WORLD’S BEST AIRLINE FLASK Designed in London, crafted in Shanghai, enjoyed worldwide. Banish the cold cuppa for good.

INFL IGHT

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9. Linstol The Linstol 275 noise-cancelling headphones have been developed in partnership with Meridian Audio for First and Business. Designed specifically for aircraft environments they eliminate distortion and listening fatigue, and provide clear sound quality. linstol.com

10. Aerosense Formulated to WHO guidelines, AeroSense is AMS 1450-certified and is the first bio-cidal cabin spray which adheres to new EU BPR regulations (for its ozonefriendly propellant). It offers single shot sprays (for airlines entering countries

which require to see an empty can on arrival) and multi-shot cans which control flying and crawling insects. 40g, 60g and 100g cans are available. aero-sense.com

11. Biteswelove This plant-based snack company has two new flavours: Bloody Mary and Sassy Cinnamon. Its snacks mix the recommended daily portion of nuts with dried fruits and other natural ingredients like corn, broad beans and peas, and uses compostable packaging. biteswelove.nl

12. DFMi New products include artisan vegetableflavoured crackers (carrot, tomato and

beetroot) from Dutch craft bakery Van den Berg’s; Get Fruity’s gluten-free and vegan oat and fruit bars in six flavours; premium British clotted cream brand Somerdale in 28g jars; and Cachet, an organic line from Kim’s Chocolates. dfminc.biz

13. Olly's Olives The world’s first unpasteurised olive snack has three flavours: The Connoisseur (basil & garlic), The Bandit (chilli & rosemary) and The Hippie (lemon & thyme). Using pitted Greek Halkidiki olives, no messy oil and nothing artificial, the snacks have a 12-month shelf life thanks to innovative packaging. Offered in 30g and 50g packs. ollysolives.com

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Global-C is innovating meal box service with a new Scoop range designed for maximum convenience

14. Hoppe Redesigned packaging, starting with its sweet selection, sees matt-look packets and friendly hand-drawn fonts printed with the message: “enjoy”. New products include mini cookies with chia seed, sunflower seed and blueberry and a softbaked double chocolate brownie cookie – all snack box-sized. hoppefoodgroup.com

15. Buiteman A range of cheese biscuits baked from family recipes using butter, olive oil or vegetable fat and barn, free-range or organic eggs. Slow cooked in small batches, the biscuits are 20-30% cheese and have a 12-month shelf life. Flavours

include Parmesan, Gouda, Gruyere and goat's cheese. buiteman.com

with novelty tiger-print eyemask and eye patch. There's also a gift pack for onboard retail with 10 rums from around the world. wildtiger.in

16. Group Soi Now offering the airline market’s first saffron beer: Belgium-style Il Cascinone craft beer and Maltosia Golden Ale, both non-pasteurised and 6% ABV. It also has an exclusive partnership with Italy’s oldest gelato brand, Pepino, to offer single-serve ice cream both in a cup and on a stick, covered in chocolate. groupsoi.com

17. Wild Tiger Rum The Indian distiller now offers the Roar Kit for onboard, comprising a miniature rum

18. Beyers South African-based and offering private label as well as own-brand chocolates, Beyers describes itself as "European standard but not European priced" and offers an end-to-end service, everything from product development to packaging.

Its range varies from plain chocolate to truffles, and it tailors for onboard. Beyers has exclusive rights to produce Amarula (a famous South African nut liqueur) chocolate. beyerschocolates.com

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19. Carelian Caviar This first Nordic producer of caviar uses sustainable farming techniques and no antibiotics or hormones for top-quality caviar. Carelian offers three types: large pearled, low-salt Nordic Imperial, buttery Nordic Royal and Traditional, which has a longer shelf life. It has gift boxes for retail. carneliancaviar.com

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21. Global-C Its innovative new box concept, Scoop, comes in many guises and offers maximum convenience. Boxes that fit straight onto tray runners and open up to include a table mat; flexibility, with tapas/ bento box style multi-compartment boxes; and style, such as its tube-style packaging with transparent windows. global-c.nl

23. Cesarin Specialising in fruit ingredients for desserts and cakes – from fresh to candied. Cesarin describes itself as artisan but on an industrial scale and wants to be 100% organic within six years (currently 20-30%). It tries to use Italian produce as much as possible. cesarin.it

24. Manomasa 20. Pottkorn Premium German popcorn in wacky flavours: Gin & Tonic (buttered caramel, juniper, lime), The Drone (Belgian milk chocolate, baked ground espresso beans, whisky) and Pink Lining (white chocolate, raspberries, sugar sprinkles). pottkorn.de

22. En Route En Route announced it has partnered with Nando’s to launch its first range of snack products for travel catering, including: a houmous snack box with PERi-PERi Drizzle and pitta chips, half-popped corn and PERi-PERi sauce sachets. en-route.com

Gourmet tortilla chips with exotic street food flavours, Manomasa now offers 25g onboard packs of its gluten-free chips in Serrano Chilli and Yucatan Honey; Green Lemon and Pinker Peppercorn; and Manchego & Green Olive. manomasa.co.uk

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25. Buzz Buzz has a new partnership with luxury toiletries brand Byredo now presented in Emirates A380 suites as a wellbeing collection. buzzproducts.com

26. Silver Pail This maker of ice cream, desserts and cream liqueurs offers private label for ice cream and supplies household names such as Baskin Robbins in the Middle East. Its liqueurs come in Original and Gingerbread flavours and will float on the top of coffee. silverpail.com

27. Sigdal Bakeri This crispbread specialist from Norway

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makes all its products using roasted seeds, sustainably sourced. Options include organic spelt with honey, gluten-free sunflower seeds and quinoa and rye and spelt bran. Sigdal has a 34g travel format postitioned as an ideal healthy onboard snack. sigdalbakeri.no

28. Gobi A revolutionary new solution for caterers Gobi collects liquid waste and turns it into a solid gel, preventing leaks and controlling odour. It uses a superabsorbent polymer recycled from rejected diapers, a clean and safe material which absorbs liquid 150 times its weight. gobi-absorbent.com

29. Aunt Mabel's This Norwegian family business is already successful in retail but is now targetting the buy-on-board market with its singleserve muffins. The USP is a long shelf life of 60 days but a product which still uses fresh eggs and fruit. Its automated production line reduces the risk of contamination but a slow mixing process results in a moist product. Flavours include double chocolate, milk chocolate, blueberry and caramel. millba.no

30. Thistly Cross Offering a range of small-batch Scottish ciders in 330ml glass bottles, and already onboard Virgin Trains (First) and

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Caledonian MacBrayne ferries. Now offered in 330ml cans. Thistly Cross comes in seven flavours: original (6.2% ABV); traditional (4.4%); cloudy (5.5%); whisky cask cider (6.9%); strawberry; ginger; and elderflower (all 4%) - all matured for six months. thistlycrosscider.co.uk

31. Keogh's This Irish crisp brand has launched 25g packs. It works with local suppliers for many flavours, including an Irish chorizo from Cork. Its USP is ‘from crop to crisp’ and it has a 'Spud Nav' on its packets showing the type of potato, field and who cooked it. It offers 11 flavours including shamrock & sour cream. keoghs.ie

32. Angel Revive A new brand of bottled water endorsed by ex-Liverpool footballer Steven Gerrard claims to offer more refreshment thanks to its uniqie PH balance of 8.2, therefore alkaline and regulating acid levels in the body. The water also contains minerals including nitrates, nitrites, salts and calcium together with sulphates and magnesium. Angel Revive contains natural electrolytes and, says Gerrard, “is perfect water for travellers.” aac.de

33. Finlays UK-based Finlays specialises in tea and owns its own estates. It also offers coffee bags which are optimised for airlines.

They use a special film which has been developed for maximum extraction, a special blend of thermoplastic, abaca and cellulosic fibres with market-leading wet and dry tensile strength. finlays.net

34. Albea This specialist in beauty, personal care and pharma packaging, unveiled new amenity kits for Air France. The company is now upping its focus on the travel sector under the Travel Designer brand and includes Merci Handy (funky-style hand sanitiser), the Marvis toiletries range, Dune, Valle Belle, Haribo and Skin & Co truffle products in its portfolio. albea-group.com •

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82 / rail catering

growing safely Worldwide rail passenger growth is offering huge opportunities for caterers and onboard suppliers but it also brings security challenges previously the preserve of the airlines. Roger Williams discovers more

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ew high speed intercity routes and trains are being launched almost every month. Global investment in railways is now the highest it has ever been as governments seize the opportunities of new trade and societal links being provided in the most environmentally-friendly way.

This is simultaneously opening up high-speed travel to new markets, including some that were previously out of reach for millions. For example, Hong Kong’s Vibrant Express direct link to China’s national highspeed network; Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpar–Singapore high-speed line; Cambodia’s restoration of a line from Phnom Penh to Thailand’s Bangkok; and the Rail Baltica project to join Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with Poland and the rest of Europe.

The potential to build the passenger experience onboard rail is huge but with these opportunities comes huge responsibility – one that the airlines have been managing at the sharp end for decades – security. It’s become a major priority for railways now but just how it impacts the passenger experience and the market is still to be fully understood.

Volumes and responsibility

Physical barriers

Putting the volumes into perspective, Deutsche Bahn, Europe’s largest rail operator, with 10% growth since 2014, now carries 142m passengers on its intercity trains – over 20m more than Europe’s largest airline (by passenger volume), Ryan Air carries in a year.

To do this requires a combination of technology, resources, vigilance and training, across rail operations and their supply chain. Of course physical barriers to guard the intercity network are important. Anti-vehicle barricades, armed security and even sniffer dogs are

New restrictions Railways are open access, jump on / jump off, and last minute ticket purchasing is the norm. The level of convenience they offer is what makes them so competitive. However, with the increasing threat of terrorism, and some recent issues affecting trains on Belgium’s cross border service Thalys, rail operators are under pressure to add improved security measures.

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all part of the modern day rail travel experience.

The station and onboard environment also has one of the most heavily concentrated CCTV public networks, many with facial recognition systems.

Whilst digital identity reconnaissance is on the edge of reasonableness to some people, there is so much data available from smart ticketing alone that the traveller must increasingly expect a degree of journey tracking.

Currently in Europe, only cross-border services outside the Schengen zone (such as Eurostar) are required by law to operate airport-style checkin controls directly prior to boarding, with bag scanners and passport checks.

However, many long distance operators such as Thalys and Renfe in Spain regularly scan bags during the boarding procedure, and this trend seems likely to become more prevalent. It does slow the passage of customers from station to train but it also provides reassurance and a deterrant.

On the plus side, it can also be an opportunity for tech firms to employ their tools of the trade to facilitate speedy boarding; and in many locations

lounges and station outlets will benefit from longer dwell times as boarding is marginally less instantaneous. With pre-booking, reserved seats and digital ticketing, rail journeys will still be quicker than the airport drag.

New technology In a new development, Amtrak and the USA’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are testing new mobile security tech aimed at identifying body-worn explosive devices.

The testing is being conducted in New York's Pennsylvania Station and triggers an alarm if a person is carrying or wearing explosives.

Training and communication Last but not least rail operators, station and onboard caterers all need to understand their role and what to do in the event of a suspected or actual threat.

Companies need to train their staff in the “See it, Say it, Sorted” approach (as in the UK) or similar in line with security agency advice. Ultimately this is something we should all learn! •

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84 / HOW TO...

How to...

...reinvent convenience foods The LSG Group launched a packaged products and convenience foods brand during WTCE. Alexandra Siokou, director global brand and marketing strategy, explains how and why GO BACK TO BASICS We’re on a mission to change perceptions about packaged products and convenience foods and to ensure that with a fresh, creative approach, these stand apart from traditional airline catering. We reviewed every boxed or sealed product in the group’s portfolio, across all brands and industries and nominated those best suited to come into the new brand. It was a long process, starting with international audits on everything and it included the creation of an enormous matrix of all the products we offer.

FOCUS ON MARKETS We then worked out how best to position those products within a brand that would target our key markets. The goal was to offer a market independent brand relevant across sectors - air, rail and all retail. Each needs product choice, expert support and customised packaging to help them stand out.

DEFINE YOUR RANGE We took products and services from across LSG Group companies: Starfood, Oakfield Farms and Constance Food Group and brought them together to create a full range of ready-to-eat solutions covering bakery, hot meals, packaged salads, boxed meals, desserts, snacks, sandwiches and wraps. We drew on expertise from across the group to bring product creation, manufacturing, supply-chain management, product brokerage and licensing under one umbrella.

FACT FILE Evertaste sits alongside LSG Sky Chefs (catering and hospitality), Retail inMotion (onboard retail) and SPIRIANT (onboard equipment and logistics)

5,000 retail outlets across the US, and 4,000 retail outlets across Europe.

The brand is working with 42 airlines, seven rail operators,

Worldwide the brand daily bakes 200,000 muffins and pastries

The brand is present in 29 locations across 10 countries

CHOOSE A NAME Evertaste is a B2B brand and may not show up in front of the consumer.

Our customers can choose their own brand name, tailored to fit their usage and identity. The Evertaste name was chosen to convey our way of working, focusing on highest quality standards and flexibility and offering a full spectrum of convenience food products.

ADD VALUE One of the key advantages of this process is that we have been able to integrate all the collective expertise of our established brands and make it easier for the brands to connect.

Our teams have a much clearer understanding of who within the group is most knowledgeable about what, and there are much simpler ways for our customers to understand our offering and the support that goes with it. •

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Unparalleled Quality For over 30 yearss Gourmet Foods Inc. has provided our Airline, Rail and Cruise Line customers a wide range of high quality products.

Through our strict quality control programs, we have achieved SQF Level 2 Certification, guaranteeing the quality and care put into hand crafting every single product.

In order to continue enhancing our products quality, Gourmet Foods has completely eliminated man made trans-fats, artificial colors, preservatives and other chemicals from our core line of products.

Cage-free eggs, expeller-pressed oils, wild-caught shrimp, hormone-free dairy products, American Homestead pork, Mary’s Non-GMO enhanced animal welfare chicken, and sustainably farmed smoked salmon are just a few examples of what you can expect when you are considering our family of gourmet products.

This is Gourmet Foods promise to you: Whether it’s First or Business Class components, sauces, soups, hors d’oeuvres or special meals, we bring quality and sustainability to the table for the satisfaction of your customers.

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86 / IN CONVERSATION

It is time to shine a light on the caterers' immense contribution Following the launch of the new Air Catering Association, (ACA) we ask new md Fabio Gamba to share his aims and ambitions in the new role

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or decades the airline catering sector has been somehow hidden, it has not been seen or respected as a real industry and it really is time for this to change.

My background has always been related to air transport, in assoications (airlines and air traffic management), or one of the OEMs. I was always curious why the one area in the airline value chain that had no clear trade body was catering. This astonished me. In the past catering operations belonged to the airlines so airline bodies could represent their interests to some extent. Today, catering is much more independent and the busineses that support it have to react and respond to changes in different ways. They need better ways to make their value and needs known.

Influence Perhaps the key reason the five founding

members have formed ACA now is the increasing volume and burden of legislation governing airlines. The legislation cascades down onto the caterers and they have to comply, but they have no opportunity to be involved in the formation of regulations which are often created without them in mind at all. They need ways to influence that decision making.

Best practice For a relatively young industry, airline catering is very well consolidated and mature, especially when compared to the number of airlines it serves. It has the expertise and experience to set and impose its own standards and establish best practise from within. It needs to define the standards it is working to and can then lead and influence legislators rather than simply implementing what is being imposed from elsewhere. In areas

such as food labelling, safety, security or the environment we are confident we can drive positive change, from within.

Visibility It is also true that in the 21st century the passenger expects full choice at their fingertips, and transparency in everything they do. Caterers are becoming more visible and have to take control of their own destiny. We have to show we are a key stakeholder in aviation and show the added value we bring consumers and the global economy in terms of jobs, revenue, service and experience. We have a very compelling story to tell, we have to roll up our sleeves, reveal the incredible facts about our industry and then get out there to communicate and demystify it.

It is time to move out of the shadows and shine a light on the immense contribution we make to aviation. •

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FOCUS ON / 87

No nonsense nuts Fruit, nuts and seeds specialist Petrow Food Group was at WTCE this year to test the waters for its new snack brands aimed at airlines. Laura Gelder finds out more

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business-to-business operation until last year, Petrow Food Group now offers own-brand snack products and private label goods.

It has recently invested £1.5 million in a production line to pack nut butters into jars, tubs and sachets, and also has organic certification and a Fair Trade line.

Says Petrow’s commercial director Fatma Akalin-McGee: "Our USP is that we are a peanut-free nut specialist, a big selling point for airlines who want to offer a risk-free food service. We go straight to the origin when we source, have strong relationships with our suppliers and go above and beyond with our audits. Many people these days want supplier mapping so they have an understanding of the products they're buying and where they come from.”

Petrow has developed three brands specifically aimed at airlines: Petrow for Economy, Gastronut for Business and Trique for First. The latter includes unusual blends using intense flavours and strong colours – a mix of savoury notes like cracked black pepper, exotic flavours like spicy coconut and combining nuts with fruit or chocolate.

“We’re trying to push boundaries,” says

Akalin-McGee. “We have a new product cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, development department to work on pecans, pine nuts, pistachio and walnuts) our own recipes. During WTCE we were and seeds (heat treated and roasted asked to develop a non-nut mix. We aim pumpkin, poppy and sunflower seeds), to follow flavour trends, such the current as well as blends of each. There’s also a trend to hot and sweet.” range of coconut products including milk, “One of the biggest snack sectors cream, flour, and raw coconut chips. currently is dried fruit UK-based, Petrow and seeds. Nuts are also was founded in on trend and nut butters 2009 and has two in particular. They can We are a peanut-free processing plants be added to smoothies, nut specialist, a big in the UK – one in used as an on-the-go Perivale, West London, selling point for protein shot or paired and the other an airlines with cheese – as 80,000sqft grade BRC well as dolloped in porridge or factory and warehouse facility in Haverhill, spread on toast or crackers. They’re Suffolk which opened in 2015. a great choice for kids snack boxes.”

The company is connected to the C.J. The range Petrow offers includes Petrow Group, a family business which dried fruits (apples, apricots, sultanas, was founded in 1954 in South Africa and is figs, raisins, dates, mango, cranberries, now in its second generation. It comprises peaches and pears), roasted, dried more than 20 companies located across and pasted nuts (almonds, brazil nuts, the world, from Singapore to Canada. •

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in conversation / 89

You have to create wow factors that make dining onboard an experience Gategroup is going back to its roots and focusing on food.

Gottfried Menge, vp group culinary excellence, explains how people are key

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e're linking culinary excellence with operational excellence by investing in people and equipment.

For example, Gate Gourmet is now working with state-of-the-art ovens from Rational and holding workshops so that our chefs really understand the potential of the technology. It’s not just about putting the food in and pressing a button, we can programme these ovens to work for different needs and we’ve even worked with Rational to develop an app which allows us to see the performance of our ovens across the world.

As proud as we are to be implementing this fast-moving technology, Gate Gourmet is still a people business and we are investing heavily in our staff.

We’ve hired new chefs across all regions, even recruiting from the Michelin-star field – chefs like Dennis Pochert, the youngest ever Michelin-star chef in Switzerland, who

is now working on menu development in our Zurich kitchen.

As well as an executive chef in every region we now also have an operational executive chef who is responsible for managing the overall process.

Awareness through training It’s hard to control what happens once our food is onboard but by hiring the right people and working with crew to help them understand our meals we can produce what people expect these days, a restaurant experience in the sky.

We hold crew days and workshops where chefs create and explain the food in front of them. Any waiter is proud to serve food if they are empowered by knowledge about it.

We must not punish those who cannot

afford First! Don’t serve a tray with 15 items which add up to nothing - you have to create wow factors and make dining onboard an experience. At Gate Gourmet we aim to create meals with atmosphere.

Be brave The airline industry is vulnerable so risk taking is not common but we will never be scared of making changes and moving forward. The Absolutely One concept for LATAM was uncharted territory – bringing a one plate restaurant-style concept to its long haul Economy – but this went on to win the Onboard Hospitality Awards Catering Innovation award this year.

This is just the start of a journey. We have exciting and creative management and culinary is back at the forefront of what we do - it's in our DNA. •

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18/05/2018 15:39

Celebrating Excellence & Innovation Join the International Flight Services Association as we honor exceptional inflight service with the annual Compass Awards held during the IFSA EXPO 24-26 September 2018.

For more information visit:

www.IFSA.aero/CompassAwards

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Award Nomination Categories Best Inflight Food Best Inflight Beverage Best Onboard Amenity Best Catering/Food Service/Galley Equipment Caterer of the Year Airline of the Year Supplier of the Year

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How to...

...create heritage dining The North Yorkshire Moors Railway just celebrated its 50th anniversary. Jessica Pook stepped onboard to discover its enduring appeal LAY ON THE SILVER SERVICE The North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs rail dining experiences for up to 109 passengers as they travel across the rural Yorkshire countryside in the UK. With silver service, three-course dining and themed journeys, it specialises in laying on the style and offering seasonal menus using local produce.

KEEP IT LOCAL Brown says: “We use independent local suppliers whenever possible with a great focus on locally produced food.

Local butchers supply our meat from farms close by and dry goods come from a York-based business. Bread is supplied by local bakeries and local breweries supply our hand-crafted ales.”

CATER FOR ALL The rail line has had to adapt to the increase in dietary requests and allergy requirements which can prove difficult as they are catering in the confined space of an onboard galley

J POTTER

USE SMALL SCREEN SUCCESS Pullman dining train manager, Gill Brown, has been catering the train for seven years and recently made an apperance on ‘The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard’, a three-part Channel 5 documentary which aired earlier this year. Since the programme, bookings have surged with passengers keen to experience the exceptional hospitality and local produce. Enquiries for wedding and special event rail journeys are also up.

FACT FILE The North Yorkshire Moors Historical Railway Trust is a notfor-profit charitable organisation run as part of the local community. It operates the trains with the support and commitment of over 1000 volunteers who turn out regularly to support operations

The NYMR is one of the earliest and most historic lines in the North of England. Its origins go back over a century and a half The teak carriage set dates from 1930-50 and appeared in Downton Abbey and the Dad’s Army remake

kitchen. Brown says: “We have many requests for gluten-free meals and people find it hard to comprehend that we do not have zoned kitchens for the preparation of fresh foods, including baking, so cross contamination can be a risk due to flour particles in the air."

EVOLVE THE OFFERING Over the last two years, NYMR has extended the onboard dining services using its teak carriages and saloons to offer a wide range of specialist journeys including curry trains, gin tasting, festive teas and fish and chip services. “These trains run opposite our Pullman dining train and give our customers wider variety of services to choose from. The gin train has proven very popular, as has the curry train which runs across the moors with a brigade of Indian chefs onboard, cooking à la carte for our guests. •

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The leading global event for travel catering, onboard retail and passenger comfort Don’t miss the opportunity to source the latest products and services from over 350 international suppliers. Network with 4,000 onboard professionals including 800 airline and rail buyers and be inspired by thought provoking presentations and demonstrations.

SAVE THE DATE 2-4 April 2019

worldtravelcateringexpo.com Co-Located with:

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Organised by:

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in conversation / 93

pre-ordering 30 minutes before departure will soon be a Reality Six months after becoming gategroup coo, Federico Germani tells us how the smartphone is driving catering into a new era, fast

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he smartphone and the technology around it are giving passengers the power to better control their experience. That brings tremendous opportunities for airlines but also puts great pressure on the final mile of the catering journey.

Technology will be a strong driver for the industry in the coming years, transforming the passenger experience.

We are investing heavily in it by partnering, for example, with technology leaders Black Swan to help unlock the potential. We believe the opportunities are very exciting, not just in food service but in onboard retail and every element of buy-on-board logistics.

But technology is not just about the passenger, it is integral to the success of the entire global supply chain. If you are increasing passenger choice and extending pre-order options, every touchpoint along the way must have the data and technology to deliver. There is no doubt pre-ordering 30 minutes before departure will be with us very soon for both Economy and Business. We will deliver on that thanks to our investment in data analytics which ensure accurate load predictions. The food won't be made in that last half an hour but the data will tell us long before what will be required.

Unstoppable trends

Reality check

The whole airline industry is undergoing a major technological transformation with onboard wifi becoming standard and growing demand from passengers for control and information throughout their journey.

Having spent much of my career on the other side of the fence, within airlines (most recently LATAM), I did not fully appreciate until now the true complexity of airline catering. I'd visited kitchens and airport units of course but seeing

the scale, performance, efficiency, consistency and true complexity of that last mile of the operation was eyeopening. The importance of a caterer being a true partner with an airline, sharing the same objectives, systems and integrated technology is absolutely fundamental to the passenger experience.

The opportunities available through true partnerships are immense. Now I fully realise the investment caterers such as gategroup make in their people, their world-class chefs, efficiencies and technology. These investments are all designed to support the airlines' passenger experience. Airlines should be very reassured at how advanced the thinking and investment is, it is this that will help them leap frog ahead and achieve the vision so many talk about of the personalised, connected passenger experience. •

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94 / BEVERAGE TREND

Hot goes cold The heat is most definitely off when it comes to tea and coffee. Laura Gelder finds out why

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side from water, tea and coffee are the most universally drunk beverages on the planet, so it’s no surprise they're constantly being reinvented.

Just offering English breakfast tea is laughable in 2018 – when green tea, fruit tea, herbal tea, even fermented tea are demanding attention. And the overcomplicated coffee market is becoming the butt of jokes – with fast-food chain McDonalds even poking fun at this in its latest UK advert, showing customers being bamboozled by baristas. Change is in the air, and lately it seems it's temperature that’s changing.

Going cold has long been a way for coffee outlets to attract the younger market – particularly with sweet frappuccinos and quirky combinations. According to F&B trends analyst Mintel, nearly a quarter of coffee menu items were cold by 2015 (up from 18% in 2009),

and 66% of US millennials drink iced coffee compared to 34% of the older GenX.

A view to cold brew Millennials love artisan too and until recently it was hot, rather than cold coffee which dominated this market. Since cold coffee has traditionally been mostly brewed hot and then served over ice, it made for a bitter taste, best diluted with cream and sugar.

Now cold brew is the latest coffee craze. It’s made from coffee grounds slowly soaked in roomtemperature water for up to 24-hours, producing a concentrated essence which is then diluted with more water and served chilled for a naturally sweeter taste.

It’s the craft beer of the coffee world and has cool packaging to match. Mintel’s report shows that in cold brew’s biggest market, the US, this sub-segment grew

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580% between 2011 and 2016.

There's been a slower uptake onboard but at WTCE, famous tea brand Finlays showed off its Nitro Coffee, a cold brew coffee machine which actually infuses the coffee with nitrogen, making it rich and creamy tasting and giving it a head like a pint of Guinness.

and Asian carriers, it has mostly been dominated by large brands like Liptons which offers sugary versions with no premium or artisan credentials.

New Zealand-based QuarterPast showcased its new 20g fruit tea infusion pods at WTCE as an onboard single-serve solution. Caffeine-free, the contents of the peel-back pot can be added to a cup of hot or Infusi-asm cold water, even sparkling, and Google’s Beverage Trends comes in lemon, ginger and Report monitors what people honey, or blackcurrant and Cold it seems is the new honey. The infusions are made are searching for to identify hot trend for teas, growing markets. It has found with quality locally-sourced that process, whether driven by ingredients and mixed with coffees and infusions health, taste or connoisseurship, water from an artisan aquifer. on-the-go has become a primary concern.

When it comes to infusions, The top (by volume) trending searches within this Google’s report shows that earthy flavours like ginger trend were cold brew and infusions. are particularly popular. Top Thai beverage brand Whilst iced tea has long been a staple onboard US Gingen is an instant powder sachet which can be enjoyed hot or cold, and has just landed in the UK. Twinings launched its first cold infusion bag to the market at WTCE, after two years of development. This on-the-go product can be slipped into a cold bottle of water and takes six minutes for optimum infusion but can be drunk straight away. They come in watermelon, strawberry & mint; passionfruit, mango & blood orange; and blueberry, apple and blackcurrant.

Sugar and aspartamine-free, the new launch is also tea-free and actually targets the flavoured water market. The biodegradable bags are light and made of cornstarch, and offer the bonus to airlines that they can be paired with water sales to offer a better profit margin than soft drinks like iced tea.

It seems that cold is the new hot trend in beverages and will likely be hitting a cabin near you, very soon. •

Pictured, clockwise from top left: Quarterpast's single-serve hot or cold infusion; iced coffee has now been replaced by cold brew coffee from Finlays; Twinings' new cold-infusion bag

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Count your blessings In a hectic world of quick fixes and fast food, juice specialist bless is going back to nature to try and restore some natural beverage balance. Laura Gelder finds out more

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n a beverage market awash with juice options fighting for our attention, the back story and ingredient credentials of cold-pressed juice business bless will certainly make consumers look twice.

Based in Hong Kong, the ethos of the product development team revolves around restoring life's balance by reconnecting with nature and a natural diet. The in-house dietitians and nutritionists strive to create nutritional cold-pressed juices that will nourish passengers from the inside out. They lead a research and development team and offer tailored cleansing programmes and specific juice mixes to target specific health and wellbeing priorities.

Bless offers a variety of products, from vitamin blends and organic juices to detox juice cleanse programmes.

Juices are pressed daily in Hong Kong, and contain no sugar and no preservatives. "The freshness of the fruit combined with our carefully designed combinations are designed to maximise well-being."

Peter Wong, business development manager at bless, says: "Our aim is to stand apart from our competitors, not just as a juice company

but as a business that helps inspire and The choice within the range is innovate a healthy diet which doesn't extensive, with 30 flavours split up into compromise on taste." single juices, including orange, Asian All juices are 100% juice and the pear, fuji apple and watermelon, and cold-pressed process is said to help mixes. Mixes are numbered and many of retain the fruit's full-flavour, vibrant their names relate to their benefits. 'Skin colour and important Angel’ for example nutrients. The juices supports skin health have a 90-day shelf life (pineapple, Asian pear thanks to HPP (high and lime) while ‘Heart pressure pasteurisation) Our aim is to stand Guardian’ is tailored a process which to promote a healthy apart from the pasteurises without heart (pineapple, existing juice heat and hence without companies, to help orange, Asian pear damaging the nutrients. inspire and innovate and beetroot), and ‘Dr Already being served Detox’ (green apple, a healthy diet to First and Business spinach, cucumber passengers on Qatar, and parsley) has Cathay Pacific and regional carrier cleansing properties.

Cathay Dragon, the company's products Bless can custom-make for airlines and are offered in 270ml bottles for buy-onmakes all its products from natural and board service and one litre bottles for unprocessed ingredients, sourced as onboard service – all packaged in plastic. close to Hong Kong as possible. •

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98 / GALLEY GOSSIP

Bag it George Banks won our 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award following a long career in inflight service. Here he looks back at the premium gift offerings of the past

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1950s

he range of gifts given to passengers has constantly changed and was strictly governed

by IATA rules in the sixties and seventies.

Premium passengers could only be offered items that could be termed ‘for use inflight’, as gifts in the cabin.

Never the less a huge array of items was offered from address books and paper fans to picture prints and flowers, wallets, pens, ties and scarves, watches, china ornaments, crystal glasses and shopping bags.

Gradually this gift became dominated by toiletries for use onboard and the amenity bag became a standard gift across airlines for premium passengers at least.

Style and quality were key from the start with the likes of Malaysia Singapore Airlines (MSA) offering Christian Dior toiletries in a pack of three small glass bottles in the early seventies, and famous designers such as Anya Hindmarch being commissioned to design original styles by the early eighties.

The contents began with slipper socks, eye mask, comb, toothbrush and toothpaste, and gradually became far more sophisticated with costly perfumes, aromatherapy products, branded facial and body creams and luxury brands such as Bulgari onboard.

Today almost every airline offers amenity bags. Many change them up to four times a year with exclusive collectables adding a reason to book for some passengers.

Bags now boast post-flight uses too from iPad case to clutch bag, make-up case to gadget store, and new items include charging cables, guide books and items tailored to specific journeys. Prints and colours are vivid and styles constantly evolve. With this year’s launch of the Lalique aromatherapy candle in a crystal glass and full bottles of perfume or aftershave on Singapore Airlines we seem to be back to where we began with the focus once more on true gifting.

KLM

KLM has offered its collection of Dutch miniature houses since the 1950s. This souvenir reflects the home destination and has become very popular with passengers.

1995

BRITISH AIRWAYS

The Anya Hindmarch retro bags for First became very popular and collectable for British Airways in the nineties.

Designer Anya Hindmarch clearly had fun with the beautiful BA Heritage collection featuring black and white photographs of flying boats, Stratocruisers and vintage passenger cabins.

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LATIN AMERICA

Lan Chile offered a practical toilet bag in the 1980s with a simple branded blue bag holding a comb, toothpaste and toothbrush set, eye mask, slippers, disposable razor, a pen and a route map, but Brazilian airline, Varig, featured a grey plastic shopping bag with generous contents, combining gifts of Christian Dior Eau Savage, Swiss Lindt chocolates, slippers, eye mask, toothbrush and tissues. In addition writing paper and envelopes were included. VIASA, Venezuela's former national airline operated a fleet of DC-8s and DC-10s and in its ‘Service Superior’ Business cabin offered beautiful Parker pens as an inflight giveaway.

1970s

1980s AIR INDIA

A set of three Givenchy toiletries were marked ‘for use on board’ by Air India, in 1975, to ensure they complied with IATA rules and the same airline offered its passengers black and gold silk dressing gowns to wear inflight. ANA –All Nippon also offered warm sleeve-less waistcoats for passengers to wear onboard and perhaps this was the start of the trend towards pyjamas and loungewear for premium passengers.

1982 AVIANCA COLOMBIA

1990

Avianca Colombia offered First passengers elegant paperweight gifts in velvet drawstring bags. The paperweights depicted a reproduction of an item from Bogota’s famous Gold Museum.

ALITALIA

Alitalia presented a uniquely different retro option in the nineties in a beautiful tin branded ‘La Collezione di Magnifica Magnifica Class’ and wrapped in a soft felt green bag, with a stylish photo of an Alitalia hostess with two children walking away from the aircraft. The contents included socks, eyemask, large comb, moisturising cream, cologne, tissues, toothbrush and paste.

EMIRATES

The Emirates Business bag is one of the most generous toilet bags around.

Designed with a zip closure in grey linenlook fabric, it includes slippers, eye mask, branded shaving foam, a Truefit and Hill

by Royal Appointment gentlemen's razor, hairbrush, deodorant, Bulgari body lotion, Eau de Perfume, tissues and Eau de Cologne.

2015

TAP AIR PORTUGAL

The TAP Air Portugal barrel bag was created by skysupply to celebrate the airline’s 72nd anniversary in 2017. The retro bag style in orange and beige contains beautiful cotton pyjamas, and Portuguese products of Lavanda Eau de Cologne, Couto toothpaste, Benamor hand cream, and shaving cream. There is also a set of destination postcards and a picture of the TAP A330 in seventies' colours.

2017

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100 / GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

The world view We're going global every day by going social.

Meet us in the virtual world via Twitter and LinkedIn. Here's just some of digital chat you may have missed...

Follow us for more: @OBHMagazine and Linkedin.com Delta counts 40 Delta has been celebrating its 40th anniversary of flights between the UK and the US. When the first service launched in 1978, Boney M was topping the charts and Grease was on the verge of becoming the movie of the summer. And while the dastardly J.R Ewing is no longer on our TVs and perms and bell bottoms fell out of fashion long ago, 40 years on Delta is still flying from Heathrow to Atlanta, New York-JFK and Detroit. The airline also serves four other US cities non-stop from Heathrow, as well as Edinburgh and Glasgow from JFK. Wifi is now standard onboard but who would have predicted that as the maiden flight took place in the seventies? @Delta

Art of remembering Experts have discovered a way to help holiday memories last longer. Forget all those photos and social media posts and encourage your passengers to draw a picture instead.

It’s all linked to how many of our senses we stimulate when travelling according to a leading Oxford University experimental psychologist sharing the insights with holiday operator TUI. The growing affiliation to the ‘if it’s not on social it didn’t happen’ mantra, could be inadvertently fueling a memory-bank deficit he says. Creating 'Sketch to Etch' kits for your passengers and you could help them retain memories of the experience for longer he contends. @TUIUK

Electric dreams

Baggage bills According to analysis by Direct Line Travel Insurance in the UK, Brits had luggage to the value of £33,390 lost, damaged, or stolen every day in 2017. The losses amounted to more than £12 million over the course of the year and resulted in a four per cent increase in travel insurance claims. @FlyingBrussels

In a world first, the all-electric Tesla Model X P100D SUV successfully towed a Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner as part of a Guinness World Record attempt. The successful tow was the heaviest aircraft tow by an electric production passenger vehicle ever. The car pulled the 130 tonne aircraft using its dual electric motors to generate sufficient torque to move the 787 almost 300 metres. Qantas is already using electric aircraft tugs at Sydney and Canberra and is aiming to use more electric vehicles as part of its plan to reduce greenhouse emissions. @Qantas

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Seats for mangroves Etihad Airways and French NGO, Planète Urgence, have joined forces in the fight against global warming to build a forest in the mangroves of Indonesia. For every ticket booked on the Etihad Airways website in the week of World Earth Day, Etihad committed to planting a tree. The Etihad Forest aims to have a minimum of 20,000 trees planted by Planète Urgence a charitable organisation which supports rural communities in countries that are particularly vulnerable to climate change. @EtihadAirways

Pampered pooches Cheap seats Travel planning platform Rome2rio has identified the world's cheapest airlines in a new Global Flight Pricing report. Covering 200 airlines, the average cost per km across the full list rose from 17.75 US cents in 2016 to 18.8 US cents in 2018. Some 24 of the 30 cheapest international airlines are based in Asia or the Middle East with AirAsia X top, at US$0.07 per km, and Air India Express and Indonesia AirAsia both next cheapest at US$0.08 @rome2rio per km.

Animaux’s amenity kits for dogs is a new concept for onboard which was showcased at WTCE this year and could well work in retail. The German company’s felt pouches have beautiful detailing like a mental bone and cut-out felt dog attached to the zip. The company partners with Vimi, a premium pet care brand which has no parabens, sulphates, silicones, petrochemicals or artificial fragrances or colours. Its range includes balm for paws and snouts, sunscreen, shampoo, and soap for pampered pooches. vimi-naturals.com

Forward planning Talk about planning ahead...

Emirates has launched a Vintage Collection of fine wines which have been stored for up to 15 years in its cellar in Burgundy. Since 2006, Emirates has been buying wines for long-term storage, many of which were purchased when they were still in the barrel. The collection will now be served to First passengers and was launched onboard a flight to Paris with the Château Cheval Blanc 2004. @emirates

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102 / events

Rail spotlight - new forum Onboard Hospitality has formed a strategic partnership with the International Rail Catering Group (IRCG) to invite rail operators and passenger experience specialists to meet at their own dedicated event within InnoTrans 2018.

The Onboard Hospitality Forum at InnoTrans, will be held in the CityCube, Berlin (within the InnoTrans site) to offer the onboard hospitality sector the opportunity to share rail-specific insights and information.

Catering, wellbeing, design and innovation experts will join the forum to share relevant market intelligence and insights, and provide visionary ideas and inspiration to those driving onboard excellence within the rail sector.

IRCG Chairman, Roger Williams, says: “Catering and customer services on trains and in lounges already help rail operators attract millions of new passengers every year who may otherwise travel by road or air. This event will allow those working to enhance the passenger experience the chance to hear from industry experts as they present the latest trends, innovations, designs and ideas which can increase customer satisfaction, loyalty

What: Onboard Hospitality Forum - Rail Where: InnoTrans, Berlin When: Sept 19, 2018

and repeat travel.”

Being co-located within InnoTrans will allow delegates to combine time at the forum with a visit to the largest rail industry trade fair in the world, held every two years at the Messe Berlin.

InnoTrans occupies all 41 halls available at Berlin Exhibition Grounds and features a Travel Catering & Comfort Services area within its Interiors hall. This area focuses on passenger experience equipment, interior fittings and catering products and services and features exhibitors such as Kaelis, Newrest, LSG Group, Orvec, RONA and more. innotrans.de

APOT set for Perth What: APOT Asia Where: Perth, Australia When: June 24-16 2018

Plans are now well advanced for the APOT. Asia gathering in Perth with the schedule of events unveiled and a range of speakers and

activities confirmed.

The event will include presentations by key note speakers: Minister Paul Papalia, Michael Wahl, Simon Hepner, Prof. Dr. Hj. Rafek.

APOT, is the region’s foremost representative group for professionals in the airline hospitality, services and supply industry and its focus is on providing networking opportunities for people

and companies involved in onboard hospitality.

It also aims to promote regional tourism and destinations through its members and their influence.

2018 marks a new beginning for APOT after planned activities for last year were thwarted by the unfortunate timing of volcanic activity in Bali.

The organisation is now resolved to build on the successes of previous events and develop APOT as the leading networking environment for Asia.

Social events will include golf at The Links Kennedy Bay; a trip to Yanchep National Park and to Fremantle and a cruise on the Swan River to the region's wineries. apot.asia/perth

CALENDAR september 2-4 Speciality & Fine Food Fair.

Olympia, London specialityandfinefoodfairs. co.uk ------september 10-12 Future Travel Experience Global, Las Vegas futuretravelexperience. com ------september 20-21 lunch! Excel London lunchshow.co.uk ------September 24-27 IFSA Expo; APEX and AIX Co-located in Boston, USA ifsanet.com apex.aero

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