In-flight catering standards are soaring higher than ever due to investment and technology
In September British Airways announced that it was planning to invest GBP 5 billion (US $8 billion) into customer products and services, to be backed with a brand advertising campaign that would reach the Middle East by November 2011.
They called it bringing ‘thoughtful service and British style’ to the air, but service and style is nothing new to the Middle East.
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Back in summer 2011, Emirates Airline announced that, to reinforce its commitment to providing the best onboard experience to its customers, it would be serving up food to first and business class customers in Royal Doulton fine bone china, accompanied with Robert Welsch cutlery.
And even earlier on in the year, in May, Etihad Airways announced it wanted to raise the bar even higher and transform the in-flight dining experience by introducing qualified international chefs to its first class cabins.
Etihad already boasts over 200 designated food and beverage managers who have been recruited from hotels and restaurants, and now by the end of the first quarter of 2012 it hopes to have chefs in every single first class cabin.
Thinking outside the box
But how much cooking can a chef actually do considering the restrictions of the cabin? “Etihad standard and safety is a big process at the moment,” explains Werner Kimmeringer, head of guest experience – catering at Etihad Airways.
“We used to give chefs a box that contained beautiful chopping knives in it, but obviously we cannot provide chopping knives now because of 9/11 – everything we do has to be approved by safety regulators. Now though, we are able to give our chefs small knives, chopping boards, palettes and pans, so they can customise dishes for customers or cook their steaks perfectly to order.
“And the chefs are not just for first class customers, they are also there to monitor quality control of the food for the whole aircraft, so everyone will benefit from these plans.
The Etihad onboard chef will also be welcoming the premium guests, explaining the menu cards – he’ll be like the maitre’d of the cabin – and then he will recommend dishes and make wine pairings.
“The chefs that we’re recruiting range from chef de partis to executive chef,” Kimmeringer goes on to explain. “Out of 1000s of applications we so far have picked about 80, as they still need to meet the Etihad profile. We need over 100 and it’s been a huge process. We are recruiting chefs but having to train them not on the cooking, but how to operate in the aeroplane environment.”
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