The evolution of in-flight food

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.

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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To infinity and beyond
But it’s not just the physical space that’s limiting when it comes to cooking in the clouds. According to BA, your ability to taste can be reduced by up to 30% at altitude.

And the temperature that water boils at reduces by 2˚F for every 1,000ft you climb, so in an aeroplane that’s pressurized to 8,000ft, water boils at 196˚F (91˚C), which explains why it never seems as hot as when you make it yourself.

The main factor affecting food quality is the ovens, as Kimmeringer explains: “There are steam ovens now, they’re not quicker than conventional ovens but they’re much more gentle, so the crew can choose whether to cook a part of a meal with steam, or with dry heat.

Some airlines still have to put the whole meal in together on one foil, and when the steak’s ready, all the vegetables are overcooked.

“There’s a new piece of equipment available that we’re looking at too – induction heating. It will need investment, and we might have to do it, but it’s a plan for the future.

At Etihad we are constantly pushing to achieve a much closer product to what you get served in restaurants. In-house we have developed a hot water drawer which keeps water very hot for a long period of time, and it’s helped cut down on wastage as you only have to make a hot drink when it’s actually ordered by the customer. Etihad is working with companies developing technologies to get an edge over others and to try and improve standards and cut wastage costs.

Taste the difference
BA has studied the science behind food at altitude using the ‘Taste of London’ event in June to create the ultimate in-flight dish.

This effort built on the success of the UK-based television programme, ‘Heston’s Mission Impossible,’ which aired earlier this year, in which British Airways challenged celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal to create the ultimate in-flight dish.

One of Blumenthal’s recommendations to British Airways was to use ingredients in its dishes which are high in umami, a savoury flavour known as the ‘fifth taste’, which occurs naturally in foods such as seaweed, tomatoes, mackerel and parmesan cheese.

Paolo De Renzis, British Airways’ regional commercial manager Middle East, said: “‘Height Cuisine’ is all about sharing some of the science behind food at altitude and is part of the process of innovative new ideas British Airways is exploring.

“There are several factors like cabin pressure, and environmental stressors like reduced oxygen levels, atmospheric pressure changes, low humidity, noise and vibration, aircraft motion, cabin air conditioning and time zones, that have an impact on the palate.”

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Industry impact
One company that has noticed a rise in demand for new and improved food is Saudi Arabian Airline Catering Company (SAACC).

Khalid Sultan Sheshah helped set up the Damman arm of the company in 1999. Today the company puts out 6,000 meals a day, and up to 15,000 at peak times, and works regularly with eight airlines, including Air India, KLM, Lufthansa and Malaysian Airlines.
He admits that profits are growing year-on-year, and “by quite a nice percentage!”, he laughs.

The travel business is growing,” he goes on to clarify, “especially in the Gulf area, and therefore so are catering businesses, and any other businesses related to it. The Middle East is a phenomenon compared to the rest of the world. In the eastern province of Saudi there is a big construction boom and development, and we are trying to take our quiet share from this market.”

But developing menus for an airline, and sourcing produce is not a quick process, especially in the Middle East: “It usually takes three months on average to develop a menu and put out the meals,” says Sheshah.

“The airlines take time in dealing with us, and we respect that. We cannot say no to anybody, but sometimes [when they come to us with requests that are difficult to achieve, like a menu with ingredients that have to be flown in from the other side of the world] I make alternative suggestions and have to advise them. But then, if they don’t accept the alternative, I go away and will bring their ingredient from the moon!”

Reaping the rewards
So, will all of this investment actually achieve the desired result – customer satisfaction levels in today’s ever competitive aviation market, and consequently return custom?

“We want to build a very strong brand,” explains Kimmeringer. “It’s a whole combination of the catering, the seat, the experience. With all of this combined you can have an impact on a person and hopefully get them to think, ‘Hey this is fantastic, I want to fly Etihad.’ Guests expect a very high standard and we promise them we’ll deliver – you can’t take it away.”