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Catering

World2fly, the new long-haul airline recently founded by the Spanish hotel company Iberostar, has become the first customer to sign up to Newrest’s pre-order digital solution, Fly'Eat.

World2fly selects Newrest’s pre-order digital solution

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World2fly, the new long-haul airline recently founded by the Spanish hotel company Iberostar, has become the first customer to sign up to Newrest’s pre-order digital solution, Fly'Eat.

World2fly, the new long-haul airline recently founded by the Spanish hotel company Iberostar, has become the first customer to sign up to Newrest’s pre-order digital solution, Fly’Eat.

Developed by Newrest’s Digital Lab, Fly’Eat enables pre-ordering, control and order flows management, their traceability and interconnection with on-board sales systems through QR code identification. It is offered as a white label directly integrated into the airline’s customer path. By signing a first contract with World2fly, the Group is deploying its independently developed tool for the first time.

Passengers can order products from the airline’s catalogue before the flight. This order is integrated in Winrest, Newrest’s ERP and then loaded on the plane. The airline crew takes care of the delivery of the products. This white label solution marks a turning point in the innovation of the Group’s in-flight catering offer.

The partnership with W2fly will commence in Cancun by offering in-flight catering services based on sustainability. Seasonal products are featured on the menu and offered using sustainable materials, such as sustainable cardboard boxes and cutlery made from avocado seeds.

World2Fly’s A350-900s are supplied by Newrest from its hubs in Madrid, Cancun.

World2fly will use QR code technology to evolve the sales process, with other airline customers expected to follow.

July 26, 2021
Virgin Atlantic has reopened its on-board bars the first time in 15 months.

Virgin reopens on-board services

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Virgin Atlantic has reopened its on-board bars the first time in 15 months.

Virgin Atlantic has reopened its on-board bars the first time in 15 months.

The airline’s social spaces, which are open to those travelling in Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class cabin, will reopen on all Green and Amber Virgin Atlantic routes across the airline’s worldwide network today, including Antigua, Barbados and Grenada.

Customers travelling on Virgin Atlantic’s newest aircraft, the Airbus A350, will experience the latest social space concept, The Loft.  As the largest social space in the airline’s fleet, The Loft offers a social area where customers can settle in to watch a show or our live tailcam on the 32-inch TV.  Bar options are also on board the airline’s Airbus A330 and Boeing 787s.

Corneel Koster, Chief Customer and Operations Officer at Virgin Atlantic said: “Our on-board bars and social spaces are a signature part of our Upper Class experience so I’m delighted we’re finally able to reopen them to our customers, where they can enjoy a drink and catch up with friends.  I know our cabin crew teams can’t wait to get back to providing our customers with the full Upper Class service we’re famous for and that’s been missed by many over the last 15 months.”

To ensure the continued safety of its customers and people masks will still be required within the social spaces unless eating or drinking, with social distancing remaining in place where possible.

July 21, 2021
Swiss airline Helvetic Airways has introduced a new in-flight culinary experience “that combines quality, freshness and Swissness all in one”

Helvetic modifies summer menus

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Swiss airline Helvetic Airways has introduced a new in-flight culinary experience “that combines quality, freshness and Swissness all in one”

Swiss airline Helvetic Airways has introduced a new in-flight culinary experience “that combines quality, freshness and Swissness all in one”. The new meals will be served free of charge to all travellers flying from or to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg or Bern Belp airports as part of Helvetic Airways’ all-inclusive air travel product.

The in-flight foodservice concept for the summer-timetable services from and to EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg and Bern Belp Airport have been modified, with food served in meal boxes in Switzerland’s national colours of red and white.

“Our range of in-flight food and beverage offerings reflects not only our Swiss values, but also the quality criteria and the care with which they have been selected,” explained Franz Lindauer, who is responsible for the Product & Inflight Experience at Helvetic Airways. “And these new culinary creations should truly help to get our travellers into the holiday or the back-to- Switzerland mood.”

Travellers on the morning flights to Larnaca and Santorini from Helvetic Airways’ new EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg base will be served a typical Swiss breakfast with an omelette, while travellers inbound to the EuroAirport from these destinations will be offered a traditional ‘Kalbsgeschnetzeltes’ sliced veal with rösti dish. On its services to and from Jerez de la Frontera, Helvetic will offer its guests a Spanish-inspired generously garnished sandwich.

And Helvetic travellers from and to Bern Belp Airport can look forward to a Greek salad with moussaka. In addition to mineral water from the Gontenbad spring in Switzerland’s Appenzell region, the new Helvetic Airways in-flight culinary concept is further accompanied by a wide selection of inclusive soft drinks. Alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer or sparkling wine are available on board for purchase.

July 20, 2021
British Airways has unveiled its new in-flight digital ordering platform, giving customers travelling in Euro Traveller the option to order additional snacks and drinks mid-flight, directly to their seat.

British Airways introduces new in-flight ordering platform

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British Airways has unveiled its new in-flight digital ordering platform, giving customers travelling in Euro Traveller the option to order additional snacks and drinks mid-flight, directly to their seat.

British Airways has unveiled its new in-flight digital ordering platform, giving customers travelling in Euro Traveller the option to order additional snacks and drinks mid-flight, directly to their seat.

The new in-flight ordering system will complement the airline’s current ‘Buy Before You Fly’ offering, where customers are encouraged to order from the airline’s full Speedbird Café menu, including items from its Tom Kerridge range, in advance of travel.

The new digital ordering system means that customers who wish to add to an existing pre-order, or for those who did not place an order before travel, can do so at any point during their flight. The proposition will initially be available from 19 July on selected routes before rolling out across other eligible services from London Heathrow.

Tom Stevens, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, said: “The feedback we have had from customers who have been able to travel and have ordered from our new Speedbird Café has been extremely encouraging. The Tom Kerridge range, in particular, has gone down a treat.

“We know that customers like being able to purchase their food in advance of travel and guarantee their first choice, however we also understand the importance of an extra cup of tea or a gin and tonic, in the moment. We think that this new digital ordering proposition, coupled with our pre-purchase option is a winning combination, catering for everyone’s needs.”

July 14, 2021
The merger of SPIRIANT and deSter has been completed with the launch of a new deSter brand identity.

New deSter brand unveiled

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The merger of SPIRIANT and deSter has been completed with the launch of a new deSter brand identity.

The merger of SPIRIANT and deSter has been completed with the launch of a new deSter brand identity.

In December 2020, gategroup acquired the European operations of LSG Group from Deutsche Lufthansa AG. The transaction comprised LSG’s in-flight catering operations in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Spain as well as the global equipment business trading under the SPIRIANT brand.

As part of the integration of SPIRIANT within the deSter organisation, the SPIRIANT name and brand will change to deSter to form one united brand moving forward.

“Our newly formed deSter organisation represents two companies sharing one big vision to enter the future together. While we have been two separate key players in the travel market in the past, creating one combined deSter was and is a fruitful process of combining expertise and experience in each of our action fields to become even stronger. Cross-location teams will expand our market potential across the globe and offer new opportunities for our employees to grow and develop,” commented Stef Van de Perre, CEO of deSter.

“From a strategic point of view, this new organisation will allow us to capitalise on our experiences in terms of product portfolio and sustainable solutions on a higher level. Our production capabilities and advanced equipment management solutions complete the portfolio of deSter and add value to all gategroup’s activities. Our experience in the travel market lays the foundation for the new organisation to enhance and accelerate growth within the foodservice market as well,” added Van de Perre.

July 8, 2021
Air France has selected three Michelin-star French chef Arnaud Donckele to oversee its entire La Première menu.

Air France selects Arnaud Donckele for La Première menu

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Air France has selected three Michelin-star French chef Arnaud Donckele to oversee its entire La Première menu.

Air France has selected three Michelin-star French chef Arnaud Donckele to oversee its entire La Première menu. Created especially for passengers in the airline’s most exclusive cabin, his dishes will be available from July to October 2021, on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

In collaboration with Servair’s Culinary Studio, the chef has created an appetiser, a starter and seven main dishes for Air France, which will be revealed progressively over the next four months.

By teaming up with the renowned chef from the Cheval Blanc St-Tropez and Cheval Blanc Paris, Air France says it is ‘reaffirming its role as an ambassador of fine French dining throughout the world’.

July 7, 2021
The “Chewing” Healthy Salad Bowl menu contains proteins, vitamins, and dietary fibre that boosts immunity.

JAL and TANITA introduce SKY Wellness Kitchen

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The “Chewing” Healthy Salad Bowl menu contains proteins, vitamins, and dietary fibre that boosts immunity.

From July, Japan Airlines and TANITA Corporation are collaborating to provide health support to passengers on JAL’s International long-haul flights.

The JAL “AIR series,” which has been in operation since 2011, will be revamped to offer a new menu Sky Wellness Kitchen supervised by TANITA CAFÉ.

Focusing on boosting immunity, TANITA CAFÉ will offer an original menu that incorporates the “chewing” element, which is one of the features of TANITA CAFÉ, and nutrients such as protein that boost immunity. In addition to activating the brain, chewing is expected to improve the immunes system, which protects the body from viruses and bacteria that invade from outside the body. JAL is planning to offer new menu items under the supervision of TANITA CAFÉ in the future.

The “Chewing” Healthy Salad Bowl menu contains proteins, vitamins, and dietary fibre that boosts immunity. The dessert is a smooth pudding that uses soy milk containing lactic acid bacteria with crushed texture of strawberry sauce and pistachio accents.

The in-flight meals are served with a leaflet that describes health knowledge. The leaflet includes a section focusing on immunity, as well as TANITA Gymnastics original stretches that can be easily done at home or at the destination.

In addition, from November, In-Flight Gymnastics, one of the in-flight video contents, will be renewed with a new video supervised by TANITA.

July 2, 2021
Ukrainian low-cost carrier SkyUp has updated its onboard menu, with the addition of new seasonal items.

SkyUp updates onboard menu

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Ukrainian low-cost carrier SkyUp has updated its onboard menu, with the addition of new seasonal items.

Ukrainian low-cost carrier SkyUp has updated its onboard menu, with the addition of new seasonal items.

A Strawberry Season SkyBox includes dorado and jamon with mango and chili puree sauce, a mix of salads with strawberries, peanuts, and feta cheese, and delicate Pine dessert.

We have added new seasonal items to the menu with strawberries and peaches. It will be available on the menu until 31 July.

The Peach Season SkyBox, available until 1 August, includes tender chicken rolls with pear and tomatoes with polenta, salad with grilled peach, Adyghe cheese, arugula, and fried hazelnuts, with a honey milfey for dessert.

In addition, the airline is also catering to Muslim passengers. The Muslim SkyBox includes tender pasta conciglioni with parmesan cheese and ricotta with spinach, cherry tomatoes, and thyme in cheese sauce, zucchini with hummus, yellow and red peppers, mozzarella and herbs, and caramel mousse for dessert.

June 21, 2021
Delta's Marinara-braised meatballs

Delta serves up fresh meals again

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Delta's Marinara-braised meatballs

Delta has reintroduced fresh meals to its premium domestic cabins.

“The new meals are the latest in an ongoing series of enhancements we’ve been making to our offerings in flight,” said Delta’s Chief Customer Experience Officer Allison Ausband. “Delta continues to take an intentional approach to the return of our onboard food and beverage program to ensure service is coming back safely and even better than before.”

To ensure a thoughtful reintroduction of its world-renowned service offerings, Delta engaged Mayo Clinic on multiple rounds of testing and onboard simulations to redesign its in-flight service procedures to ensure safe delivery.

From 15 June, Delta One and First Class customers flying from Boston and New York-JFK to and from Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco will see the return of popular breakfast, lunch and dinner items like lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry thyme syrup, a smoked salmon plate with bagel chips, and beef short ribs with whipped potatoes. Additionally, Delta’s bread service will now feature locally sourced sourdough bread and batch-churned, slow-cultured butter from Atlanta-based Banner Butter. Customers in these cabins will be able to browse the menus digitally via their seatback screens.

For customers flying from Los Angeles, Delta partners and chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo are preparing Italian-American fare, which includes staples like marinara-braised meatballs and juicy chicken parmesan. Their recipes feature local, fresh and seasonal ingredients inspired by the dishes served at Jon and Vinny’s popular eateries, including Animal, Son of a Gun and Jon & Vinny’s.

Delta One, First Class and Delta Comfort+ customers on domestic longer-haul flights will also enjoy additional tasty treats including Kind Energy bars, potato chips, cookies and more, served from a complimentary snack basket. Flight Fuel snack boxes that offer items like protein bars, beef jerky, chips, and chocolates are available for purchase for customers in Main Cabin on these flights.

Later this summer, customers flying Delta One or First Class on routes over 1,500 miles within North America, the Caribbean and Latin America will enjoy artisan sandwiches, salads and bowls specially curated for Delta. The new meals offer nourishing options like coconut chia oatmeal, a superfood grain bowl, a strawberry salad with seared chicken, an Italian prosciutto and fresh mozzarella sandwich and more.

“Customers are ready to enjoy their favourite bites on board again, and we’re working to ramp up our service while following Mayo Clinic recommendations to ensure that we continue to deliver the safest, and most delicious, experience,” said Mike Crowley, Vice President of Onboard Service Operations at Delta.

June 15, 2021
Braised Beef Noodles Melt-in-your-mouth beef, red cooked, caramelised and doused in home-made sweet-savoury chee hou sauce

Singapore Airlines and Feast Box launch special recipe box

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Braised Beef Noodles Melt-in-your-mouth beef, red cooked, caramelised and doused in home-made sweet-savoury chee hou sauce

To mark 50 years since it launched commercial services between Singapore and the UK, Singapore Airlines and Feast Box have partnered to create specially curated dishes inspired by the airline and some of its most popular Southeast Asian destinations

Available until 4 July, each week customers can choose from 14 authentic dishes, including two which are newly created and limited-edition Singaporean specialities – Hainanese Chicken Rice and Braised Beef Noodles.

The cook-at-home kits are available to purchase via feastbox.co.uk with delivery available across the UK and include a Singapore Airlines discount code of up to £100 to redeem on a future flight booking.

Mohamed Rafi MAR, General Manager UK & Ireland, Singapore Airlines, commented: “We are very happy and proud to celebrate 50 years of flight operations between the UK and Singapore. We hope to tantalise customers’ taste buds with our Feast Box partnership, celebrating some of our favourite destinations by showcasing their authentic cuisines”.

Jyoti Patel, CEO and Founder, Feast Box, commented: “Food is a wonderful way to explore the world and helps to shape our fondest memories. Offering people the chance to travel the world through food is at the core of everything we do, so working with Singapore Airlines on this wanderlust inducing menu has helped to bring Feast Box to life in a very special way.”

June 7, 2021