Charter airline Corendon Dutch Airlines has announced it is giving passengers the ability to order their favourite snacks or duty-free items on board from the carrier’s “Corendon Café” digital portal and have them delivered directly to their seat.
These new in-flight features, which have been developed in partnership with the carrier’s long-term cabin technology and inflight entertainment partner AirFi, are designed to enhance the passenger experience, reduce waste and optimise ancillary revenue opportunities.
The new in-seat ordering service across Corendon Dutch Airlines, which is part of Turkish leisure airline Corendon Airlines, is launching on the carrier’s fleet of three Boeing 737-800 aircraft following a successful trial. Passengers can use the service by connecting to Corendon’s streaming IFE and shopping platform, powered by AirFi, by using their own mobile devices and the appropriate WiFi network on board.
Gert-Jan de Vries, Manager of Cabin Crew and Inflight Sales at Corendon Dutch Airlines, said: “Since COVID-19 began, passengers have been asked not to walk about the cabin, and since childhood most of us were taught not to press the flight attendant call button unless absolutely necessary. This is very courteous, but not ideal if the passenger really would like to buy some duty-free or have a refreshment.
“With AirFi’s in-seat ordering, we provide a more discreet way for our guests to request what they want, when they want it. The result is that our guests are more content during the flight and as an airline we earn additional revenue that might have otherwise been lost.”
Commenting on the launch of the programme, Job Heimerikx, AirFi’s CEO, said: “Corendon has been a partner of AirFi for many years and we’re incredibly excited to announce that they’re the first European airline to adopt our groundbreaking in-seat ordering capabilities. By offering hybrid service that begins with the traditional trolley service then switches to in-seat ordering, Corendon is truly maximising the potential of its on-board retail programme.”
Corendon serves a wide array of snacks and hot and cold drinks on board, as well as warm meals such as soup and pizza, and regional favourites such as Stroopwafels and Broodje kroket, which is a popular Dutch sandwich consisting of a deep-fried kroket inside a soft bread roll or a bun. Crew can monitor stock levels through the staff-facing side of the new system, marking products as “out of stock” once they become unavailable.
