Air France joins the list of airlines trying to keep you distracted by entertaining your taste buds at 35,000 feet having just revamped their in-flight business class meal offering. Another European airline recently announced it would be upgrading its in-flight customer experience including (business class meal) having recently renamed its latest business class menu offering height cuisine.
In an attempt to keep you entertained while hurtling through the air airlines are taking the easy option. The chief motivation for airline meals in business class seems to be “how can we recreate the dining experience of a 5 star restaurant”. While well intentioned this view is misguided from the healthy fliers perspective. A better question would be “how can we serve nutritious healthy food that gets our passengers to their destination feeling healthy and ready for the business or the performance they are travelling for”.
The significance of this question is poorly understood or answered by most airlines. Its significance is not lost on fliers who demand higher standards from the carriers they choose to fly with. If you are quick to dismiss this last point consider this. Years ago I personally observed Arsene Wenger issue orders about what food and drink Arsenal football players could have access to on a flight from Newcastle……..post match!
However it is not only in sports that performance matters. Businesses and high performing individuals around the world are constantly looking for a competitive advantage. If airline food is part of your in-flight experience then it’s quality and ability to refuel you is as important as its taste. Lest the airlines forget the reason for flying is not the flying experience itself but in order to get somewhere to do something.
While the aviation industry has seen massive change in terms of systems, technology and security the in-flight experience has barely kept pace. Turning the page on that experience for today’s travelling public will take more than offering height cuisine.
Christopher Babayode Nucentricals Ltd nojetstress.com T:001 77JET 70LAG O:01424 849 079
via Christopher BABAYODE’s blog at Ecademy http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=177847