So, just how do some airlines manage to ensure that their inflight meals are a cut above the rest?
If you’ve flown much, you’ll know that the dining options you are offered, once the seatbelt lights are turned off, can differ vastly in variety and quality.
DINING IN THE SKY
While many travellers are happy with standard snacks when it comes to short-haul flights, the promise of high-quality food is a defining attribute for some long-haul international carriers.
So much so that the research, planning, and testing of menus and winelists is as intensive as you would find in a top restaurant.
AIRLINE CATERING
Industry experts argue that there is more to airline catering than just making food look and taste good.
This is indeed something that is not quite easy to achieve.
When flying, our taste buds are impacted by the dry conditions inside a pressurised aircraft cabin.
This impacts our sense of taste and smell and thus makes even tasty food seem very ordinary.
USING SCIENCE TO DESIGN MENUS FOR INFLIGHT MEALS
Airlines should therefore delve into the science of being in the air when devising menus for their flights.
Qatar Airways Catering Services Vice President, Shashank Bhardwaj, explains that the great leveller is the physics of being aloft in a pressurised tube.
“Whether you’re in the Business Class cabin or Economy Class, you’re subject to the same limitations imposed by physics. The most important of these is humidity, or rather lack of it; until recently the air inside pressurised aircraft cabins had to be very dry in order to prevent corrosion.” Bhardwaj says.
Being inside a pressurised aircraft cabin with dried-out conditions alters our sense of taste. Thus, airline caterers must work hard to impress.
“This dryness cuts our sense of taste and smell by about a third, meaning that even well-prepared food can seem bland. It’s been described as having a similar effect to a head cold.” Bhardwaj said.
QATAR AIRWAYS’ INFLIGHT MEALS WITH INTENSE FLAVOUR
He explains that two major advances have helped overcome this.
“The first is the result of years of experimenting by chefs which led to the realisation that umami – the dense savoury flavour found in a variety of foods including charcuterie, spinach, Chinese cabbage, seaweed, soy sauce and tomatoes with a deep, red hue – helps win over senses dulled by dry air,” he said.
OTHER ASPECTS TO FACTOR IN
The second development is innovation in design and materials. This includes using carbon-fibre reinforced plastic in the fuselage of aircraft. This allows air inside to be more humid without risking structural damage to the airframe.
Several other factors are also accommodated. Getting the food onto the aircraft must take place within its flight schedule.
The strict time constraints of other aspects of commercial aviation, including passengers embarking and disembarking; luggage and cargo being loaded and offloaded.
OPERATIONS OF SCALE
Bhardwaj illustrates the complexity of airline catering by talking through the scale of Qatar Airways’ food and beverage operations.
Last year the airline utilised more than 5,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables. This equals to 13.5 tonnes per day.
The airline prepares and serves more than 4,500 tonnes of poultry, meat and fish as part of the 350,000 gourmet meals prepared for its daily flights.
All meals are meticulously prepared to accommodate dietary preferences of the demographic on specific routes.
QATAR AIRWAYS CATERING HUB
In Doha, Qatar Airways’ home and hub, the food is prepared at Qatar Aircraft Catering Company’s (QACC) facilities. This operates 24 hours and 7 days a week.
QACC’s output requires a storage unit that covers 69,000 square metres. This is the world’s largest self-sufficient catering facility in a single building.
The food produced for Qatar Airways, its lounges at the award-winning Hamad International Airport, and other airlines operating out of Doha, is transported to waiting aircraft in more than 200 trucks.
All these activities take place in the context of what happens in the sky.
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AWARD-WINNING INFLIGHT MEALS
Qatar Airways’ inflight catering is frequently recognised with awards and accolades.
Bhardwaj knows that the airline’s exacting standards are met more than 350,000 times a day, over hundreds of thousands of air miles flown! He finds this extremely fulfilling.
“Eating and drinking well and travelling, whether for business or pleasure, are two of life’s joys. Enabling our valued customers to do both is as rewarding as it is demanding,” Bhardwaj said.
