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On cloud wine
As COVID restrictions begin to ease, the onboard drinks service is making a return – ‘Cheers to that!’ says April Waterston
I
walk onto a plane and am handed a cold glass of something sparkling. It’s a fantasy that has got me through many a dark lockdown day and it's not just travel I’ve been longing for, but the joy of the journey. The welcome drink is symbolic. It's the first moment of relaxation and sets the tone for the journey to come, and post-pandemic this moment of joy is beginning to return.
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The joy of travel
Sandra Pineau-Boddison, inflight experience expert at The Hayward Partnership and president of the IFSA Foundation, says: “Prior to the pandemic the onboard F&B service was definitely a differentiator with airlines investing in service and product delivery. Now safety and hygiene have become key but as we continue through the recovery, F&B will again become something customers expect. I think right now the ‘joy’ is just to be able to travel, especially internationally, so we are now starting from a new base but the trend towards complimentary
meal service in Economy on medium-longer haul domestic flights is emerging, and there is also a focus on new exciting retail options onboard.”
Taking a hit
Both the onboard and wider beverage industry has been impacted dramatically by the pandemic. Onboard, additional hygiene measures aimed at reducing touchpoints for both passengers and crew meant most beverage service was removed in favour of essentials only, like bottled water. “I don’t think anyone who supplies F&B to the travel industry can honestly say that this pandemic hasn’t been devastating,” says Ed Matovcik, CEO at Intervine, an international wine management company serving the travel industry for more than 25 years. “We have all had to make painful cuts. Airlines started cancelling contracts almost immediately. If they have a company like Intervine managing their wine programme, we were the ones making the difficult phone calls…and hearing the screams on the other end of the line. But that’s the critical role we and others provide. Unfortunately, many of us were stuck with a lot of inventory that
onboardhospitality.com
Post covid drinks v8.indd 28
8/18/21 02:19 PM
