28 / Reinventing CateRing Post-PandemiC
Retail rallies the recovery Onboard hospitality models are shifting post-pandemic, with the role of retail revenue pushed way up the agenda. Julie Baxter explores how ancillary sales are making their mark on the F&B offer
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perational barriers are tumbling, collaboration is growing and ancillary revenues are the future of inflight catering, whatever type of airline model you work with. That is the conclusion of leading players in onboard catering as they build back postpandemic and work to drive both airline profitability and passenger satisfaction. While acknowledging that COVID-19 has been the worst crisis to hit the aviation sector since WWII in terms of depth and length, those on the catering frontline see some notable positives emerging from the pandemic pain, with significant changes in airline thinking, industry infrastructure, priorities and capabilities evolving across global markets. Robin Padgett, chairman of the Airline Catering Association and svp catering and retail at dnata, says: “Nothing we see post-pandemic is new but
the trends and the pace of change are greatly accelerated. It is the speed of things, that is really the most extraordinary thing.” He highlights the issues of cash handling and preordering as the first to show real change. “Cash handling onboard used to be a key issue – now that is dead, that conversation is over, the need is gone. Things have changed very quickly, even markets we thought would take 10 years to change have in fact changed in less than 10 months. And it’s across all demographics. Digital payments are now just the norm. “There is also an explosion in pre-order but we have to watch this to see whether that is just because people know they currently have to plan a journey much more than normal. It will be interesting to see if this uplift is sustained. Preorder is certainly critical but is it everything? The next 6-12 months will tell.”
onboardhospitality.com
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