Food in high places

At 30,000 feet, the first to go are your taste-buds. Add to that the white noise — a steady, unvarying sound — inside the cabin distorting a passenger’s perception of food, and you can explain the notoriety of in-flight meals.

Though nearly 100 years have passed since food began to be served on flights, experts around the world are still tweaking their recommendations on what will work at altitudes that make even five-star meals taste ordinary. The fact that most dishes are pre-cooked and reheated does not make it any easier.

In India, the arrival of Vistara — a joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines — has seen the war for winning customer loyalties intensify with the meal tray turning into one of the crucial battlefronts. Before its launch on January 9, the youngest airline in India conducted extensive research on what would work and what may not. A survey found, among other things, that the food not only had to be healthy and different, but also presented well. “Fliers wanted something different,” says Daman Pathak, Manager, In-flight Services and Standards, Vistara. During a visit to the flight kitchen, Arun Batra, Executive Chef of TajSats Air Catering, which handles in-flight catering for Vistara, showed BusinessLine how even a touch of paprika can add colour to the food served. The team at Vistara attended the biggest in-flight catering show in Hamburg, Germany, for ideas. Giam Ming Toh, the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, also gave inputs based on his interactions with fliers when he headed Singapore Airlines in India before joining Vistara. “People told me to make the food interesting,” Giam says, adding that variety was also a key factor. “People do not necessarily eat the same meal every day. If a person flies a few times a month, he cannot be seeing the same meal over and over again.”

All airlines are keen to get their menu right. “We have a programme that caters to Indian and local tastes depending on the markets we fly to. It is refreshed every year,” says a spokesperson for Jet Airways. “Preparation of this menu programme takes four-five months which includes design, trials and implementation.” Jet Airways currently works with Oberoi Flight Services, TajSats as well as Gate Gourmet and LSG Sky Chefs for its in-flight food. Jet Airways says it is absolutely important to get “the correct balance of seasoning” as food tastes very different inside a pressurised cabin.

Nutrition experts agree. Marion Nestle, a Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University in the US, says at high altitudes big bold flavours are needed. “But not everyone likes them,” she points out. “Taste is blunted at low oxygen levels. So spices and stronger flavours work better for me at least.” She says the food that is served on flights matters to most people and illustrates this with a personal anecdote. “I recently flew across the US on a Delta flight where the business class lunch was rather delicious. I could hardly believe it and can’t wait to try it again.”

One way airlines are trying to get their meals right is by hiring superstar chefs to plan the menu. For instance, Jet Airways’ menu options for its European and American markets have been designed by Michelin Star Chef Yves Mattagne.

GoAir takes regular feedback from its fliers. “GoAir regularly monitors customers’ satisfaction through questionnaires distributed on board,” says a GoAir spokesperson. “Based on the feedback received tailor-made menus are devised.” GoAir has six rotational menu cycles for all meal types which change every day.

“This cycle is changed every two months to a quarter based on customer feedback,” says the spokesperson.

Vistara ensures that the food served on board is changed every seventh day. “The basic menu remains the same. So, a south Indian breakfast will remain but what is served as a part of this breakfast will change,” says an employee. Vistara has four different meals for each cabin in a day — breakfast, refreshment, lunch and dinner. The emphasis is also on serving healthy food. Instead of “upma” as part of the south Indian breakfast, Vistara serves oats.

But getting the menu right is only half the victory. The logistics of serving it hot and tasty is altogether another battle in itself. “All food is prepared in kitchens as close to departure as possible to ensure freshness and the best flavour,” says the Jet Airways spokesperson.

“We also work with our caterers to make use of any techniques which will ensure our food is the best in the air.”

For its business class passengers, Vistara’s crew heats the aluminium foil in which the food is packed and then transfers the food to a plate. This, the airline says, helps in retaining its freshness. In another first, the airline is also offering its meals in takeaway boxes in economy class. The airline is also working on a bio-degradable box for this. The box will allow the airline to play with colours. “This also gives an international feel,” says Vistara’s Giam. “Globally, you have this concept which enables you to either eat on the flight or take away the food if you so wish.”

After flying for 18 days, feedback from flyers has started coming in, which the airline will incorporate. For instance, the chaat is not a big favourite as it was noticed that several passengers had left it untouched and so is likely to be removed in the next change cycle.

While it may be early days to decide if these innovations are having an impact, one thing is for sure: the Indian flier is in for some interesting culinary experience.

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