gategroup has partnered with Lufthansa to enhance its onboard catering services across all cabin classes.
gategroup will join the airline’s Future Onboard Experience (FOX) initiative, which is a programme launched by Lufthansa in its 100th year of services to improve customers’ long-haul travel experience.
The FOX programme will focus on personalisation, comfort and, more generally, overhauling approaches to onboard service across the cabin portfolio. Overall, it represents a significant investment in customer experience.
First Class offering
The new First Class dining concept is centred around minimalist “yet intense” flavour profile, concentrating on a small number of key ingredients. In terms of cuisine, inspiration comes from classic fine-dining traditions influenced by global food culture.
Menus will offer a sequence of smaller courses focusing on flexibility and refinement. Menus were created by Max Herzog, Executive Chef at Studio 508, who worked through a series of joint culinary development workshops and dedicated jury approvals to develop dishes created specifically for Lufthansa.
Business Class, boosted
The Business Class experience is designed in collaboration with renowned chef Johann Lafer. Business Class guests will be able to decide what they want to eat and when. A new concept, Sky Selection, renders the second meal fully customisable.
It will also offer a wide range of sweet and savory options, bowls, cakes, snack plates and regional favorites. Guests will be able to pre-select their preferred breakfast, from smoothies and egg dishes to freshly baked bread rolls.
Economy upgrades
Premium Economy and Economy Class customers will also benefit from significant upgrades in onboard hospitality as part of FOX. The Premium Economy experience will be positioned nearer to that of Business Class with enhanced appetizers, a choice of three main courses, new tableware and a larger tray presentation. In Economy Class, guests will now be offered a choice of three main dishes.
Through the new partnership, gategroup has deployed its experience in menu development while honouring Lufthansa’s heritage.
Aside from the culinary aspect, the partnership has worked to optimise production and delivery drawing on gategroup’s long-standing experience in catering and quality-control systems.
Olaf Mauthe, Head of Inflight Service at Lufthansa, said: “FOX is a key element of our ambition to further develop the Lufthansa onboard experience in a holistic way. With gategroup, we share a strong and trusted partnership that enables us to jointly develop new culinary concepts and successfully bring them into operation. This close collaboration is a key success factor for FOX.”
Herman Anbeek, President of Europe at gategroup, stated: “We are proud to be Lufthansa’s partner and support their objective to lead the premium market segment. Our desire for innovation, culinary, quality and consistency to create memorable onboard customer experience is aligned with Lufthansa’s objective.”
