How many elements of the inflight experience do passengers touch with their tongues?
A strange question, but a valid one. Apart from food and beverage, tableware is one of the few touchpoints where passengers get really up close and personal with an airline’s offering. As such, it’s essential to get right.
A crockery canvas
“For passengers, tableware is actually the most tangible thing they’re interacting with,” explains Augustin Scott, Director at Clip. “We are talking about items that they touch, drink from, and in the case of cutlery, put in their mouth.
“Airlines can’t afford to have something go wrong there, especially in a premium cabin with extra- discerning clients. Imagine a plate with faded gilded decor, a cup with a tiny chip, or a wine glass with wear marks – what does that say about the airline, the plane, the crew?”
We often hear the saying ‘we eat first with our eyes’ (something we’ve already explored in depth in this issue on pages 46-52) and for good reason.
The visuals of a meal have been proven to alter the perception of taste, smell, and flavour, and serviceware plays a big role in presentation – of both the meals, and the airline overall. After all, in the words of Manoj Pridhanani, Chief Design Officer & Head of Sustainability, Kaelis, tableware is a “canvas for the chefs to display their art”.
Echoing this sentiment is Nathalie Goldwasser, Key Account Manager at Europro: “Tableware is so much more than knives and forks. It’s a testimonial of how a brand wishes to be perceived, and the effort they are willing to put in to enhance the experience.”
You are what you eat (with)
Tableware is far more than just a vestibule for serving up food. It offers a key touchpoint for communicating a transport provider’s key brand values and messaging. Just as we so often talk of amenity kits or cabin interior design as carriers for a brand, the humble plate, fork or drinking glass can speak volumes on an airline’s story.
For example, Copa Airlines’ Business class tableware collection aims to encapsulate the spirit of Latin America, celebrating the Panama-based airline’s Latin heritage. The design draws direct inspiration from the ‘rich tapestry’ of Latin American culture through textures and patterns.
Created by Procurall Solutions, the collection includes terracotta-inspired accent pieces and colourful Latin-inspired patterns.
Etihad Airways, in partnership with Armani/Casa, has introduced ‘The Constellation Collection’ of tableware.
The set, created by Buzz, has been inspired by an integral part of the UAE’s heritage: the stars.
Offering an ‘Elevated Style’ experience for Etihad’s passengers, the range is embellished with a bespoke geometric pattern.
Meanwhile Beond, self-dubbed as ‘the world’s first premium leisure airline’, emphasises its luxury product with china tableware adorned with subtle metallic watermarks. Founder of Beond Max Nilov said: “Beond wanted only the very best tableware onboard to complete the experience. Clip brought our vision to life.”
Clip’s Augustin explains: “We teamed up with English brand William Edwards to create a bespoke collection infused with old world refinement and traditional craftsmanship. The client brief was all about contemporary luxury and understatement so we used fine bone china with subtle copper signature branding watermark patterns – every piece of the set incarnates quiet luxury.”
High expectations
William Edwards is a name we can hope to see more of inflight over the coming years, as parent company Steelite has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Plane Talking Products. William himself is a stalwart of the tableware design scene. “My passion has always been, and will always be, the design elements,” he says.
“For me that means that when a client sits at the table, the tableware is commensurate with the environment that they’ve paid to be in.”
William has designed tableware for decades with a client list spanning high-end hotels and restaurants around the globe. When asked about trends, he simply said: We don’t do ‘trendy’.
“We’re not about trendy, or the short term. If the goal is to come up with something elegant, that has longevity, it’s almost trying to create modern classics. And when I say modern, it can be contemporary – but not ‘punk crockery’!”
In the vein of modern classics, Air India’s recent service and brand overhaul has included an entirely new serviceware collection, with First and Business class tableware created by Global-C. The chinaware is adorned with subtle, traditional brand elements such as an intricate mandala pattern and the iconic Maharaja in semi-matte gold and silver metallic decorations. Meanwhile, modern accent pieces like the aubergine glass dessert plates and nut bowl add a pop of colour, and a marble-look cheese plate completes the set.
“The products exude elegance and luxury, while also reflecting the warm Indian hospitality that Air India is known for,” says Anu Kohsla, Regional Director Asia & Pacific at Global-C. The tiffin box-shaped salt and pepper set, inspired by traditional Indian design, perfectly embodies Air India’s new identity and service principles.
Overall, the final product represents a blend of aesthetics, onboard functionality, and the spirit of Air India’s pursuit of excellence in global aviation.”
Forking fabulous
Perhaps the most tactile element of all is cutlery. For something that probably equates to one of the smaller items to be loaded onto a plane, it involves an incredible amount of consideration to perfect. As with all onboard tableware, it’s not just about aesthetics – weight and mouth-feel are integral to its success.
An expert in this field is Sola the Netherlands, who recently designed the cutlery to accompany Global-C’s tableware proposition onboard Air India in First and Business. In addition to its claim as the world’s ‘lightest hollow handle cutlery’, it also continues to reinforce the brand with intricate laser-engraved mandala patterns embossed around the hollow handle.
Hans Engels, Senior Export Manager Airline and Railway, Europe, Canada & Americas at Sola the Netherlands, strongly believes that cutlery can “support and lift the airline’s brand to a higher level.” He says: “Passengers will see the time and effort that is put into the development of the entire tray setting.”
Sola has also produced Finnair’s Business class cutlery, facilitating a collaboration between Finnair and Iittala Kuulas, with cutlery designed by Harri Koskinen. Aiming to create a moment of ‘Nordic living in the air’, the joint venture highlights how traditions, design and close cooperation can come together in a table setting.
Europro, meanwhile, has supplied the First and Business class cutlery for Air France for nearly a decade. “Our strategy for a tableware project is to emphasise partnership with famous brands,” explains Nathalie of Europro.
“This is, for example, what we did with Christofle. Offering high-end quality pieces associated with a brand can bring a strong sense of sophistication or elegance. Passengers feel they are experiencing luxury, while we make sure the product itself is made in the most efficient way with regards to weight, price and durability.”
Back to basics
In recent years we’ve seen material innovations driven by sustainability such as bamboo, ocean plastics and more grace inflight tabletops. But some more ‘traditional’ materials are coming to the fore once more.
Hans, for example, is an advocate for the use of stainless steel in cutlery. “Stainless steel cutlery is a fully-recyclable and rotable product,” he explains. “There are no chemicals added during the production process, regardless if it is cutlery for First, Business or Economy class. It remains to be the chosen and preferred material despite all the other options that are available.”
Kaelis’ Manoj thinks stainless steel has a place in other tableware elements, too. “Maybe not for the main plate,” he says, “but for the side dishes, bowls and so on. And glass – glass is 100% recyclable, although a bit more delicate.”
LOT Polish Airlines has been innovating in the glass space recently with a partnership with Krosno Glass. “The Krosno Glass collection for LOT consists of eight glasses, distinguished by special Polish accents,” says Katarzyna Koba, Senior Product Specialist, LOT Polish Airlines. “In addition to new items, such as a champagne glass, new designs of items such as a liquor glass in which we serve digestif have also been introduced.”
William Edwards, meanwhile, is a champion of traditional bone china. “China is the lightest, the whitest, strongest ceramic material on the planet,” he says. “Therefore it’s 30% lighter than any other ceramic material onboard.”
Add a little spice
“We really love to design the salt and pepper shakers,” says Kaelis’ Manoj. “It adds a storyline to the whole crockery set.”
Manoj is, of course, talking about Iberia’s Las Meninas salt and pepper shakers, inspired by the 1656 painting of the same name by Diego de Velázquez. Aiming to avoid more clichéd ideas of Spain, the Meninas have become hugely popular with Iberia passengers, who are encouraged to take the set away with them.
In a similar story to Virgin Atlantic’s iconic Orville and Wilbur salt and pepper shakers (which say ‘pinched from Virgin Atlantic’ on their feet), Iberia’s Meninas transfers the airline into passengers’ homes. They are also encouraged to be collectables for frequent flyers, with different colours launched regularly to tie in with occasions such as a multi-coloured version for Pride, and a pink set for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Etihad, on the other hand, has opted for a pinch pot in its Armani/Casa partnership.
Classing up Economy
Even with the weight and financial constraints that come with catering for Economy cabins, recent trends suggest that passengers appreciate current moves away from disposable, cheap-feeling dishware.
“Economy tableware is currently going through an interesting development phase as many airlines try to evaluate the environmental and financial advantages and disadvantages of rotable versus disposable and are looking at what could be more sustainable versus additional weight and/or operational challenges,” says Alison Wells, Director of Plane Talking Products.
“We have been working on rotable tray set-ups which include new shapes, designs and functionality as well as full consideration of changing waste management practice and of course sustainability. The design team is passionate about sustainability and averse to disposable culture.”
Etihad’s Economy range with Armani/Casa is just one example of this movement. The new dining experience, designed in partnership with deSter, features fully reusable tableware made from recycled high-quality plastic and eliminates the use of single-use plastic. The tray, casserole dish, side bowls and their lids, as well as the platter are part of a closed-loop recycling system. At the end of their life-cycle, they are collected, washed, grounded, and reused to make new replacement products ensuring zero waste.
Trendwatch
While the longevity of inflight tableware means designs need to survive short-term design trends (or ‘punk-crockery’, as William puts it), Michael Carr, Creative Director and Designer at Watermark is a strong believer in trend forecasting. “Many brands steer clear of what they call ‘trends’ and trend forecasting. But I find it pivotal in figuring out what the needs of the customer are and what the psychology of the user is going to be.”
One thing that will never go out of style, however, is keeping the crew happy. “The old saying goes: Happy crew, happy passengers,” says Clip’s Augustin. “Tableware has to perform well when used, but must also be practical for the crew. Plates and small trays that are light and easy to pick up, items that stack without wobbling, glasses that won’t tip over easily and won’t get marks from the drawer are equally important.
“Those tiny things that make the life of a cabin crew easier will, in the end, mean a better experience for passengers.”
