In today’s competitive market, middle of the road is no longer good enough, especially when it comes to buy-on-board menus where choice and value are crucial to driving onboard sales.
Designing a menu is part art, part psychology and part sales strategy. When it comes to menu design, high-quality imagery is crucial to help sell a product. Photography should be appealing, spark interest and accurately reflect the product; descriptions should be short, factual and use enticing language. Clear pricing is also important, particularly when offering product bundles.
Creative combos
Just as supermarkets have capitalised on the meal deal trend, airlines are following suit. Grouped offers give passengers better value and meal combinations increase the average transaction value, as well as enhancing passenger satisfaction. To capitalise on impulse buying, the deal needs to be simple, and pairing a lesser-known brand with well-known products can boost visibility and ensure fresh food is sold first, decreasing food waste and cost.
Alyna Trotman, a Subject Matter Expert, The Hayward Partnership, explains: “Meal deals encourage passengers to spend more than they would on individual items. Combos simplify decision-making and often feel like better value. Pre-set combos also streamline cabin crew service, reducing transaction time and complexity. They can help airlines manage inventory, minimise waste and optimise trolley space. Passengers often perceive combos as a deal even if the discount is only small, which boosts satisfaction and can lead to repeat purchases, especially on short-haul flights.”
Added value
Transavia, as an example, highlights its best-selling meal deal at the beginning of its menu, combining three product groups – main meal, a drink and a snack. Laura Heijmann, the airline’s Buy-on-Board Manager/Inflight Sales Manager, says: “We present our buy-on-board options with a printed menu and it is the photo that really sells the product. We tested a more restaurant-style menu without photos, but it didn’t work. Nor did digital menus. Descriptions should be as short as possible and crew announcements and upselling are also key sales drivers.
“Our menu is structured around different F&B moments. We start with coffee or tea and something sweet, then offer options such as fresh sandwiches, hot snacks and soup. After that, we focus on salty and sweet snacks, alcoholic drinks and cold beverages.”
It’s all science
easyJet has recently redesigned its onboard menu and renamed the magazine “CAFE.SHOP” with the strapline “HOLIDAY. STARTS. HERE”. The airline worked with a behavioural science agency to ensure an optimal lay out which was easy to understand and navigate.
Its menu is updated twice a year in line with seasonal changes. For each change, there’s a rigorous proofing process to make sure important mandatory information, like listing allergens, is correct. Emma Durkin, Retail Marketing Lead, easyJet, explains: “We have worked hard to make our onboard menu evoke a feeling of ‘unbounded joy’, bringing our brand personality to the forefront to ensure passengers feel the onboard experience is as joyous as their destination. Enticing language and images encourage them into the holiday mood with headlines such as “Hop into holiday mode”, “Go on. You’re on holiday”, “Go all inclusive” and “Perfect pairings at 30,000 feet””. Combinations mix hot drinks and snacks, a glass of wine with a tapas snack box, beer and pasta dishes. A “Best on board” section highlights customer favourites with straplines like “Toast(ie) to that”, “Crunch time” and “Brew, sip, repeat”.
“Sales onboard are mostly impulsive,” adds Durkin. “The most important factor in designing our menus is comprehension – is it clear what product we’re selling? Is the price clear? Are allergens easy to find and understand? These are our priority. After that, we like to have some fun with the copy and inject our tone of voice into the descriptions.”
Forward planning
Norwegian Air uses a single, combined menu for all flight segments. Menus are updated twice a year and it also produces a separate leaflet for special offers and seasonal campaigns, refreshed quarterly. “The process is extensive and typically begins six to seven months before we change. We gather insights through trade fairs, supplier interactions, crew and passenger feedback, trend reports and analysis of current sales performance,” says Ilze Silina, VP Inflight Retail.
“Then we evaluate different products before finalising our selection, setting the price and developing the menu layout and design. Each stage requires close collaboration across multiple stakeholders to ensure the final menu not only reflects passenger preferences but also supports the airline’s commercial goals and brand experience.”
The Café selection is an important revenue driver, organised by intuitive, complementary categories such as coffee with bakery items or wine and tapas, to reflect natural purchasing behaviour. Combo offers are presented as “Value Deals”, to encourage spontaneous, unplanned purchases amongst passengers.
In categories such as wine, the menu provides additional details like flavour profiles or tasting notes. This helps passengers decide which wine suits their preferences and helps crew to understand the products and guide passengers to informed choices. The wine category has evolved significantly over recent years and that is a trend that’s expected to continue.
Norwegian also notes a move towards digital solutions. “Today’s passengers are increasingly used to digital shopping experiences, whether that’s online or through apps and QR codes,” says Silina. “We see a growing expectation for similar convenience onboard, particularly amongst Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Exploring digital sales channels allows passengers to browse and purchase at their own pace, rather than within the short time frame when the trolley passes by. Understanding how to engage these passengers – through relevant product choices, digital interfaces and sustainability messaging – is key to unlocking future growth and improving onboard sales performance.”
Gen Z thinking
Lance Hayward, Founder and MD at The Hayward Partnership (THP), points to research done in partnership with Dr. Melissa Adamski, Nutted Out Nutrition, Mike Pooley, Partner at THP, and a group of 197 marketing students from Oxford Brookes University, which revealed that Gen Z’s inflight buying patterns clearly reflect how they shop on the ground. They want to know what their peers are buying and will look out for reviews, ratings, product and key ingredient information, and they make price comparisons before buying. “If airlines are to successfully engage with this generation they and their concessionaires need to reconsider elements of menu planning and design and a shift to digital menus where this kind of supplemental information can be readily shared and updated,” says Hayward.
Icelandair’s Þórunn Björg Guðmundsdóttir says passengers already expect a more digital, seamless ordering experience with a move towards in-seat ordering. “They also expect personalisation – they want more than the standard offering. Finding the balance in that while reducing waste isn’t an easy task,” he observes.
Heijmann at Transavia also sees the potential of in-seat ordering. “Allowing passengers to order from their seat will open opportunities for targeted offers depending on the destination or time of day,” she notes.
“What we’ve learned is that stated passenger preferences and actual buying behaviour don’t always match. Trends don’t necessarily drive sales onboard – it’s about having a balanced, appealing selection and making sure crew bring it all to life during the service.”
As for the future, Trotman at THP believes more airlines will offer exclusive pre-order items, encouraging passengers to order via apps or websites, often with exclusive items not available onboard. But eye-catching imagery, on-brand copy and perceived value will remain the key sales drivers. Get that right and most agree, the rest will follow.
