Though caterers have always prioritized food safety, the pandemic has introduced new dynamics and critical safety standards to professional commercial aircraft kitchens, as the previous protocols were mainly geared to combat foodborne illnesses. The pandemic is also to blame for raising catering standards in food safety, cleaning and sanitizing, however, this has resulted in inflight caterers paying greater costs in order to maintain optimal standards.
For example, while delivering high-level amenities at a
premium price to high-value customers (in business and first-class), airlines
are simultaneously providing lower-cost alternatives to economy-class
passengers, resulting in tier-based complimentary onboard services. Airlines
are offering passengers meal pre-selection, meal pre-order, and hybrid
buy-on-board/complimentary catering choices to make the process of purchasing
food easier for them. Consumer confidence in inflight food services has also
risen as a result of the availability of pre-ordering meals. Pre-orders are on
the rise, thanks to the availability of 'free' pre-order programs for business
and premium economy passengers. An increasing number of low-cost airlines
coupled with a growing number of international travelers is fueling the growth
of the inflight
catering market.
The meals come in a wide range of flaflavorsd differ from one
company to the next and from one region to the next. Various guidelines and
regulations regulate the inflight catering provider in providing passengers
with high-quality food and food products. EgyptAir, Emirates, Etihad Airways,
Garuda Indonesia, and other airlines, for example, delivered Halal-certified
meals free of pork and alcohol in conformity with Islamic standards.