7 Travel Catering

V. Premala Priyadharsini

1 Introduction

Travel catering (i.e. road, rail, air and sea) has a number of characteristics not commonly associated with other food and beverage outlets. It frequently involves the feeding of a large number of customers arriving together at a catering facility, and who need to be catered for in a specific time, for example, on board a plane. The plane only carries sufficient food and beverage supplies for a specific number of meal periods. If for any reason this food cannot be served to customers, alternative supplies may not be readily available. The service of the food and beverages may be particularly difficult due to the physical conditions within the service area, for example, turbulence on board a plane. The types of restaurants described previously are usually catering for a specific and identifiable socio-economic market. Travel catering often has to cater for ‘mixed markets’. Finally, there are the problems of staffing these food and beverage facilities: the extra costs involved in the transportation and service of the food and beverages; space restrictions and the problem of security while the operation is in transit. Four main types of travel catering may be identified: Airline catering, Cruise ship and Ferry boat catering, Railway catering and Motorway catering.

2 Objectives

This module will enable you to understand

• Different types of travel catering
• Concept of Air Catering
• Details of Rail Catering
• Nuances of Ship/Cruise catering
• Concept of Road catering 3 Airline Catering

The airline meal or commonly known in-flight meal is the one served to passengers on board a plane. The meals are prepared and transported to the plane by airline caterers such as Tajsat, and Ambassador etc. These meals vary widely in quality and quantity across various airline companies and travelling class. A particular airline may only serve water or beverages, sandwiches or snacks whereas another may serve seven course gourmet meals in long-haul first class. Sometimes, the quality of airline services is assessed on the basis of quality of meal served.

Airline catering has increased and developed considerably over the past twenty-five years. This includes not only the passengers and on duty employees of airlines but also the food and beverage outlets situated at the airports. The passengers and employees on board are catered by the flight catering units whereas airport restaurants cater to the needs of large variety of guests such as passengers, relatives of passengers, employees and staff etc. Originally consisting of sandwiches and flasks of tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages, the progress to today’s full and varied service has paralleled that of aircraft development itself. In budget airlines, however, the product has gone back to the basic trolley with sandwiches, snacks chocolate and limited selection of beverages on offer.

The first airline meal was served during London Paris flight by Handley Page Transport, an airline company founded in 1919 in October. A choice of sandwiches and fruits was offered to passengers.

The typical airline meal offers varied choices depending upon the air-line company and class of travel. Meals may be served on one tray or in multiple courses with no tray and with a tablecloth, metal cutlery, and glassware (generally in first and business classes). The meals include meat (chicken/beef/fish) for non-vegetarians and a vegetarian dish, salad, bread roll and a dessert. The caterers also prepare special diets as children’s diet, Chinese/Japanese/French/Indian/Italian foods. These days diabetic/low fat low salt/gluten free meals are also served. Alcohol beverages are served only to non-muslims in Etihad, Qatar and Emirates airlines. In all Islamic airlines only halal meat is used.

3.1 Marketing

Airline catering has gone tremendous change in terms of organisation, operations, service and variety in menus. Airlines have tried different experiments to alleviate the widely held customer perception that airline food is bland. Some airlines have tried introducing high street brands in their food packaging. Quite often the quality of the food is used in their marketing campaigns as a unique selling point, and airlines will employ a well-known chef to design their menu as part of their marketing efforts.

Specially, North American airline industry was more advanced than airlines. They were the first one to bring the concept of ground kitchens for production of their food. The ground kitchens are especially helpful in managing operations when there are several hundred flights of an airline with thousands of passengers. The food is prepared, portioned and plated in these kitchens at the ground which helps in saving money for airlines. This also helps in quality and cost controlling. Waste of food is also very manageable.

3.2 Product and service styles

Airline catering falls into two main areas: terminal catering, and ‘in-transit’ or ‘in-flight’ catering.

3.2.1 ‘In-flight’ catering:

The in-flight catering service varies considerably with the class of travel, type and duration of flight. For the economy travellers, the food and beverage portions are highly standardized with the meals portioned into plastic trays that are presented to the passengers and from which they eat their meals. Disposable cutlery, napkins, etc. may be used to increase the standard of hygiene and reduce the weight carried and storage space required. Gourmet food in the airlines is another recent trend. To ensure a “Gourmet Brand” in their menu, Airlines are hiring celebrity chefs such as Guy Martin, of Paris ’ three star Le Grand Vefour Hotel, working for Air France; and Christian Petz, of Vienna’s Restaurant Palais Coburg, working for Austrian Airlines. Stephan Pyles, of the Dallas restaurant, working with American Airlines whilst Charlie Trotter, the Chicago chef, introduces dishes created for premier United Airlines passengers.

Fig-1: The Flight Catering System Source: Peter Jones, 2004

Meals are prepared twelve to sixteen hours in advance chilled and then held at low temperatures. Service is from a gueridon trolley, where food is portioned in front of the customers and any garnishes, sauces, etc. are added according to their immediate requirements. The crockery used may be bone china and this combines with fine glassware and cutlery to create an atmosphere of high-class dining. Some airlines offer full silver service menu for their first class and business travellers. A characteristic of airline catering is that this service is often contracted out to a specialist catering firm, which will supply a similar service to many airlines. The meal is usually included in the price of the fare with the exception of budget airlines. The growth in air travel has made competition fierce, and the area of food service is now a particularly competitive aspect of the total service offered by an airline.

3.3 Staffing

Food and beverage outlets at air terminals usually consist of self-service and waiter service restaurants, supplemented by vending machines and licensed bars. The major restaurant brands often seen in high streets can also be seen in airport terminals.

In flight catering service is delivered by the flight attendants, who often see the service of food and drinks as secondary to their responsibility of ensuring the health and safety of pas-sengers, this can be especially true if customers are flying in the economy class. Although health and safety should always remain flight attendants primary responsibility airlines that wish to claim a competitive advantage ought to train and offer incentives to individuals that offer exceptional service.

3.4 Technology

The main issues with aircraft are that of space and weight. Ensuring that on-board ovens are lighter, take less space and consume less energy are of primary importance. Advancements in technology may mean that airlines may be able to offer a menu fully cooked on board one day. Wi-Fi is widely available on airports. This added service may have an effect on the average food and beverage expenditure of customers.

4 Railway Catering

Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a subsidiary of Indian Railways, is responsible for providing meals to the passengers of Indian Railways. Unlike Ferry and in flight catering, rail catering is showing an upward trend in revenues generated. It caters to the needs of railway passengers both in rails and on railway stations.

The food and beverage items offered in the rails depend on the type of train and the fair charged. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals are served at very reasonable rates. IRCTC is responsible for serving snacks, tea, soft-drinks, ice-creams, breakfasts, lunches and dinners in the trains in India. The food is served in individual trays with pre-portioned dishes. The dishes are prepared in central kitchens which are located in major railway junctions. The serving trays are reusable whereas use and throw spoons, forks and plates are offered or the pre-portioned trays are used which are heat sealed with a plastic cover. This has created major problems in terms of waste generation. Some luxury trains offer very high class food and service. In these trains, fine quality crockery and cutlery items are used for service. Formal and highly individual service is offered to the guests at a very high price. The main clienteles are the foreign tourists visiting India.

4.1 Financial implications

With a 4.2% increase in rail catering revenue the sector appears a positive one. The main products purchased are hot beverages and snacks so the focus is in the reduction of costs to ensure higher profit margins. Spend per passenger increases as the length of journey increases, however some companies offer all inclusive ticket prices which help raise the food and beverage revenue generated.

4.2 Marketing

The provision of food and beverage in rails is often used as promotional tool. Ticket inclusive packages are often advertised in an effort to entice customers away from low-cost airlines. The sector is not as aggressive as it could be with its promotional efforts on food and beverage sales. The majority of train companies advertise their services in their in-house magazine whilst some have an e-marketing campaign and also use local and international media advertising.

4.3 Product and service styles

This refers to different types of catering services found in railway stations and on platforms. The “COMESUM” restaurant set up by the IRCTC, the vegetarian and non-vegetarian refreshment halls, kiosks on platforms are all included in this segment. Rail catering may be conveniently divided into two areas: terminal catering and in-transit catering.

4.3.1 Terminal Catering:

Catering at railway terminals usually comprises, self-service and waiter service restaurants, fast food and takes away units, supplemented by vending machines dispensing hot and cold foods and beverages.

4.3.2 In-transit Catering:

In-transit catering can feature three kinds of service. The first is the traditional restaurant car service where breakfast, lunch and dinner are organized in sittings and passengers go to the restaurant car for service where appropriate seating accommodation is provided, and then return to their seats on the train after their meal. In a Pullman service, these meals are delivered direct to the seat of first-class passengers only. The second type of service is the buffet car, which is a self-service operation in which passengers go to the car and buy light refreshments over the counter. The third is a trolley service where snacks and drinks are delivered to customers at their seats. Innovative approaches to catering on trains are also in evidence such as the operation of ‘Cuisine 2000’ using cook-chilled foods prepared centrally, buffet cars turned into bistros on the London to Birmingham route, and on the east coast Anglo-Scottish route ‘A taste of Scotland’ restaurant service.

4.4 Staffing

In India, the Network rail is undertaking a project that looks to rejuvenate the provision of skills in the rail catering and other rail staff. In partnership with local colleges the programme aims to bring all staff to a National Vocational Qualification standard. Other similar initiatives have been introduced all over the India ensuring that rail employees are well trained.

4.5 Technology

The future of the Indian Railway catering depends on the E-catering. The concept of E-Catering facilitates the online ordering of dishes from famous food and beverage outlets from where a particular train will pass. The passengers will be delivered their favourite dishes inside the train by the outlet and the money may be paid via internet or cash on delivery can be made. However, till now quality of the food has been very debatable; this needs to be addressed immediately. There have been a number of advancements in railway kitchen design and technology enabling operators to serve more complicated menus than ever before. Also the same benefits enjoyed by the other sectors with the advancement of EPOS and beverage dispensing technologies are also enjoyed by the rail sector.

5 Cruise/Ship Catering

The cruise ship sector is one of the fastest moving sectors in the hospitality industry. Budget or ‘no frills’ cruise liners are making an appearance with new companies such as Caspi Cruises, Easy Cruise, whilst older budget companies such as Thomson or Louis Cruise Line increase their fleet capacity. On the other hand, Ferry boat catering has slumped as the numbers of Ferry travellers has dramatically decreased due to the increase of low-cost airlines.

The main aim of this type of catering is to fulfil food and beverage requirements of cruise passengers and staff members of cruise and cargo ships. The cruise ships may have a number of restaurants offering a large variety in terms of cuisines offered whereas the facilities on a cargo ship may be very limited. The service offered may be very lavish and room service and alcoholic bars are also provided on high class cruise ships.

5.1 Financial implications

Whilst cruise ship catering promises growth Ferry boat catering is extremely competitive. Mintel is forecasting a downward trend continuing well into 2010. Traditional cruise liners are looking to be more innovative continuing with all inclusive packages but offering optional extras. Wedding and honeymoon packages are another two products often offered by cruise liners.

5.2 Marketing

Cruise liners are expanding their marketing strategies to target non-traditional market segments. Increasing competition in the budget sector forces them to think innovatively in finding ways to sell their product without conflicting the more traditional brands. Special promotions, discounts during low season, special occasions, anniversary gifts to customers are some of the promotional tools used by most liners.

5.3 Product and service styles

Sea or marine catering varies from the provision of food and beverages on the short sea route ferries to the large cruise or passenger liners where the catering facilities are an important part of the service offered by the shipping line and are usually included in the price of the fare. On the cruise liners the standard of catering facilities is high because they are an important sales feature in a competitive activity. On the short sea routes, however, price is usually a more important factor and because of the necessity to feed large numbers of people in a short time the catering service provided is usually of the popular and fast-food type. In the cruise liners companies appear to be more innovative than ever with companies such as Princess Cruises serving dinner in customer cabins or suite balconies ensuring extra food and beverage income. The Gourmet ‘bug’ is also appearing in the cruise sector with celebrity chefs such as Todd English on Queen Mary 2; Nobu Matsuhisa and Wolfgang Puck on Crystal; Marco Pierre White on the new P&O Ventura and Gary Rhodes on two P&O’s ships, Oriana and Arcadia. Service styles can range depending on cruise liner from full silver service to self-service and buffet. With Ferry boats the service style often is cafeteria or take away due to the short journeys involved.

5.4 Staffing

After casino sales one of the largest revenue generators in cruise liners is beverage sales. Staffs are trained extensively in up-selling techniques and with traditional cruise liners the recruitment process ensures that some of the best staff is hired. With the added incentive of tax-free incomes many hospitality professionals consider a few months on a cruise liner. The organization on cruise ships can be extremely hierarchical. Most front line employees tend to stay for only a few trips as the nature of the ship means that there is not much to do but work whilst on a cruise ship.

5.5 Technology

Advanced EPOS technology and bar dispensing equipment mean better control of sales, stock control and wastage ensuring better profit margins as well as the facilitation of special discounts. Advancement in waste disposal technology ensures waste is better compacted shredded and incinerated.

6 Roads/motor side

Road catering has progressed from the inns and taverns of earlier days used by those travelling on foot and horseback to the present-day motorway service areas (MSAs) and other roadside catering outlets. High street fast-food operations are also now appearing both on MSAs and as free-standing drive-through. Basically it includes the establishments offering food and beverage items alongside the highways and other roads.

6.1 Product and service styles

MSAs provide a valuable catering service to the travelling public and their food and beverage facilities usually include waiter- service or self- service restaurants, vending machines, and take-away foods and beverages.

6.2 Marketing

MSAs main marketing tool are the road signs. The main motive for consumers stopping at such a facility is that of convenience. Advertising is heavily regulated and often operators may not be allowed to use their own brand in motorway signage.

6.3 Staffing

These service areas are often open twenty-four hours a day and have a particular problem of staffing as some employees have be brought to and from work over a distance of 20-30 miles. Also, because of their isolated locations, the hours they are open and the sheer volume of numbers involved at peak periods, these service areas are also particularly prone to vandalism and littering.

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