Here are some of the ways that they are doing that:
Before going any further, let’s explain why airplane food has had the same lousy reputation since the 1980s. One part is stinginess, understandable in an industry with tiny profit margins. Another is that most food comes from the same few industrial catering kitchens. Airlines often partner with fancy chefs to plan menus, but catering chefs do the day-to-day grunt work of churning out meals for a bunch of carriers.
Then there’s the combination of cabin pressure, altitude, and dry air that knocks out roughly 30 percent of a person’s sense of taste, Farmerie says. Salt can fill that gap, but a heavy pour can create the over-processed texture people associate with plane food.
....
The chef relies on vinegar and earthy root spices to cut through airplane-induced malaise without going too salty. That’s why he serves his ribeye with a balsamic-ginger reduction. The citrus tang of grapefruit and Thai chili makes for poached salmon that’s bright, “not just this big, salty explosion which makes you feel dehydrated and horrible,” he says.
JetBlue goes to great lengths to keep Mint customers satisfied :
The illusion of constant luxury, JetBlue’s Perry says, relies on timing. After test runs in mock Mint cabins, Perry and his team realized passengers were most antsy while waiting for someone to take their order. Now, flight attendants ask them what they want to eat right away, and hold the orders until meal time. At least one crew member floats between Mint and economy, helping wherever they’re needed. “It reminds me of an old jazz quote about how drummers are the ones you don’t notice,” says Perry. “It’s only when they make a mistake that you notice them.”
Mint is working well for JetBlue. Those routes are some of the most profitable at the airline. Profits are up 20 percent and they are actively looking to expand.
Here is the link to the full article:
No comments:
Post a Comment