- SIA will be the first airline to offer worldwide pre-ordering of meals for Premium Economy Class
- Parents of young flyers will be able to pre-order meals from three different cuisine types as part of the enhanced Child Meal programme
- Menu choices for Indian Vegetarian and Muslim meals will be enhanced and rotated more frequently for greater variety
Singapore, 2019-Mar-23 — /Travel PR News/ — As part of Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) efforts to deliver a more personalised experience for customers, the Airline will be embarking on several enhancements to its in-flight offerings.
At its World Gourmet Forum today (21 March 2019), SIA announced that it will be the first airline to enable Premium Economy Class customers to pre-order main courses from its in-flight menu, from anywhere in the Airline’s global network from 1 May 2019. This follows the initial launch to Suites, First Class and Business Class customers on all flights across its network last year, in what was an industry first.
With this new initiative, customers may pre-select their meal choices via the Airline’s website or mobile app anytime from three weeks before travel up to 24 hours before flight departure.
As such, customers not only enjoy a more personalised dining experience but are also ensured of their preferred meal choice from either the in-flight menu or the ‘Book the Cook’ service.
In another industry first, Singapore Airlines will be enhancing its Child Meal1 programme to enable parents to pre-order specific meals for their children from three different cuisine categories – Asian, Western and Vegetarian. This will give parents greater visibility and choices over the child meals in advance of travel, rather than discovering what meal will be served only when they are on board. Parents can visit the Airline’s website up to 24hr before the day of travel to view the dishes planned for their flight and select the one that best suits their child’s preferences.
The move comes after an intensive focus group and meal tasting session conducted to gather insights from parents and children to better understand their preferences. The Airline will roll out this initiative to all cabin classes from June 2019 for flights departing Singapore, extending progressively to flights departing from overseas destinations from August 2019.
Focus group sessions and targeted surveys were also conducted for two of the Airline’s other popular special meals – the Indian Vegetarian Meal2 and Muslim Meal3 . Feedback received from these sessions enabled the Airline to improve on these meals by reviewing the ingredients and serviceware used. The frequency of menu rotation will also be increased to provide greater variety for customers.
“Singapore Airlines has always been well known for its focus on customer service, and we see personalisation in in-flight dining offerings as being key to creating an even more memorable travel experience,” said SIA’s Executive Vice President Commercial, Mr Mak Swee Wah.
“Apart from focus groups and targeted surveys, we are also leveraging on data analytics to better track meal preferences and customers’ needs.”
For details of SIA’s Book the Cook offerings, ‘Deliciously Wholesome’ Programme, Authentically Asian Meals and Popular Local Fare, please refer to Annex A.
For images of SIA’s in-flight meals, please visit https://bit.ly/2F9AwLc
1Meals specially created for children between two and twelve years old.
2Non-strict vegetarian meal which is prepared in an Indian style.
3Meals prepared for Muslim customers. No alcohol, pork, pig by-products, ham or bacon are used in the preparation of this meal.
Annex A
Book the Cook
SIA was the first airline to introduce an advance in-flight meal ordering serving for premium class customers in 1998 with the launch of its Book the Cook service.
In April 2012, SIA expanded its selection of global cuisine for flights out of Singapore to enhance the overall range of gourmet main courses to meet today’s varied customer preferences. This includes old-time Western style favourites, healthier low-fat choices, popular Asian dishes, a comprehensive spread of iconic local fare from Singapore, and exclusive creations from our International Culinary Panel. Suites, First Class and Business Class customers now have a wider selection to satisfy their palates on board our flights.
In addition, with the launch of Premium Economy Class in 2015, Singapore Airlines expanded its pre-flight meal selection programme and introduced the new Premium Economy Book the Cook service. The Book the Cook and Premium Economy Book the Cook are available for most flights from Singapore as well as from selected stations when flying into Singapore.
‘Deliciously Wholesome’ Programme
Singapore Airlines launched its ‘Deliciously Wholesome’ meal programme in 2016, catering to the needs of an increasing number of health-conscious travellers by offering a delectable range of gourmet dishes rich in nutrients, vitamins and essential minerals.
The ‘Deliciously Wholesome’ meals are designed to restore and rejuvenate the body, prepared using a wide variety of carefully-selected ingredients such as whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fish, seeds, nuts, herbs and spices. These foods are rich in macronutrients such as complex carbohydrates, lean protein, good fats, fibre and healing phytonutrients that nourish the body. The dishes also contain special active micronutrients which can help alleviate travel-induced stresses such as dehydration, fatigue and jetlag.
The ‘Deliciously Wholesome’ meals are available for pre-ordering by Suites, First Class and Business Class customers through the Airline’s “Book the Cook” service.
Authentically Asian
Singapore Airlines engages the expertise of its International Culinary Panel to create an authentic end-to-end dining experience for different Asian cuisines. The Kyo-Kaiseki Japanese fine dining concept was the first to be introduced in 1999, comprising an elaborate spread of appetisers, entrées and dessert elegantly presented course-by-course in a traditional Japanese style.
SIA has continually enhanced this programme over the years, bringing customers quality Asian dining menus. The portfolio now comprises Kyo Kaiseki (Japanese), Shahi Thali (Indian), Shi Quan Shi Mei (Chinese) and Hansik (Korean) menus for its Suites and First Class passengers, and Hanakoireki (Japanese), Ruchi Thali (Indian), Hansik (Korean) as well as the recently launched Chinese fine dining concept Shi Quan Wei Mei for its Business Class passengers. Introduced in July 2018, Shi Quan Wei Mei uses traditional cooking methods and fresh seasonal produce to create an authentic in-flight Chinese meal experience.
These menus are available to Suites, First and Business Class customers in the in-flight menus on selected routes.
Popular Local Fare
SIA is proud to offer customers “Popular Local Fare” meals on board, featuring iconic local favourites of the destinations that the Airline flies to. From perennial Singapore favourite, Laksa, to Lobster Mac and Cheese from New York, Wanton Noodles from Hong Kong and Bangers and Mash from the UK, international travellers can enjoy a taste of the local flavours of their destination while other travellers immerse themselves in a familiar taste of home.
This programme is continually enhanced with exciting new dishes added to the menu, such as Bak Chor Mee, a signature Singaporean hawker favourite, most recently introduced in October 2018.
The “Popular Local Fare” dishes are available in the Airline’s regular in-flight menus or through pre-ordering by Suites, First Class, Business Class and Premium Economy Class customers via the “Book the Cook” service.
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Media personnel are welcome to get in touch with our Public Affairs Department at public_affairs@singaporeair.com.sg
Source: Singapore Airlines