Restaurant delivery service takes to the skies
iFLEAT
iFLEAT enables air passengers to order restaurant food directly to their seats
A company which specialises in delivering food from restaurants directly to passengers in their seats has secured a series of deals with high profile airlines since exhibiting at the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE). iFLEAT, a downloadable app-based service which simply requires passengers to fill in their name and booking number before allowing them to pre-order restaurant food ahead of their flight, is now available across the Air Berlin network and is being rolled out across other global airlines.
The service was launched in October 2016 after more than a year of research and development when passionate foodie and former gategroup executive Jaap Roukens identified a gap in the market for delicious, easy-to-order restaurant-quality meals on board. He explains: “I firmly believe iFLEAT is a game changer when it comes to the passenger experience. It’s simple to set-up, easy to operate and most importantly, offers travellers a large selection of tasty restaurant food delivered by the cabin crew to the comfort of their plane seats.
“There are no additional costs for the carrier or the caterers, it simply relies upon a partnership between the airline and ourselves to make it happen. Overall I believe it is a win-win situation for everyone involved – passengers are happy that they are getting a delicious meal which in turn creates positive feelings towards the airline and hopefully generates loyalty.”
Air Berlin was the first to launch the iFLEAT service in October 2016 following a meeting with the company at WTCE earlier that year. The app can be used to pre-order food – no later than 12 hours before the flight – from restaurants in the German capital which is delivered to the aircraft on the day of travel. To-date, five Berlin restaurants are partnered with the service, each offering a different style of food, and iFLEAT is set to roll out in other cities serviced by Air Berlin and its partner, Sky Catering, including Abu Dhabi, New York, Miami and Chicago shortly. Following its participation in WTCE, iFLEAT has also partnered with three other major global airlines.
Roukens concludes: “Exhibiting at WTCE was a smart move for us. We met with a huge number of airline representatives, many of whom shared our passion for innovation and making delicious food from around the world accessible onboard. As a result, we have rolled out the service on Air Berlin and have a number of other exciting contracts in the pipeline. We will be exhibiting at the show once again and hope to have the same level of success in Hamburg.”
Exhibiting at WTCE was a smart move for us. We met with a huge number of airline representatives, many of whom shared our passion for innovation and making delicious food from around the world accessible onboard.
Jaap Roukens, former gategroup executive
IFLEAT is not alone in finding success as a WTCE exhibitor. Many companies have reported huge and lucrative deals thanks to their participation in the air and rail industry’s flagship onboard services event.
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