Etihad Airways Expand Flight Service, Personal Chef Onboard in Flight Dining Program

Passengers traveling in Etihad Airways first-class section will get their own personalized chefs onboard in an in-flight dining program designed to be a “five-star restaurant” in the sky.

The national carrier of the United Arab Emirates plans to launch its new first-class menu on select routes in October and give passengers their own onboard chef who can customize meals according to their preferences.

The introduction of professional onboard chefs has become a growing trend among airlines which are constantly trying to up the ante in in-flight dining.

Turkish Airlines, for instance, provides a “Flying Chef” service on some of its international routes like Hong Kong-Istanbul and Istanbul-New York.

BusinessFirst passengers on Continental Airlines flights from Mumbai to New York also dined on meals prepared by a top Indian chef in 2009.

Etihad is currently on an international hiring spree for the new program first unveiled in May and is planning to build a team of a hundred professional chefs from starred hotels, restaurants and culinary institutions around the world.

Chefs will work under the direction of Thomas Ulherr, a three-time gold medal winner of the IKA Culinary Olympics.

According to industry trade publication Big Hospitality, the new menu will also emphasize the use of fresh ingredients and encourage chefs to be more adventurous in developing the revamped in-flight service.

Last month, Spanish airline Iberia also announced a new Mediterranean-themed in-flight catering service developed by some of the country’s top Michelin-starred chefs like Paco Roncero of Madrid’s La Terraza del Casin; Ramón Freixa of Ramón Freixa Madrid; Caceres chef Toño Pérez of Atrio; and Malaga’s Dani García, chef at Calima restaurant in Marbella.

Air France has also tapped into its domestic culinary talent pool, recruiting celebrity chefs like Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon to help promote its in-flight dining program.

US Airways Fits Regional Aircraft with First-Class Accommodations

As frequent flyers well know, you don’t have to pay for First Class to sit in a first class seat. You just have to have enough points to upgrade. Problem is, with more and more of the flying done by regional jets, that opportunity isn’t always available. That’s one of the reasons why carriers have been fitting regional aircraft with first-class accommodations. US Airways Express is the latest to get the makeover.

US Airways Express will first install First Class on its Embraer 170 and 175s, and Canadair Regional Jet 700s and 900s. The initial upgrade will be on the 175 fleet this coming October. Rework on the remaining three regional jet fleets should be complete by January 2012. The seats will be arrayed in one–two configuration, with one seat on one side of the aisle, and two on the other.

When all’s said and done, US Airways contends it will loft “the highest percentage of daily departures with a First Class cabin among the four major network carriers.” US Airways’ Dividend Miles Preferred members will have access to free upgrades “on nearly 640 flights each day,” according to Andrew Nocella, the airline’s vice president of marketing and planning.

That means more room – at least in the pointy end of the airplane. While coach seats on US Airways regional jets offer about 31 inches of seat pitch (knee-room essentially) the First Class cabins of its newly-outfitted regional jets will sport either 37 inches or 38 inches of pitch.

The inability to upgrade has been a perennial gripe among frequent flyers over the past several years as major airlines have farmed out more and more of the flying to smaller airlines operating regional jets. While the livery (paint scheme) of the regional airline may look like that of the major’s, there’s sometimes been a disconnect as to the level of service offered. Putting in First-Class seats helps bridge that gap.

Lufthansa to Increase Flight Services Between Mumbai – Munich Route

Lufthansa, with the start of the next summer schedule, will be offering daily flights on its Mumbai – Munich route, up from five weekly flights now. As a result of the flight increase between Mumbai and Munich, the Lufthansa Group, including SWISS and Austrian, will be operating 77 weekly frequencies from seven Indian destinations to Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich and Vienna in the next summer schedule.

Lufthansa’s Mumbai-Munich route is currently served by an Airbus 330-300 with eight First Class, 48 Business Class and 159 Economy Class seats. The flight departs at 01: 50 hours and arrives in Munich at 05: 50 hours, giving travellers a wide option of convenient onward connections to Europe and the US.

Axel Hilgers, Director, South Asia, Lufthansa said, “This increase further strengthens our position as Europe’s leading connectivity provider to and from India. By bringing in more business travellers, investors and tourists, the frequency addition will support India’s economic growth. Indian customer will get the choice of daily flights to Lufthansa’s world class hubs at Munich and Frankfurt, both offering outstanding global connectivity.”

As per the company release, with its latest flight increase, Lufthansa responds to an encouraging demand pick up in the strategic market that is India. The two additional flights to Munich follow the recent addition of Mumbai as a new destination for Group affiliate Austrian Airlines, which introduced five weekly frequencies to Vienna in November this year. Together with SWISS’ daily service to Zurich, three Lufthansa Group airlines now serve India’s commercial capital Mumbai with an unparalleled choice of connectivity via four world class hubs.

The First-Class Cabin Of Air France’s A380 Jets Showcases Privacy

Nine passengers will have the privilege of flying First Class on each Air France A380 flight starting November 23 when the airline begins commercial flights between Paris and New York. Refined and luxurious, Air France’s First Class is staking its claim as the “most private cabin” of all the A380s in service.
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