Cathay Pacific rethinks in-flight meals with on-demand catering trial

Heightened competition in the aviation industry and the rise of on-demand app technologies have driven the city’s leading airline to rethink its dining services.<br/>Cathay Pacific Airways has ­announced it will trial “dine-on­-demand” on its long-haul flights, allowing travellers to elect when to eat. Food catering has been a particular flashpoint for Cathay Pacific customers, who have openly criticised the quality and standard of meals in recent years. “We are doing this in response,” CE Ivan Chu Kwok-leung said. “We know what the customer wants. We don’t just want to satisfy what the customer wants, we want to lead in terms of what we are looking at – giving passengers more control, enhancing the customer service online and physically when they get on board.” The move is part of a much wider battle being fought by the world’s top airlines to improve their business and economy class offerings. Airlines are constantly trying to outperform one another in service innovation and creativity. Cathay Pacific’s new service will be trialled on routes from Hong Kong to London and Hong Kong to Chicago in May and June respectively. The airline is also considering introducing the option of pre-ordering inflight meals akin to a “book the cook” style of service seen on rival carrier Singapore Airlines.<br/>