United will let passengers sitting in its economy cabins order snacks, meals and drinks before longer flights, a change that could better align galley provisioning with customer demand and help the carrier convey a more premium travel experience. Pre-ordering one’s meal selections was a common amenity in first-class air travel on numerous global airlines before the pandemic. United will become the only U.S. airline to offer food and beverage pre-ordering in the economy cabin, the company said Wednesday. United will begin testing the service Thursday on flights from Chicago to Honolulu and to three California destinations before expanding in the fall to all flights of more than 1,500 miles. Beyond the potential for higher food-and-beverage sales, the initiative is likely to give United more data about customers’ in-flight selections and inform the company’s future decisions about products and services, spokeswoman Christine Salamone said. The pre-order options won’t affect United’s regular snacks and drink service. <br/>
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Information technology firm SITA has installed the SITA Smart Path Drop and Fly baggage solution for Ethiopian Airlines at Bole International Airport in Ethiopia. The new technology is expected to provide improved check-in and bag drop self-services to the passengers of Ethiopian Airlines at the airport. SITA Smart Path Drop and Fly baggage solution has been deployed in the airport’s new extension of the check-in area. With this deployment, the passengers can now move directly to the self-bag-drop area to check in their baggage. This will enable the passengers to move quickly and avoid long lines. As a result, the airport will face less congestion, especially at a time when social distancing is necessary due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This solution will also cut down passenger contact with ground agents.<br/>
Air New Zealand passengers will soon be chowing down on a new variety of snacks while flying - including popcorn, crisps, muesli bars and chocolate. The new in-flight snacks follow a series of trials from the national airline, with the tests being carried out via trolley signage on Koru Hour flights, Grab & Go snack boxes in its lounges. The trial sought the views of more than 700 customers. The new treats will be rotated on a monthly basis, with Air New Zealand confirming its inflight cookie and lollies were here to stay. Air New Zealand general manager customer Leeanne Langridge said the new inflight offering would give customers the variety they had been looking for. "It was fantastic to see Aotearoa get behind the food trials and eagerly debate what they'd like to see onboard... What we learnt throughout the trials was that our customers value variety and change throughout the day. Going forward, we're going to be more time specific with what's on offer – from danishes in the morning to antipasto in the evening – because we know a cookie at 6am isn't for everyone."<br/>