Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1003259
NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 11 JULY 2018 MASSIMO COSTA AIR Malta has launched a new in-flight catering service, offering hot and cold food against payment, with an emphasis on using fresh, local ingredients. The new menu, "Sky Bar", will be available on Air Malta flights in Econ- omy Class from Thursday, and replac- es the much-criticised free "bezzun" (baguette), which had been retained for an interim period when the airline launched its low-cost Go-Light fares. In effect, this puts to an end the avail- ability of free food on board Air Malta flights, with anyone flying Economy now having to pay if they are to have a bite to eat. Two choices, each of hot food, at €6.50, and cold food, at €7, will be avail- able to buy, together with a "tapas tray" of cheese and cold cuts for €8.50. There will also be the usual selection of hot and cold drinks, snacks, and alcohol for sale. A meal deal, at €10, will allow passen- gers to buy food, a snack and a drink as part of a package. The new catering service reflects a "buy on board" concept which is now stand- ard for almost all European airlines, Air Malta chairman Charles Mangion said. Air Malta Chief Commercial Officer, Paul Sies, highlighted that this was the second phase of the airline's Go-Light product, with the free baguette having only been kept for a short period while the new service was being developed. "Low-cost airlines work with pre- packed factory food. We are much more into a fresh food culture, whereby our chefs are preparing the food in the morning, and it goes directly from the kitchen into the aircraft, and it's served fresh," Sies said. In total, a selection of over 70 food and drink items will be available to buy on board Air Malta flights, the airline said. Mangion said the new menu was an important step in the growth of the airline, and in giving customers a more pleasant experience. "We've added 17 new routes in the past year, and all these initiatives dove- tail into our drive towards customer centricity," he emphasised. "Another step is the renewal of our fleet. By next summer we plan to introduce two other Airbus A320neo planes, to add to the one we received on 15 June." Asked about the training of Qatari cadets, announced last week, Mangion said this had already started, and was being done against payment after the airline received a request for such train- ing from Qatar. "Air Malta has an air training certifi- cate, which is now being used again, and will generate revenue for the company," Mangion said. Regarding flight delays, Mangion said he was still not completely happy with the situation, but noted that things had improved in the past three weeks. He preferred not to comment when asked how much money the delays had cost the company. Air Malta new in-flight menu includes tapas and sandwiches but nothing's free New menu gives importance to use of locally-sourced, fresh ingredients, national airline says A sample of the cold food available on the menu, prepared by Sky Bar chef, Neil Darmanin