Question

In: Operations Management

The Question (the simplified idea of the question) - Airline catering is a complex operation system...

The Question (the simplified idea of the question)

- Airline catering is a complex operation system

- Discuss and comment on the many factors and issues that may affect the success of an airline catering operation.

Areas that you need to focus in your discussions and comments:

² Describe the diversity of passengers and their reasons for travel.

² Understand why the taste and appetite of passengers may be affected when travelling on board a flight.

² Explain the needs of different passengers on their diets and how passengers with different backgrounds could be satisfied with different special meals.

² Explain the importance of menu planning and how good menu planning could contribute to the success of airline catering.

² Describe the characteristics of the purchasing and inventory management in airline catering.

² Explain why purchasing in the airline catering sector is so difficult and different from general catering operations.

² Elaborate the process of airline catering food production planning and scheduling.

² Describe the preparation and production systems and technology used in airline catering operation.

² Understand the difficulties and challenges in ensuring timely and adequate food production.

² Explain the needs and importance of Just-In-Time (JIT) management in both purchasing and production in airline catering.

² Explain how food hygiene and safety could be maintained and well managed.

² Elaborate the handling and logistics of non-food items in airline catering operations.

² Describe the various environmental issues an airline catering company is facing in its environmental management.

² Explain why environmental issues must be dealt with carefully in airline catering.

² Describe the difficulties and factors that may affect the effectiveness and efficiency of an airline catering operation:

Format of the assignment

The assignment must contain an introduction, main body, conclusion and citation.

The assignment report should be presented in a systematic and well-structured manner, word-processed, double-spaced, of font size 12, with not less than 2500 and maximum 4000 words. The structure should be started with a nicely designed cover page, followed with a content page with all sections and page numbers listed systematically.

The comprehensive introduction and conclusion can be a summary of how the assignment has been approached and a comment on your personal views or observations in relation to the assignment. A bibliography or reference section should be attached with APA format adopted in the citations. Appendices could be used to add some further relevant information on the various aspects that the report will cover.

Solutions

Expert Solution

1. Factors and Issues that may affect the success of an airline catering operation -

a. Production Process

In a production system, the final receivers of products are general consumers.

However, when receiving products, consumers usually do not possess professional

knowledge, it is very difficult to determine the quality of products, such as hygiene of

food and utensils. The operation of catering begins with menu design, procurement,

acceptance, storage, shipping, and ends with production preparation to use successful

promotion skills to deliver services of outstanding cuisines to customers

b. Marketing

Kotler (2000) indicated that, marketing is an art that attracts and maintains

consumers. All of the marketing activities are intended to develop and maintain a

successful relationship with consumers to exchange for higher commitment and trust,

as well as to reduce their intention to leave. Consumers are the main source of profit of enterprises, and the new era of customer power has arrived, which has forced enterprises to strengthen relationship marketing and endeavor to develop and adopt marketing strategies to retain consumers .

c. Professional Abilities

The success of menu design can be accessed from multiple perspectives, such

as employees, customers, divided chefs’ competencies into two categories competencies for research focused chefs competencies for management focused chefs.

d. Cost

During menu design, the selection of dishes has to take into account

restaurant cost, procurement, menu pricing, and other financial and marketing

situations. In addition to determining the types of meals to be offered, menu design should prioritize the price determination .

e. Quality, Safety, and Hygiene

Catering quality is the most important part of dining experiences. Apparently, quality is one of the factors to which consumers attach the highest importance to.

f. Consumers’ Perception

Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard (1995) suggested that, consumers’ belief and

feeling have a certain influence on overall assessment and attitude toward a certain

target, and their attitude will determine their behavioral intention and further affect

their subsequent final behaviors. Consumers’ decision-making process and outcomes

are affected by the difference in information conveyance method .

One of the important factors affecting consumers’ choice of airline companies

is perceived value, which directly affects consumers’ satisfaction

g. Trust and Loyalty

The nature of services is mainly experiences and trust. Therefore, consumers’

trust in products has a significant influence on their decision-making process . Many studies all attached importance to trust, such as customer loyalty. Morgan and Hunt (1994) suggested that: the necessity of

trust and commitment is a very important indicator. The empirical study by Reichheld

and Schefter (2000) also indicated that: in order to win customers’ loyalty, the priority

is to win customers’ trust.

2. Diversity of airline passengers

Students

Businessman

Travellers

Workers

Sportsmen

Employees

Etc.

Reasons for travelling -

People are travelling in other states and other countries of the world. Some people travel to join for jobs, some people travel for the educations, some people travel to attend official meetings and conferences.

One of the most common reason due to which people travel is for holidays. People with their families and children travel to different states and different countries to spend time and enjoy with each other.

3. Flight Catering Logistics

Logistics is concerned with adding value and reducing waste across the whole flight

catering system. It is particularly concerned with non-consumable or non-disposable

stock items (crockery, glassware, trays, etc.), although increasingly it is addressing

other types of inventory too (particularly alcoholic beverages and duty free items). In

order to use these stocks effectively and efficiently, logistics is concerned with:

• material demand forecasting

• equipment sector (or shelf) life

• sourcing of products

• contracting suppliers

• managing purchase contracts

• transportation of stocks

• warehousing of stocks

• inventory management of stocks and ‘dwell time’ (time not in use)

• stock balancing across the network

• galley and trolley planning

The principal objectives of a logistics system are based around getting the right

products/materials to the right place(s) at the right time and at least cost. The

logistics issues of flight catering are affected by a number of important features of the

airline industry, the most important being the basic features of the business, the

specifics of route scheduling, the impact of actual passenger loadings, and the

'product' mix.

The basic features of the industry are that it has global dimensions, is highly

competitive and profitability depends largely on maximising revenue in the face of

variable demand. The airline business is increasingly competitive and most airlines in

considering their competitive edge take account of the quality of the 'service package'

offered to customers. For instance, there are strong pressures in some cases to use

quality non-disposable items rather than cheaper disposables, such as china

crockery, rather than disposable equivalents. The reinforcement of brand image also

causes most to require that several items bear the company livery and logo. This has

strong implications for the logistics problem since it could prevent local supply of

these items.

4. How are plane meals prepared?

Meals are usually prepared on the ground in catering facilities close to the airport, and are then transported to the aircraft and placed in refrigerators for flight attendants to heat and serve on board. The caterers are more like the middlemen that help airlines mass-produce thousands of meals a day; the airline’s catering team is usually responsible for menu design.

5. Menu planning -

The type of food varies depending upon the airline company and class of travel. Meals may be served on one tray or in multiple courses with no tray and with a tablecloth, metal cutlery, and glassware (generally in first and business classes). Often the food is reflective of the culture of the country the airline is based in or the country that the airplane is destined for (e.g. Indian, Japanese, Chinese, or Western meals).

The airline dinner typically includes meat (most commonly chicken or beef), fish, or pasta; a salad or vegetable; a small bread roll (with butter); and a dessert. Condiments (typically salt, pepper, and sugar) are supplied in small sachets or shakers.

Caterers usually produce alternative meals for passengers with restrictive diets. These must usually be ordered at least 24 hours in advance, sometimes when buying the ticket. Some of the more common examples include:

Cultural diets, such as Turkish, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Indian style.

Infant and baby meals. Some airlines also offer children's meals, containing foods that children will enjoy such as baked beans, mini-hamburgers, and hot dogs.

Medical diets, including low/high fiber, low fat/cholesterol, diabetic, peanut free, non-lactose, low salt/sodium, low-purine, low-calorie, low-protein, bland (non-spicy), and gluten-free meals.

Religious diets, including kosher, halal, and Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain vegetarian.

6. Preparation of food -

Meals must generally be prepared on the ground before takeoff. Guillaume de Syon, a history professor at Albright College who wrote about the history of airline meals, said that the higher altitudes alter the taste of the food and the function of the taste buds; according to de Syon the food may taste "dry and flavorless" as a result of the pressurization and passengers, feeling thirsty due to pressurization, may drink alcohol when they ought to drink water. Tests have shown that the perception of saltiness and sweetness drops 30% at high altitudes. The low humidity in airline cabins also dries out the nose which decreases olfactory sensors which are essential for tasting flavor in dishes.

Vegetarian meals, typically further defined as either lacto-ovo or vegan meals. These meals may follow a particular cuisine such as Asian cuisine or Western cuisine.

7. Airline food and environment -

Whether for its taste or otherwise, airplane food is wasted every day. In 2016, the International Air Transport Association estimated that airlines produced 5.2 million tons of waste, the Guardian reported. Nearly all of this waste, which included partially eaten food, single-use plastics and mini liquor bottles — as well as inevitable things like toilet waste — was incinerated or left in landfills. Neither disposal practice does any good for the environment.

With these calculations, the airline figured out that it has been wasting approximately 800,000 fresh food items per year, which equates to millions of dollars.

Many countries are taking initiatives regarding this -

American Airlines announced in July that it would be doing away with plastic straws and stirrers in both its lounges and flights, replacing them with biodegradable, eco-friendly straws and wood stirrers. The brand said it will also begin transitioning to more sustainable cutlery in its lounges. According to a press release, the swaps will eliminate more than 71,000 pounds of plastic annually.

Delta Airlines announced similar news in October. It is removing stir sticks, wrappers, utensils and straws from its aircraft and Delta Sky Clubs. The company said it expects to eliminate more than 300,000 pounds in plastic waste a year.

8. Difficulties and factors that may affect the effectiveness and efficiency of an airline catering operation -