Dubai-based airline Emirates has won a coveted PAX International Readership Award for its in-flight catering. Emirates’ food won the ‘Outstanding Food Service by a Carrier for the Middle East’ award.
There are five categories to celebrate the catering of airlines in five areas of the world: The Americas, Europe, The Middle East, Africa and Asia/Australia. The outstanding quality of the meals and beverages served on Emirates flights has resulted in Emirates winning the award for the third year running.
The PAX International Readership Awards were presented at the International Travel Catering Association (ITCA) trade show in Dubai.
“Inflight catering is an integral part of the travel experience and the award is a testament to our unwavering commitment to innovation, diversity and consistently high quality cuisine on-board,” said Robin Padgett, Vice President Aircraft Catering, Emirates. “Our on-board dining experience is further enhanced by our award-winning inflight entertainment system and multi-cultural cabin crew, which provides our customers with a distinct, memorable experience.”
In First Class, passengers dine as if they are in a fine international restaurant with meals created by world class chefs. All meals are served on bone china, on tray tables dressed with fine linen and flowers. Typical breakfast on a long-haul flight includes freshly-squeezed fruit juice, assorted yoghurts and cereals, a choice of three hot breakfast dishes, pastries, bread and preserves, and a selection of teas and freshly-made coffee.
For lunch and dinner, First Class guests are served hot canapés and cocktails followed by seven courses served from the trolley. A typical menu includes a choice of three appetizers, soup or salad to start. There’s a choice of four main courses and two desserts, plus a cheeseboard consisting of five types of cheese, served with port. The cheeseboard is followed seasonal fruit, a choice of teas and coffees, plus some chocolate for those with a sweet tooth. First Class passengers can choose from a wide range of complimentary drinks to accompany their meal, including cocktails, champagne, liqueurs and vintage wine. Flight attendants are just a phone call away, so passengers can order meals and snacks from an extensive menu at any time. Little extras include hot toast an cappuccino in the morning, plus Ovaltine and Horlicks to aid a good night’s sleep during the night.
Emirates’ menus are developed by top chefs, many of whom have worked in some of the world’s finest restaurants. They work alongside the Emirates food experts to create a range of menus with regional variations depending on the flight origin and destination. Emirates joined forces with Spanish chef SantiSantamaria, who has three Michelin Stars under his belt, to create the menu for Emirates’ recent launch to Madrid in August 2010.
Emirates built a dedicated facility devoted to creating in-flight meals, which cost a huge $120 million. The most modern and largest of its kind in the world, the facility was opened in July 2007 and has the capacity to produce 115,000 meals per day.
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