Air Berlin signs deal with new catering company

Air Berlin, Germany’s second largest airline, has signed a new agreement with Gate Gourmet, a Swiss-American air travel catering company. Gate Gourmet is one of the largest such airline caterers in the world, and is known to produce well over 200 million individual meals each year, for up to 250 different airlines and other customers. Air Berlin passengers have become accustomed to receiving complimentary light meals on all flights, in stark contrast to the no-frills service offered by all other discount and low-cost European carriers.

Air Berlin will likely keep Gate Gourmet busy with its meal orders, as the German discount airline offers meal service on over 18,000 flights per year, departing from airports in Dusseldorf, Bonn, Leipzig, Munster and Padenborn alone. Air Berlin also requires catering services in other urban centres, such as Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich and in several other European cities. Thomas Ney, Air Berlin’s senior executive officer in charge of in-flight service, noted that the carrier has found a true “global partner” in Gate Gourmet and observed that the airline expects to benefit from this new arrangement.

On most short-haul European routes, Air Berlin serves passengers a cold meal, generally consisting of a sandwich, fruits and cake. Those travelling on flights that exceed 3.5 hours in duration, however, get to enjoy a full hot meal, free of charge. This is specifically the case for passengers travelling from cities in Germany to Palma de Mallorca. Complimentary non-alcoholic drinks are offered before meals on all flights.

www.airberlin.com