New research reveals travellers seek culinary excellence before flights.
Airline food is undergoing a reinvention, with significant investments being made in the onboard experience. Emirates’ annual inflight catering bill has surged by 12% to AED 5.3 billion, while Lufthansa is expanding its hot meal services, and Delta is introducing premium menus that include Wagyu burgers and Champagne floats. However, alongside this focus on in-air dining, a potentially larger hospitality opportunity is emerging before passengers even leave the ground. This shift is underscored by new research from Sodexo Live! and YouGov. Their findings reveal that more than 28% of surveyed UK premium-cabin and lounge travellers specifically associate culinary excellence with a premium lounge experience.
Furthermore, four in ten Economy travellers expressed a preference for indulgent evening meals. These results collectively point to a growing passenger appetite for enhanced quality and diverse choice, suggesting that airport dining is increasingly being viewed as a distinct experience in itself. The expanding competition for passengers’ appetites is now evident across both the aircraft cabin and within the airport terminal. In response to this trend, established restaurant brands are making their presence felt in airports. British Airways, for instance, has partnered with the London restaurant group Hoppers to introduce Sri Lankan-inspired dishes.
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Apiary (Credit: Manchester Airport)
These new offerings will be available on its Colombo route, launching from 23 October. Additionally, the high-street favourite Tossed is scheduled to make its airport debut this autumn at London Gatwick’s North Terminal, bringing freshly prepared meals and dishes exclusive to the airport environment.
Dragonpass highlights that this presents an expanding opportunity for airport restaurants, cafés, and lounges to capture the pre-take-off dining occasion. The company states that airports are evolving into hospitality destinations in their own right, with travellers seeking greater flexibility over where and how they choose to eat. Reflecting this development, Dragonpass has introduced new consumer travel memberships. These memberships, starting from £59 annually, combine lounge access with various airport dining benefits, providing travellers with more options to enjoy food and drink before their flight.
