LATAM Airlines unveiled a fantastic and innovative new dining concept for the Economy cabin of its long-haul international flights (longer than seven hours), which is now available onboard flights to/from Chile and will be introduced throughout the airline group’s international network before the end of 2017.
LATAM has defied convention and replaced the traditional tray – normally associated with in-flight dining – with a choice of individual gourmet dishes that are 50% bigger with fewer peripheral elements, which showcase Latin American, international and vegetarian cuisine.
Passengers will now be presented with a menu with three choices for lunch or dinner, including a hot dish, vegetarian meal or a lighter cold option, which is accompanied by a drinks service and sweet snack. There also will be two breakfast choices – all at no additional cost to passengers.
“At LATAM, we are committed to offering our passengers an unrivalled travel experience and they tell us that onboard dining is one of the most important differentiators. That’s why, we embarked on journey to develop a unique culinary experience that offers unparalleled quality, comfort and variety,” said Claudia Sender, Senior Vice-President Clients, LATAM Airlines Group.
The new dining concept was developed over 16 months together with airline catering experts at the Gategroup Innovation Centre in Amsterdam. The onboard experience was central to the creative process and from the outset LATAM’s catering team collaborated with cabin crew and Gategroup’s specialist chefs, taking into account service time and the constraints of the aircraft’s galley.
“The passenger was central to every decision in the development process. We asked them what they wanted and collaborated with industry experts and our cabin crew to ensure it was deliverable on-board. Every detail was important to us – from the ingredients used to how each dish is prepared and served,” said Sender.
During the development process, LATAM also sought passenger feedback, carrying out 14 in-flight trials. Passengers were surveyed about the overall in-flight experience and on average satisfaction scores doubled with the new dining concept when compared to its previous Economy service on long-haul flights. In total, the company has created over 300 new dishes, which will be served to an average of 14,000 passengers on 64 flights each day.
TheDesignAir 
The dishes look great. I wish them well with this. I wonder how much more or less work it is for the crews to prep these meals? Glad that an airline is thinking outside the box…