United Airlines pilots meals for the 'connoisseur.'

Nation's Restaurant News, Nov 11, 1991 by Robin Lee Allen

CHICAGO -- United Airlines has launched a new line of inflight meals to highlight its new class for overseas travelers whose palates and ability to pay lie between the economy and first classes.

Connoisseur class, which took off earlier this month, features meals derived from the airline's international first-class service and adapted to the less extravagant and less costly business class, said Kurt Lackner, United's director of food and beverage.

Like first class, connoisseur class has hallmark amenities but of a less expensive scale, he said. While first-class passengers get Beluga caviar, connoisseur flyers get Sevruga caviar canapes. They also are served Colombian coffee, Godiva chocolates and fine French, German, Italian and American wines.

Connoisseur flyers have three meal choices presented on menus in many languages, Lackner said. Many of the meals are built around international themes that vary with a flight's destination.

Passengers en route to Japan have a selection of traditional Japanese Bento meals that include hot rice, marinated cooked seafood items or beef dishes, soba noodles and soba sauce, and green tea served on traditional Japanese tableware, he said. England-bound passengers have lamb dishes, and those flying to France have choices like grilled chicken breast with raspberry sauce and filet of sole with lobster sauce. Passengers also receive a wine list and a choice of desserts and fruit and cheese.

Unlike in the economy class, connoisseur meals are heated on board the plane and served on Noritake china, Lackner said. "The whole presentation of the meal is better than before."

United developed the connoisseur class to attract the growing leagues of international business traveler.

"The business class market is probably the most valuable to airlines in the international market and rapidly growing," Lackner said. "That's where it makes sense to spend a lot of money."

United Airlines has seen double-digit growth annually in international travel since 1986, with expansion in the Pacific market exceeding international numbers, said Joe Hopkins, a company media relations manager. The airline has been accommodating this uptick by taking space from the economy class to add seats in the business class compartments, he explained.

United officials decided it was time to capitalize on the trend by revamping international business class, according to Sara Dornacker, another United media relations manager.

"We took a look at who is traveling in business class and what their expectations are," she said. "We derive 21 percent of our revenues from international business class, and these people pay several thousand dollars for tickets. They expect excellence for the prices they are paying."

While United's new international class is innovative for an American-based airline, it is playing a game of catch-up with international competition, said Edward Starkman, airline analyst at Paine Webber in New York.

Internationally, Australia's Qantas Airlines was the first to brand its business class in 1979, according to Starkman. Singapore Airlines and British Airways also have very successful business-class concepts.

But American-based airlines have lagged behind by staying generic, he said. "United is the first to be this focused about it. Others have business classes, but this is a lot more focused and directed, and I'm sure we will be seeing it from others."

United has its own flight kitchens at airports involved with the connoisseur program, so none of its domestic in-flight feeders -- CaterAir, Sky Chefs or Dobbs House -- will be affected by the new offerings. But several of United's international caterers, such as Forte Air Services in London (a division of London-based Gardner Merchant Ltd.) and the joint-venture in-flight feeder of Marriott-Roissy in Paris, will be fixing connoisseur menus according to United's specifications.