Sunwing has teamed up with Food Network and chef Lynn Crawford to launch an on-board menu that aims to stop customers from brown bagging it on flights.
Launched Oct. 19, the Sunwing Café was created to respond to customer demand for more choice, variety and quality food options, says Jacqueline Grossman, senior director of marketing at Sunwing.
“It’s a complete departure from what we had been doing and from what every other airline, in Canada at least, have been doing,” Grossman says. “We just thought that it would expand our brand promise, which is ‘experience the difference,’ to our customers.”
The menu features selections created by Ruby Watchco owner Crawford, who has appeared in Restaurant Makeover and Iron Chef America. It includes slow-cooked beef short ribs served with herb roasted fingerling potatoes, heirloom carrots, double smoked bacon, pearl onions and bourguignon sauce and baked pasta with roasted tomatoes, mozzarella and jalapeno jack cheese, lemon ricotta and tomato basil sauce.
The buy on-board menu, created by catering company Scarlett House, also includes light meals and snacks, such as margherita pizza, mac ‘n’ cheese, a tapas assortment and a kids’ snack box.
It replaces the airline’s previous bistro type menu with sandwiches.
Crawford also stars in three 30-second spots about the new menu, which were filmed onboard a plane. In one of the spots, she wonders why customers would consider bringing their own food onboard when they can buy high quality, hot and fresh meals on the plane.
The spots were created in conjunction with Corus-owned Food Network and will appear only on the specialty channel and on the airline starting Oct. 28 and running for a month.
Sunwing is also launching a contest for foodies who create recipes for the airline. The winning recipe will be served onboard Sunwing in the near future and its creator will receive a Sunwing vacation package to a hotel known for its food offerings.
The new menu is also being promoted in radio ads that run until December and in a digital campaign across all Corus properties.
“It just comes down to the convenience,” Grossman says of the menu. “We think it will resonate well to start off your vacation with a healthy and quality meal.”
A pre-ordering function is planned that would guarantee customers’ selections.
While the meals are revenue generators, “we like to see it more as a differentiator.”
She adds the airline also differentiates itself from competitors by offering complimentary baggage allowance and a complimentary glass of sparkling wine “in an environment where a lot of the airlines are scaling back in the services that they provide.”
Sunwing Vacations, which calls itself North America’s largest vertically integrated travel company, flies from Canada to more than 50 sun destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.
A&C handles public relations for Sunwing.
