Looking to pitch an onboard brand to airlines?

The organisers of World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE), an annual travel catering, onboard retail and passenger comfort industry exhibition, have released a report offering insights for brands and businesses looking to supply onboard products and services to commercial airlines for the first time.

The team at Reed Exhibitions collaborated with brand consultant and former British Airways food & beverages buyer, Kelly Stevenson, to create the report, titled ‘Guide to Getting onboard: What you need to know before making your airline product pitch’, and also included additional insight from independent brands that have been successful in becoming stocked onboard.

Set in the context of a growing inflight sector, which is set to reach US$27.6bn by 2030 according to Reed, especially as many airlines regard onboard service as a key market differentiator, the report covers everything from inflight food and drink to amenity kits, tableware, and cutlery. The report also offers analysis of the types of products that are most successful across the various airline travel classes, and can help steer pricing policy, packaging formats, sustainability – and even suggest popular menu options.

Further practical guidance in the 18-page guide includes information and advice to help new aviation suppliers understand how to prepare for their first buyer pitch and what to ask once they’ve secured a meeting. For those attending WTCE in Hamburg on 6-8 June the guide also outlines how brands and businesses can use the event to create opportunities and how they can maximise their time at the event to win new business and grow sales.

Kelly Stevenson also gives top tips for the best ways to speak to airline buyers, and what to consider before making long-term supply commitments during the current times of economic instability.

WTCE event director, Polly Magraw, said of the guide: “This report is essential reading for any brands or businesses new to supplying aviation. This is a sector like no other, with demands, restrictions and circumstances that simply do not apply to any other industry.

“There is a right and a wrong way to approach inflight supply and this report helps businesses negotiate what might otherwise be pitfalls by arming them with the right information from the outset. It’s also encouraging and inspiring, so I’d urge anyone who hasn’t yet downloaded it, to do so now – particularly if they’re planning to attend WTCE.”