Thinking inside the box: Changing the experience of onboard meals

STOCKHOLM - It took two years for airline SAS to develop a new onboard dining concept. Onboard circumstances like small spaces and close neighbors were carefully studied. How to embrace this and use it to develop a functional dining concept? The answer came in cube shape, named The Cube. With this design, SAS created a concept to have customers both eat and work at the same time as well as supporting their healthy lifestyles.

The inspiration for this concept came from different areas. For example from the take away food area, which offers great meals consumed in an easy one-hand experience. Of course, consumers were asked about their preferences. Fresh, local and sustainable food was high on their list. In The Cube all these elements were combined into an elegant, minimal design. Every cube contains a main meal, condiments and utensils. Additional warm side dishes and desserts are offered, but as not everyone likes them they are not automatically included generating less waste. Local food is not limited to Scandinavian ingredients. Because, SAS says, we fly to many different destinations where we can source locally, so in Greece we perfectly can buy Greek yoghurt. The Cube can be held in one hand, so your table remains free for your book or laptop. 

TEN visits many different markets, by plane, train or car. Last week we were delighted to fly with SAS to Stockholm, Copenhagen and back to Amsterdam and try out the Cube dinging. The concept really looks great and we enjoyed the Norwegian salmon, coli flour salad and potatoes served in the cube with illustrations of Norwegian mountains, Danish coast and Swedish forests.   

Interested in more of our destinations and activities? TEN the export network advises and supports food companies that are aiming to broaden their horizons. We coordinate food export activities, encourage business development projects, and create new international links. We also help improve the standard of existing export activities, and we operate as SIB advisor to SMEs. For more information www.theexportnetwork.nl or contact us: http://www.theexportnetwork.nl/contact/.

Source: Scandinavian traveler, SAS airline magazine June 2017