Destination Menu

Challenge

When Covid-19 hit, the aviation business had more than just airplanes grounded. Thousands of staff were put on hold, including those at Thai Airways’ award-winning Catering Service – voted the world’s best onboard catering two years in a row for the SKYTRAX World Airline Awards in 2017 and 2018.

Inspiration

People miss their trips abroad, creating tension around the lockdown. The next best thing would be to taste the food that reminds them of the destinations they longed for. We needed to turn Thai Airways Catering Services into a new revenue stream – bringing the taste of traveling to the doorsteps of millions of locked down households.

Idea

Thai Airways ‘Destination Menu’ is a collaboration with the country’s top delivery apps to create 12 special menus inspired by five iconic destinations, including Bangkok to Paris, Bangkok to Tokyo, and Bangkok to Dubai. It’s the taste of travel people miss, ordered directly from your mobile phone and delivered straight to your door.

Growth

In less than two weeks, the service received almost 4,500 orders. The initiative turned out so well, it evolved into thematic cafes once the lockdown was lifted. In the end, leveraging the world’s best catering service helped pivot the business at its most critical moment, resulting in a $600k per month revenue stream that helped save over 2,200 jobs.