3. Acknowledgement
I am using this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who
aspiring guidance, invaluably constructive criticism and friendly advise.
I express my warm thanks to Mr. Amitava Biswas for his guidance and
Hostess Training for the facility and opportunity.
5. The main things to keep in mind when
ordering are portion size and measurement,
packaging style and availability, and
cultural food terminology. When placing the
order, it is best to be specific with portion
sizes and have an understanding of metric
and imperial equivalences. For example, in
most of the world, a typical protein portion
is 4-6 ounces, while a U.S.-sized portion
is 8 ounces. You should be prepared to
translate your specific requests into the
local units of measurement, such as grams
or liters. Also, food presentation in other
countries may vary from what you’re
accustomed to. You will be most
successful if you are very specific in your
Menu planning
6. Ordering raw material
Depending on the menu requirements
& weight specifications determined by
the air lines, orders for raw
materials like vegetables, fruits,
boneless meat, etc. are placed with
reputed food suppliers
7. All raw materials (perishable & non-
perishable) ordered by the flight kitchen are
delivered by the suppliers at the food
reception area.
This is the first stage of quality control,
where all raw materials are checked for
quality & weight specifications.
Food reception area
8. All dry provisions like cereals ,
pulses, tetra packed products, paper
products like napkins and towels,
bottled products like sauce, tanned
products, etc are stored here.
Dry storage
9. All perishable items like
fish, chicken, meat, fruits,
vegetables and ready to
cook foods like French
fries , pastry dough etc.
are stored here.
Cold storage
10. All the raw materials are
washed, cleaned & cut as per
menu specifications, and then
sent to the hot kitchen & cold
kitchen.
Food preparation area
11. Hot meals & snacks are prepared
here. Bakery products like bread
& cakes are also made in a
section of the hot kitchen.
The food is then cooled,
portioned, packed & labeled with
the flight & meal details.
It is then sent either to the blast
chiller or chilled storage.
Quality control checks are done
for weight specification & bacteria
count.
Hot kitchen
12. All cold snacks like
sandwiches & cold
foods like salads &
desserts are prepare
here.The food is then
portioned, packed &
labeled with the flight
& meal details.
It is then sent to the
chilled storage & kept
there till required.
Quality control checks
are done for weight
specifications &
bacterial count.
Cold kitchen
13. Food of the return service on
short-haul flight & for the
second service of long-haul
flight are sent to the blast
chiller & then on chilled
storage, till required.
Blast chiller
14. All food from hot & cold kitchen
once packed & labeled are then
kept in chilled storage, flight
wise, till required.
Chilled storage
15. Cutlery sets are individually
packed in the equipment
storage.
All equipments like crockery,
cutlery, meal carts etc. are
kept here under sterile
conditions till required for
assembly.
Equipment storage
16. As per the flight requirements, all
the food, beverages & equipment
come from the various storage
areas, to assembly.
Here, flight wise trays set-ups are
done, the meal carts are loaded ,
bar requirements are organized
and all other catering requirements
are readied. They are sent to
chilled storage till required for
dispatch.
Assembling
17. All flight requirements
regarding catering up life are
kept in chilled storage till the
time for dispatch to the
respective flights.
Chilled storage
18. As per the flight departure
timings, the dispatch section
accordingly loads all the
flight catering requirements
on to hi-loaders. The loading
takes place at the loading
bay,
The hi-loaders are docked at
the loading bay, which is
attached to the dispatch
section.
Dispatch
19. Flight loading
The hi-loaders lock onto the
aircraft doors & the aircraft
galleys are then loaded. The
number of hi-loaders are sent
by one per galley. Loading of
all the galleys place at
simultaneously
20. The time difference between food production in the flight kitchen and
finally serving it on board an aircraft with limited kitchen facilities makes
flight catering a high-risk food preparation operation. The complexity of the
production procedures in the flight kitchen
also increases in microbilological hazards
Health and safety standards
21. Reasons why health and safety procedures are important for
flight catering
Dairy products containing raw milk, undercooked poultry and raw or
undercooked eggs, raw meat, raw shellfish and raw fish, raw
sprouts are never used as components of cold meals due to
known salmonella outbreaks.
Food handlers must wear gloves and protective head gear in all
sections of the flight kitchen, to prevent hair and bacteria from
transferring to the food.
Watches, bracelets and rings are not worn in the flight kitchen
because if these accidentally fall into the food it will cause metal
poisoning in the food.
All non-vegetarian food like chicken, mutton and fish must be
boneless, so that a passenger does not choke on a piece of bone
22. As per standard regulations different meals must be uplifted for the
pilot, co-pilot and cabin crew, in order to minimize sabotage caused
through food.
All prepared food must be laboratory tested for the presence of
salmonella bacteria.
All food once prepared must be according to the weight
specifications given by the airline, because for safety reasons
everything which is loaded on an aircraft is weight determined.
Cutting boards in the pre-preparation area must be color coded
according to what they are used for, to prevent cross contamination
from one raw food to another.
23. Convenience food
Convenience food, or tertiary processed food, is food that is
commercially prepared to optimize ease of consumption. Such food is
usually ready to eat without further preparation. It may also be
easily portable, have a long shelf life, or offer a combination of
such convenient traits.
Convenience food is commercially prepared for ease of consumption.
Products designated as convenience food are often sold as hot,
ready-to-eat dishes; as room-temperature, shelf-stable products; or as
refrigerated or frozen food products that require minimal preparation
(typically just heating).
Convenience foods and restaurants are similar in that they save
time. They differ in that restaurant food is ready to eat, whilst
convenience food usually requires rudimentary preparation. Both
typically cost more money and less time compared to home cooking
24. Convenience foods can include products such as candy; beverages such
as soft drinks, juices and milk; fast food; nuts, fruits and vegetables in
fresh or preserved states; processed meats and cheeses; and
canned products such as soups and pasta dishes. Additional
convenience foods include frozen pizza, chips such as potato
chips, pretzels and cookies.
These products are often sold in portion controlled, single
serve packaging designed for portability.