USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE FLIGHT CATERING SERVICES
ABHIROOP SEN EPGDBM 4 ROLL MUMBER - 01
PRESENTATION FLOW
INTRODUCTION / OVERVIEW OF THE FLIGHT CATERING INDUSTRY MY PROFILE & TASKS EXISTING TECH SUPPORT GAPS BETWEEN TASKS AND EXISTING TECH SUPPORT EXPECTATIONS
INTRODUCTION
The Flight Catering industry is a very large, global activity. The total market size is estimated to be around 12 billion euros.
It is probably one of the most complex operational systems in the world.
OVERVIEW - SCALE
A large-scale flight catering production unit may employ over 800 staff to produce as many as 25,000 meals per day during peak periods.
A typical flight catering unit may have between 50 to 1,000 takeoffs and landings every day. A single, long-haul Boeing 747 has over 40,000 items loaded on to it before it flies.
OVERVIEW - COMPLEXITY
All together these items weigh 6 metric tonnes and occupy a space of 60 cubic meters. These items range from meals to toilet bags, from duty-free goods to first aid boxes, from newspapers to headsets.
Food items must be fresh and items for personal passenger use must be clean and serviceable.
OVERVIEW - DISCIPLINE
While the way food is served on trays to airline passengers bears some resemblance to service styles in restaurants or cafeterias, the way food is prepared and cooked resembles a food manufacturing plant. The way food and equipment is stored resembles a freight warehouse, and the way meals and equipment are transported and supplied has a close affinity to militarystyle logistics and distribution systems.
President of KLM Catering once said that Flight catering is 70 per cent logistics and 30 per cent cooking.
MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS
MY PROFILE AND TASKS
Duty Manager in Flight Catering Operations. Primarily concerned with post-kitchen to preflight operations. All food and non food logistics including prearrangement, loading and offloading. Adherence to hygiene standards. Staff scheduling. Correspondence with clients (including complaints) Special Flights / Unscheduled flights
EXISTING TECH SUPPORT
Type of information Principal source of information Existing system
Routes flown and flight schedule
Airline timetable
Manual
Aircraft type Flight number Service provision for each route
Airline timetable Airline timetable Airline timetable
Manual Manual Manual
EXISTING TECH SUPPORT
Type of information Principal source of information Existing system
Dish and recipe specifications
Specification manuals
Manual file
Raw material requirements Specification manuals Menu rotation sequence Equipment and tray lay-up specifications Airline contract Specification manuals
Manual file Manual file Manual file
EXISTING TECH SUPPORT
Type of information Principal source of information Existing system
Equipment inventories &
Equipment balancing
Stock-taking and inventory records Airline reservation system Airline reservation system Pax x class x route
Bin cards
Passenger numbers (pax) and Special Meals Classes of passenger Hot meal production
online online Manual KOT
EXISTING TECH SUPPORT
Type of information Principal source of information Existing system
Tray assembly data per flight
Pax x class x route
Manual
Trolley assembly per flight Galley plans Aircraft loading
Pax x class x route x aircraft type
Manual Manual file Manual file
Stowage plans Loading plans
EXISTING TECH SUPPORT
Type of information Principal source of information Existing system
Shift Scheduling
Number of staff present
Manual
Budgets Actual operating costs Final Billing
Management
Finance Package
Reconciliation of all invoices Finance Package Passenger load for a particular period Finance Package
GAPS
As we have seen in order to ensure smooth operations, we require information from various sources at different time intervals. Some of the crucial information can change on a day to day basis whereas some do not change over long periods of time.
For scheduled flight operations, sometimes it may suffice to focus on information that are updated daily or where changes are frequent.
GAPS
Gaps exist during unscheduled flights, where information is limited and unstructured. Gaps exist when the flight schedules are disrupted due to weather conditions or any other emergency. Gaps exist when aircraft configurations change due to unforeseen circumstances. Gaps exist when manpower needs are not met.
EXPECTATIONS
Centralized ERP system where all the information will be aggregated and presented to facilitate decision making. RFID clusters for automated inventory control. Finger print login for employees. Information on manpower requirement for scheduled tasks. Security. Airline contract in the database to solve disputes.