An Airline That Brags About Its Food, With a Cookbook

Posted by: Justin Bachman on August 25, 2010

Rare is the time when an airline is so proud of its food that it publishes a cookbook. Then again, rare is an airline that makes dining - “a topic that heretofore has been so cringe-worthy” as Singapore Airlines spokesman James Boyd puts it - central to its in-flight brand strategy. That airline, which has collected numerous service awards over the years, has done both. A copy of Singapore’s glossy new cookbook, “Above & Beyond,” crossed my desk today. It features 145 pages of gourmet dishes from 10 celebrity chefs the airline has hired. That panel creates cuisine that can work at high altitude and keeps the airline plugged into upscale dining trends. Not every recipe has been served onboard but most have, the company said.

An ambitious home cook can tackle most of these recipes but be warned that many will prove too challenging: exotic ingredients and fastidious construction technique will thwart you. Good luck finding hashima (the oviduct of a female forest frog) and dried osmanthus flowers at your local grocery for Singapore chef Sam Leong’s Osmanthus Flower Jelly with Hashima.

Some may wince at such “food porn.” But when it comes to attracting and retaining the big-spending international jet-setters few airlines have succeeded to the extent of Singapore. The dining has been one reason why. Consider the payoff: The airline’s Newark-Singapore nonstop costs $7,698 round-trip, with the Los Angeles-Singapore flight around $5,942. The 200 seats (total) on these business class-only flights generate roughly $1.4 million in revenue. “We’re great at running an airline but we don’t profess to be chefs,” Boyd says. The $50 book is available in Singapore and at the airline’s online retail store. Proceeds go to a Singaporean charity.