Innovation in Flight Catering: Who? What? and How? about the Travel Catering Research Centre about the Authors

The Travel Catering Research Centre (TCRC) is only one of its kind in the world. It is supported by the International Flight Catering Association (IFCA). Founded in 2002, the Centre aims to generate and disseminate knowledge to academics and industrialists in support of long-term performance improvements in the international travel catering industry. This industry is concerned with the provision of meals and other on board service on aircraft, trains, cruise ships and ferries. By the year 2005 the Centre aims to have achieved these goals: ƒ to develop models of best practice that will enable performance improvements in all sizes of business across all sectors of the industry ƒ to disseminate knowledge and influence policy makers with respect to the travel catering industry ƒ to encourage multi-and trans-disciplinary research into travel catering The Centre seeks to achieve its aims by: ƒ engaging in funded research projects ƒ recruiting and selecting PhD students seeking to research in this field ƒ conducting consultancy projects for clients ƒ speaking at conferences, developing case studies, writing texts, and publishing the Centre's findings ƒ supporting the development and delivery of state-of-the-art management development programmes for industry managers This report * is one of a series of occasional papers produced by the TCRC. Jones' area of expertise is in catering and his research now focuses almost exclusively on the travel catering industry. Melanie Thomas is a graduate of the School of Management at the University of Surrey. She conducted research into aspects of flight catering innovation for her dissertation as part fulfilment for her degree in International Hospitality Management. Elmarie van der Walt is the IFCA Research Officer at the TCRC engaged in a number of projects connected with flight catering. Elmarie assisted in the preparation of this report.