Iberia
It was an open secret since the beginning of 2020 But with the arrival of the pandemic, what was called to be the news of the year in Spanish aviation was diluted in a space of time in which the planes remained on the ground.
The arrival of what is considered the best air catering in national skies, and more specifically to the IAG group (Iberia, Iberia Express and British Airways in the United Kingdom) it happened in February, but they did not even have time to communicate it. Despite this, both companies had been working together for at least a year, since Do&Co won the contest called by the airline.
"The priority right now in the company is passenger satisfaction," says Berta Valverde, Iberia Flight Product Manager, “and without a doubt, the on-board service is essential to regain people's trust and make them want to fly with us”. Iberia's bet is high, but extremely necessary.
WHAT IS DO&CO?
To talk about the history of Do&Co is to talk about the life of Attila Doğuda, its founder. What began as the chronicle of a near-failure foretold when Doğuda was just 22 years old and took over a Turkish delight shop in Vienna, It has today become a giant of the restoration based in the Austrian capital.
Much has happened since then and today, almost forty years after Doğuda left school to follow his instincts and his palate, the company is listed on the stock market and has one of the best portfolios of VIP clients in the world. Nor is there a high-level sporting event in which its delights have not been enjoyed, also in Spain, a country in which Do&Co has been above all linked to the world of tennis and Formula 1.
How this select catering (it is not just a catering, Do&Co also has hotels, restaurants and cafeterias on the street) came to aviation (Austrian Airlines and Turkish Airlines also have their services) is a mystery, but we are content to know that As of now that Iberia has resumed its on-board service, temporarily suspended due to the pandemic, this company is in charge of create, cook and even present the 36,000 menus that will come out of the kitchens to be served on the flights of the Spanish flag carrier around the world.
“The quality standards are extraordinary, Not a single frozen vegetable enters our kitchens, not even cut, here we take care of everything”, says Rocío Ortega, representative of Do&Co. And she shows.
The result of teamwork between the airline and its supplier, the dining experience on board an Iberia plane today is tastier than ever, and also beautiful, since both the crockery and table linen have been completely renovated. Eating with all five senses at 35,000 feet above the ground is now possible, and delicious on top of that.
SERVICE ON BOARD SHORT AND MEDIUM RADIO FLIGHTS
Maybe the Air bridge between Barcelona and Madrid It may be the grayest flight in the world, but I confess that a couple of days ago, when I flew it to go to the capital, the scarce 50 minutes that the journey between two cities lasts had more color than any other day, but above all more flavor.
In the Business class of all its short and medium haul flights, Iberia offers a hot breakfast, with the taste that this implies after getting up early, which includes a hot omelette –mine was filled with guacamole and so delicious that I didn't stop until I got the recipe and the kitchen trick to make it look so showy, which is to finish off the dish with a blowtorch to give it a golden touch–, daily handmade butter croissants, fresh seasonal fruit, a bowl of artisan yogurt with seeds and red berries, coffee, tea and juices. Also, on longer flights, add a plate of Spanish cured meats and cheeses. Mine was too short.
Aware of the weight of being the standard-bearer of Spanish gastronomy in the sky, Iberia's service does not cease, nor does its quality. That's why starting at 10:30am, in the Business class of domestic flights and with Portugal, a snack with a main course is offered.
In my case I tasted the smoked salmon tartlet with Japanese rice on a light wasabi cream, accompanied by a plate of fresh fruit and a mobile bar service (it had been many months since I had seen a trolley ride through an airplane cabin) with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that can finally be enjoyed in glass cup and not plastic.
As a curious fact, complying with the highest standards of hygiene and safety, all the food is served at one time and on the same tray, so reduce movements in the cabin and the contact of the crew with the passengers.
SERVICE ON BOARD LONG RADIO FLIGHTS
The highlight comes, of course, in the business class of long-haul flights, in which the passenger has the opportunity to choose between three options. I strongly advise that one of them be the pasta, which they make by hand in the Do&Co kitchens, which is served with a cold salad such as roast beef carpaccio with roasted vegetables in Cipriani sauce.
In the tray, whose ceremony is identical to short-haul flights but with more things inside, everything is delivered together in the same service, and it also includes a dessert such as passion fruit panna cotta and a plate of Spanish cheeses (Mahon, Manchego with paprika and goat cheese, for example, are the ones being served in November).
And this time yes, in long haul, economy class passengers will be able to satisfy their palate with the proposal, also renewed, which includes a main meal with two hot dish options with very careful elaborations such as the chicken stew with seasonal vegetables served with rice.
Salty on one side, it is worth leaving room for dessert as the economy proposal has included the delicious chocolate mousse, which is one of the star products of Do&Co, Of which it is impossible to eat only one, but I forgot to ask if it can be repeated.
AND ON LAND, THE PREMIUM LOUNGE DALÍ
Closed for months as another of the collateral damage of Covid-19, Another of the airline's services has finally reopened, also renovated, but this time on dry land, its VIP lounge. And it's not just any room, but a better one that Do&Co has just finished raising to the altars.
And it is that Iberia was missing to also be competitive in this area and improve the user experience at the airport to regain that "leading role in the sector" that they persecute so much since the change of presidency in the company. At least for now, things seem to be working.
In addition to the mandatory measures to guarantee safety in the different access and exit flows, the installation of screens, the reinforcement of cleaning and disinfection measures or the reduction of capacity, the Dalí Premium Lounge has ceased to be a passageway to become a place where you want to be.
Dalí Premium Lounge
With a schedule from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., this room, which could hold 465 people but which the pandemic has cut to 190, presents a brutal aesthetic change, now it is spacious, comfortable and beautiful. but above all the change has come fundamentally, its food.
And it is not so much a credit to Do&Co as to the new policy of the room, since it now offers, on two islands on each side, a gastronomic offer that includes hot dishes in a lounge where even the food was cold.
Fortunately this is history. Now in addition to the foodie bet, you can find four coffee and tea corners, a shower area and to a children's area with video consoles on a 65” screen and television with adapted programming.