Manila Bulletin

Plane Food Doesn’t Have to Be Plain

AirAsia spices up its Santan menu with Filipino flair

- BY VIANCA GAMBOA IMAGES BY NOEL B. PABALATE

Frequent flyers have developed a love-hate relationsh­ip with airline meals over time. There are two options, choosing between eating food served on-board and eating at the terminal before boarding.

It is not entirely an airline’s fault that the food served is sometimes bland or dried-out, especially in economy class. In-flight chefs strictly follow the preparatio­n, preservati­on, storage, and environmen­t protocols for safety and proper flight operation.

This is where we commend AirAsia. The long-standing best low-cost carrier worldwide has gotten all aspects down pat when it comes to giving a great sky experience—from hassle-free checkin, cheap airfare, and flight connectivi­ty, to good food catering. In fact, its food brand Santan was recognized by a publicatio­n as the best in-flight meal of 2019 for its extensive Asian offerings, diverse internatio­nal menu, and even vegetarian dishes.

This 2020 or “Air Asia’s banner year” as Philippine vice chairperso­n Sheila Romero claims, the

AirAsia rolls out a whole slew of Filipino favorites to invigorate Santan’s award-winning menu originally composed of Malaysian, Japanese, and Chinese dishes.

carrier focuses on customer experience and Filipino culture as part of its ongoing expansion as a lifestyle brand. Staying true to its promise, AirAsia rolls out a whole slew of Filipino favorites to invigorate Santan’s award-winning menu originally composed of Malaysian, Japanese, and Chinese dishes.

A special hands-on team prepares ingredient­s sourced from Malaysia and cooks them inside Red Point’s commercial kitchen to ensure the food is packaged well, while an inflight quality assurance team makes sure to retain the packed meals’ flavors even on board.

“Our competitiv­e advantage doesn’t rely on our budget-friendly fares, but the experience we pro

 ??  ?? A HOT, FILLING MEAL Beef Tapa with Scrambled Egg
A HOT, FILLING MEAL Beef Tapa with Scrambled Egg

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