Gategroup Brings Holiday Cheer to Lufthansa, SWISS and Aeromexico Passengers

Picture this: A big house with a large sitting room. In it are two large sofas, a couple of plush chairs, a warm hearth, and a Christmas tree with presents stacked underneath. But the room is empty, why? Because everyone is in the kitchen, the most sociable room in the house.

While the holidays are a time for family, friends, and togetherness, food is truly what brings people together. Food is a gift shared between friends. Food is a meeting place. Food is a memory. And food is what makes the holidays that much more special.

Gathering in the kitchen and laughing over a glass of wine, some toasted bread and appetizers, or helping each other assemble the feast to be eaten later on. Food brings us together throughout the year and even more so during the holiday season.

Photo: Courtesy of gategroup

The chefs at gategroup, the world leaders in airline catering, understand this idea, and when creating dishes to be served during holiday flights, they truly make culinary connections through each bite.

With over 1800 chefs in our kitchens spread across the globe, we have unique insight into the tastes and traditions of so many cultures that we are able to bring to the table. Serving as the “voice of the customers,” our chefs infuse their passion for food into every dish for our airline partners, from design and preparation to final presentation.

The holiday season can be a busy time for travelers. Families going on vacation, people going home to celebrate their holiday, visiting relatives, or even burning the midnight oil and working through them altogether.

To make the best of the trips, some airlines offer up special festive meals to serve their customers, reminding them of Christmas holidays past and of ones to come.

Giving them nostalgic feelings through flavor. Three of these airlines are SWISS and Lufthansa and Aeromexico. Each has a special Christmas Holiday menu that they run, with delicious dishes prepared that delight customers and give them a feeling of holiday joy.

SWISS Heritage

For SWISS with their Swiss heritage, there is not just one particular Swiss Christmas dish, but a variety of culinary holiday favorites to choose from.

A popular dish in Switzerland around the winter holidays is “Fondue Chinoise”, though finding a safe way to serve fondue on a flight is rather tricky.

Photo: SWISS, First Class. Courtesy of Daniel Gassner / gategroup

Another favorite, Beef Wellington, is a much more fitting choice with the tender cut of filet wrapped in flakey pastry.

Additionally, rich meats such as duck with an orange sauce or beef filet with truffles bring the holiday spirit to the plate, too.

Photo: Swiss, Business Class. Courtesy of gategroup

To add a little spice, Cinnamon gives a festive aroma and is thus often incorporated into dishes and baked treats like gingerbread cookies.

This year, for their holiday menu being served between December 18 and 31, SWISS is taking some inspiration from those tastes and textures and bringing them to all their long-haul cabins on flights departing from Switzerland.

Photo: SWISS, Premium Economy. Courtesy of Daniel Gassner / gategroup

Guests in First Class will be able to savor a Beef Wellington with Périgord truffle jus accompanied by glazed root vegetables. Business class guests will see a smoked duck breast and sumptuous venison terrine with orange and pumpkin compote, roasted walnuts and celery salad.

Photo: Courtesy of Zurich Airport

Both First and Business class guests will have some other dishes to choose from, including a dessert that features cinnamon and different fruit combinations. Guests in Premium Economy and Economy cabins get to enjoy braised beef with red wine sauce, potato gratin with Sbrinz cheese, and red cabbage with apple, followed by another cinnamon-spiced, fruity dessert.

German Holidays

Lufthansa will be serving their holiday menu in all First and Business class cabins on Intercontinental flights from December 1 to 26 and in Business class for all Continental flights between December 4 and 17.

But worry not, as the Economy cabins are not left off the gift list, for they will get gingerbread, fresh clementines, and a chocolate Santa Claus. These items will also be available for First and Business class.

Photo: Lufthansa, First Class. Courtesy of Daniel Gassner / gategroup

The special holiday meal served this year to the First and Business classes is a Christmas Roast goose with sauce, red cabbage and potato dumplings (until December 26).

In areas of Germany, such as Bavaria, the holidays just aren’t the holidays unless a roasted goose has been served for dinner. Red cabbage is a common vegetable served alongside holiday mains, and Lufthansa won’t stray from tradition here either.

Photo: Lufthansa, Business Class. Courtesy of Daniel Gassner / gategroup

Cookies provide a sweet treat for dessert, harkening people back to their childhood, making cookies with their grandparents, or staring at beautifully decorated ones in bakery windows. This dish is full of nostalgia and tradition, so Lufthansa passengers will be taken on a trip through years of holidays with every bite.

Mexican Joy

In Mexico, the Christmas holidays are the most expected during the year. It is a time when you can share moments with friends and family, and we know that food plays an essential role during this great celebration.

Looking to offer an extraordinary experience onboard, Aeromexico will be serving special menus with Christmas flavors in Premier Cabin in selected routes.

Photo: Aeromexico holiday menu. Courtesy of gategroup

On all international flights from Mexico City, passengers will enjoy our roasted turkey with gravy, rustic mashed potatoes, Christmas stir-fry, and caramelized Brussels sprouts.

Recipes with Turkey will be available in all the returns from Bogota and Lima, such as rolled turkey in apple sauce. Likewise, passengers will find special desserts on flights from London, Amsterdam, and Paris.

Photo: Aeromexico, Boeing 737 MAX 9. Courtesy of Boeing

Additionally, all flights from the USA and Rome will feature turkey as our star dish for this celebration, and the service from Madrid will offer a delicious chicken stuffed with foie gras and raisins.

The holidays are a time of tradition, and celebrating together with food is one of the longest-standing traditions we have. At gategroup we create culinary connections, and those connections become more prevalent and important during the holidays.

Our chefs take considerable care when creating menu items for our customers, making sure that they not only taste incredible, but take passengers on a journey through joyous holiday memories.