As the aviation industry evolves and the global passenger traffic rises, the demand for exceptional inflight experiences has never been higher. Amidst these demands are passengers' expectations for good food and the perfect wine to accompany it – especially among the first class and business class passengers.  Thankfully, airlines are finally starting to see the benefits of building better onboard wine programs and our national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines is not far behind.  

The 10th Wine & Cheese Masterclass for Sri Lankan Airlines cabin crew

At Sri Lankan Airlines, we prioritise the attention and training we give to our cabin crew staff. This is because when passengers board the flight, it’s through our cabin crew they get to enjoy their inflight experience with us. Our crew being the front-line staff,  it’s important that they are well trained to handle any situation that may arise, so that our passengers are happy.

Sri Lankan Airlines has been in operation since 1979 and has since grown in size and reputation over the years.  Like any other airline, Sri Lankan Airlines have faced many challenges in its history and continues to in recent times, yet in the face of adversity endures to provide excellent service to its passengers. The airline has long had a reputation in the global market for being warm and welcoming and crew members have always been commended for their dedication to go the extra mile to ensure that their passengers are well looked after. 

In a conversation about the training cabin crew at Sri Lankan Airlines has to undergo, Senior Manager – Cabin Services of Sri Lankan Airlines, Mr. Ravi Samarasinghe  said, “at Sri Lankan Airlines, we prioritise the attention and training we give to our cabin crew staff. This is because when passengers board the flight, it’s through our cabin crew they get to enjoy their inflight experience with us. Our crew being the front-line staff,  it’s important that they are well trained to handle any situation that may arise, so that our passengers are happy. Our aircrafts may not be the latest with all the new technology, but our hospitality is not easily forgotten as it’s on par with international standards.” 

One of the key challenges Sri Lankan Airlines faces is the need to stay competitive in an increasingly crowded and competitive market. The airline has stiff competition from others in the region and to remain competitive amidst a cash crunch, Sri Lankan Airlines is strengthening one of its core strengths – its well-trained and hospitable crew. Investing in training programmes and knowledge upgrades for its crew can help Sri Lankan Airlines maintain its reputation for great service in the face of tough competition.  

To do so, Sri Lankan Airlines is analysing their passenger. The international travel industry has changed significantly over the years and even more so over the last year.  According to sources, global passenger traffic is predicted to reach 9.7 billion passengers in 2024, a 106% of the 2019 traffic.  Sources also predict that these numbers will only continue to double over the next 20 years as international travel becomes more affordable and accessible.  With more people travelling the world, the expectations and demands of the passenger are always evolving, and Sri Lankan Airlines hopes to cater to it. 

“Over the years, we have seen how the demands of our customers have changed. Our customers are now frequent travellers – they have travelled and experienced so much of the world and many of them are foodies and wine lovers. Beyond comfort, they also expect airlines to serve good food and quality wines.”  

Especially in business class or first-class cabin, the relative quality of the wine service can be a tremendous value add. For some frequent flyers, this alone can determine loyalty to one airline carrier over another. Sri Lankan Airlines calls for bids every three years for the supply of wines for their inflight service in order to ensure that passengers are offered a varied variety.  “It’s important for us to not only have a good selection of inflight wines but also ensure that our crew is able to recommend and serve these wines confidently to the passenger.” 

In light of this, Sri Lankan Airlines now offers a Wine & Cheese Masterclass to all crew members. The masterclass, conducted by the Airline's very own inflight service instructor, is a voluntarily training for any crew member who wants to brush up on their knowledge of the Airline's onboard wine programme, particulars of the selections and the art of recommending the right pairings curated to each individual passenger. 

“We have already conducted ten of these masterclasses to our crew and we’ve seen good improvement so far.  It’s not just that these classes add value to their job professionally, but it also improves their standing outside of work. When you are part of Sri Lankan Airlines, when you go out with friends and family, people look at you to know what’s best and you must be able to deliver.” 

The Daily Mirror was given an exclusive insight into the tenth Wine & Cheese Masterclass held for cabin crew to get a rare behind-the-scenes look. 

The Flying Wine Guru – Sri Lankan Airlines Inhouse Wine Instructor 

The Wine & Cheese Masterclass is conducted by Sri Lankan Airlines former purser (cabin manager) and now inflight service instructor Graham De Zilva who is WSET Level 3 qualified. The Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) is one of the world’s leading providers of drinks education and offers awards in categories of Wines, Spirits, Sake and Beer.  

 With over 30 years at Sri Lankan Airlines, Graham served the airline as a cabin crew and then as cabin manager where his travels sparked a keen interest in wines. When off-duty, Graham would often travel to French, German and Australian vineyards for wine tasting experiences and took to professionally educating and qualifying himself in wines as a hobby.  Today, Graham is one of few people in Sri Lanka with a Level 3 WSET qualification.  

 Having been with Sri Lankan Airlines all his career, Graham wanted to give back to the company and thought that his extensive knowledge on wines would be an advantage to the Airline if shared among the crew. 

“While qualifying myself, it struck me that we serve wine inflight without knowing anything about it. As a cabin manager, I know that customers really appreciate knowledgeable recommendations from crew about wine and its pairings and when they serve with knowledge and pour with skill, it can really enhance a customer’s experience with us” shared Graham.  

He, together with fellow cabin manager and now service instructor as well as fellow wine enthusiast Evangeline Lappen, offered to conduct workshops to other crew members to enhance their understanding of the wines served onboard and to confidently give passengers recommendations and pairings.  

The Wine & Cheese Masterclass which kicked off in October of last year is now on its tenth class conducted once or twice a month to batches of 20 cabin crew. The effectiveness of these classes are heavily monitored by the instructors who observe, evaluate and question cabin crew on their learnings as well as receive feedback from passengers. 

The Wine & Cheese Masterclass 

The Masterclass begins with an introduction to wine. Twenty odd cabin crew members sit together, poised with pen and paper to take notes. 

At the introduction, Graham takes the crew through the history of wine, the fermentation process and its varieties – still wines being red, white, rosé and sweet wines; sparkling wines and fortified wines. 

Once the basics are covered, the crew is taken through a comprehensive detailing of the wines served onboard. Sparkling wine is tackled first. Graham artfully demonstrates how to elegantly pop a bottle of bubbly onboard and reminds the crew that any sparkling must be served very cold (6-10 °C) and to keep their ears open for a distinctive sound (a soft ‘chiss’  as opposed to a loud ‘pop’) to confirm it’s at the right serving temperature. These types of wines are best paired with a spicy cheese or fruit such as berries (raspberries, strawberries) and stone fruits (peaches, mangosteen). 

 Wines, they are taught, have a lot more nuance. There are five S’s to identifying a wine - See, Swirl, Smell, Sip and Savour. The crew is taught techniques on uncorking a bottle, noting the appearance of the wine and identifying its nose, body and palate as well as the finish when it lingers in the mouth. 

Once sufficiently informed, the crew was taken through the wines that are served onboard, their regions, year and taste characteristics  and the food pairings that best complement the wine.  Food pairings are discussed and sampled and the etiquette of serving based on culture and region is considered. 

 “There’s a difference between recommending wines and food to customers based  on what you’ve read or heard compared to making those recommendations based on your own experience. After this training, the crew knows first-hand what’s on board, they remember what they enjoyed and what they didn’t, so they are now more confident to recommend and serve the passenger onboard.” 

 Many of the crew members present at these trainings are senior crew, having served Sri Lankan Airlines for over 15+ years so there is already a certain level of knowledge at the class but also a fair bit of unlearning and relearning new techniques and pairings.

 At the end of the masterclass, senior cabin crew Dinusha shared that, “this training is a great opportunity that adds value to quality of the employees at Sri Lankan Airlines which filters down to the passenger, whether they are in business class or economy. Just to have the confidence to make recommendations or to read the label and understand what it means is very valuable to us and we look forward to giving that luxury to our passengers as well.” 

Pix by Kushan Pathiraja