Etihad and Taste Festivals announce global partnership

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will showcase its commitment to providing unmatched culinary experiences in the air and on the ground after announcing a multi-year partnership with Taste Festivals Ltd, organisers of the world’s leading restaurant events since 2004.
The airline, along with many of its Etihad Airways Partners, will have a presence at 15 Taste festivals scheduled in 2016, beginning on March 10 with Taste of Dubai, Taste of Hong Kong and Taste of Sydney.

Additional sponsored festivals will take place across five continents in important Etihad Airways destinations, such as Amsterdam, Johannesburg, London, Milan, Melbourne, Moscow, Paris, Perth, Rome and Toronto and its home capital city of Abu Dhabi.

Etihad Airways Senior Vice President Marketing Shane O’Hare said, “Aligning with Taste Festivals is a natural progression for a global airline whose mission is to provide remarkable service and hospitality to millions of guests. We deliver this promise through a highly-acclaimed culinary offering and a food philosophy that constantly pushes the boundaries to provide superior guest experience.

“Taste provides us with a platform to highlight our dining innovation across all cabins and in our spectacular lounges. We draw inspiration from the best restaurants and emerging chefs from culinary capitals worldwide, and serve it with the style and sophistication that has become synonymous with the Etihad Airways brand.”

Taste Festivals Director Justin Clarke said, “We are delighted to be in partnership with Etihad Airways. Their commitment to being the world’s leading culinary airline is both exciting and a testament to the logical brand fit between Etihad Airways and Taste Festivals. We look forward to working with Etihad to communicate their current service and to inspire future innovation.”

As part of Etihad Airways’ global partnership with Taste, the airline is creating a ‘Taste the World’ initiative to honour and celebrate rising culinary talents from each of the 13 Taste festivals outside the UAE. These winners will earn a trip to Taste of Abu Dhabi from November 3 – 5, where they will display their skills and compete against the airline’s celebrated Inflight Chefs.

Etihad Airways was recently honoured by Air Transport World as 2016 Airline of the Year, and is the proud recipient of numerous awards for consistently executing a high standard of in-flight dining.
Etihad Airways has elevated the onboard experience in its First Class cabins. The Inflight Chefs, many of whom have come from leading fine dining restaurants, use their culinary expertise to provide highly personalised à la carte dining tailored to each guest. They are also equipped with a pantry of fresh ingredients to fulfil made-to-order requests.

Food and Beverage Managers in Business Class oversee the service of a modern and healthy à la carte menu. They can recommend the perfect accompaniment from the airline’s boutique in-flight cellar.