The IFSA Global EXPO took place 8–10 September at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. The event featured a wide range of exhibits and activities, making it challenging to select highlights.
Experiencing new products and collaborations in person offers a unique perspective that press releases can’t match.
The following are a few notable moments from the event.
IFSA Awards Winners
IFSA announced the winners of its 2027 Awards on the show floor:
Aeroméxico (Best Tableware Presentation).
Aeroméxico (Best Beverage Program, for its Tequila Spritz welcome drink).
Etihad Airways (Best Onboard Amenity Specialty, for its Summer Essentials Kit.
Etihad Airways (Best Onboard Amenity Business Class, for its Destination Collection x LANEIGE),
LOT Polish Airlines (Best Food & Beverage, Buy On Board, for its “Chocorigami” chocolate origami crane).
American Airlines (Best Food & Beverage, Meal Service, for its Pecan Lodge menu offering).
Photo: Nik Loukas and IFSA
I served on this year’s judging panel with other industry professionals.
The high quality and diversity of entries made the selection process especially competitive.
Panel: Redefining Airline Hospitality
This session brought together Elly Jurgensen, Director of Inflight Services at Southwest Airlines; Devin Burns, Vice President of Hospitality at JSX; and Ekrem Dimbiloglu, Managing Director of Brand Experience at Delta Air Lines, moderated by Savannah Louie of ATL Live.
Dimbiloglu described efforts to personalise the Delta One experience by letting customers indicate lounge and dining preferences in advance, enabling the crew to anticipate their needs better.
Jurgensen discussed plans to expand Southwest’s Select-a-Snack box beyond the mainland to Hawaii route to accommodate longer flights.
Dimbiloglu also highlighted Delta’s partnership with Shake Shack, noting that the airline served over 800,000 Shake Shack burgers onboard last year.
He said Delta sources the same beef, pickle, and cheese suppliers Shake Shack uses in its restaurants, and has invested in similar equipment, such as a smash burger griddle.
Delta chefs collaborated with Shake Shack for over four months to finalise the recipe.
Chef Demo: American Airlines and Pecan Lodge
American Airlines and Pecan Lodge, a Dallas barbecue institution, hosted a chef demonstration featuring American’s inflight Texas barbecue menu, available on flights from Dallas Fort Worth.
Attendees sampled brisket, smoked sausage, signature sides, and Pecan Lodge’s barbecue sauce.
Chef Demo: Aeroméxico
Aeroméxico hosted a chef demonstration with Chef Adriana Noriega of Les Croissants, presenting selections from the airline’s signature and seasonal inflight menus inspired by contemporary Mexican cuisine.
The tasting included Shrimp with Tequila Sauce, featuring grilled shrimp, cilantro rice, and plantain tostones, finished with a tamarind and tequila sauce.
Each September, Noriega’s collaboration with Aeroméxico introduces Chile en Nogada, Puebla’s iconic stuffed poblano chile, to the airline’s Premier One cabin as a pre-order-only dish.
SkyChefs: Inside the Kitchen
SkyChefs, established in 1942, recently rebranded under the slogan “To Differentiate, To Deliver, To Delight.”
The company serves approximately 43 airports through 36 kitchens. Kimberley Plaskett provided insights into its US operations.
Plaskett described “Ground Star,” a transportation and workforce platform that tracks flight timing in real time and delays truck dispatch until necessary.
Three of SkyChefs’ four US kitchens now hold one of the highest available food safety certifications, in addition to standard FDA compliance.
Regarding automation, Plaskett noted that SkyChefs recently installed a robotic wrapping system at a Dallas kitchen for galley snacks and napkin packs, capable of processing up to 250 items per hour.
On the Show Floor
Intervine showcased a single-serve wine concept for premium cabins: a 187ml glass bottle, a 100ml tube glass bottle, and a 100ml Dorica glass format, designed to reduce spoilage and enable tasting sets and destination-inspired collections.
Kaelis showcased Saudia’s Jeddah-inspired amenity kit collection, referencing the city’s historic Bab Makkah gateway with wooden mashrabiya-style lattice detailing and miniature replicas of its coral stone architecture.
John Horsfall described designing Riyadh Air’s complete soft textile collection from the airline’s initial launch. Economy features a lavender-and-indigo palette with peach accents.
Premium Economy includes larger pillows and contrasting duvets. Business and Business Elite offer luxury mattress pads and dual-sided pillows with Re Thread recycled fillings, while wool blend throws are exclusive to Business Elite.
Global-c showcased reusable meal tray lids for Aircalin, replacing single-use lids, alongside the award-winning Aeroméxico tableware collection and inflight tableware for LATAM and Scandinavian Airlines.
Foodcase showcased its Mealbox concept, compartmentalised meal packaging in various finishes, including a premium metal effect box, alongside a range of branded sandwich boxes (Vegetarian Truffle, Chicken Club, Beef Pastrami, and Smoked Salmon) and dedicated special meal packaging.
EnRoute showcased its range of cookies and galley snacks, including a warm cookie box used as a second service in economy, as well as Emirates’ Snack Station galley snack offering.
EnRoute also presented its “Rip & Flip” cheese format, which allows crew to invert a pre-plated cheese selection onto a serving board without direct handling.
Brupac showcased an upcoming in-cup Matcha Latte, joining its existing Fresh Brew coffee and Segafredo in-cup ranges for buy-on-board service.
The company said it is also preparing to introduce a 100% compostable filter lid across its range.
United Airlines’ Polaris Studio suites, launched on Boeing 787-9 aircraft from San Francisco, include a post-dessert snack box created with Harvey Alpert & Company, featuring Sugarfina Champagne Bears, Cooper’s Gourmet cheese biscuits, Lakrids by Bülow liquorice, and Peterson’s Gourmet nuts.
Formia discussed its work across close to 250 airline and brand partners, with a new American Airlines 777 business class seat on display showcasing its US Soccer amenity kit collaboration, alongside a recent kit with Aeroméxico and Nopalera.
Stephanie Johnson stated that Formia organised its showcase around passenger behaviour trends this year, focusing on luxury, wellness, and lifestyle brand collaborations.
Notable examples include a Maison Kitsuné amenity kit and EVA Air’s collaboration with Hunter.
C8Rtech showcased its CBASE catering platform, built around dynamic loading that matches drawer sizes to forecast demand rather than a fixed standard.
The company said around 80% of buy-on-board beverages loaded on some flights go unsold and return to base.
Dynamic loading aims to close that gap using sales history, aircraft utilisation, and passenger forecasts.
Its “Flight Browser” tool gives outstations real-time loading and packing information, while an inventory module tracks equipment stock to prevent shortages.
Looking Ahead
IFSA will next appear at the APEX Global EXPO in Singapore, 18–19 November, co-located with the FTE Asia EXPO at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
The IFSA Global EXPO returns in 2027, moving to Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas from 7–9 September, once again co-located with APEX.
Join IFSA in Singapore, 18-19 November, to discover the latest in onboard hospitality, catering and passenger services, connect with leading suppliers and attend dedicated IFSA thought leadership sessions.
Nik founded Inflight Feed in 2012, blending his passion for inflight dining with over a decade of experience in the airline industry. For the past 13 years, he has travelled the world, exploring and reviewing airline meals across countless carriers.
CNN Travel, The New York Times, and BBC World News have featured Nik’s expertise. When he’s not on the ground, you’ll find him at 35,000 feet, camera in hand, capturing the unique flavours of air travel. Follow his inflight meal adventures on Instagram: @InflightFeed.