Air France Partners With Six Leading French Chefs on New Long-Haul Menus

The Inflight Feed Take

This isn’t Air France’s first rodeo; they’ve been rotating Michelin-starred chefs through their cabins since 2009. What stands out here isn’t the scale; it’s the loyalty: Lallement, Adamski, and Simonin are all repeat names rather than fresh faces brought in to make headlines.

Air France clearly isn’t chasing novelty for its own sake; it’s building relationships with these chefs over years, and that consistency is arguably harder to pull off than a flashy one-time stunt.

Air France is partnering with six chefs across French gastronomy to create new menus for La Première, Business, and Premium cabins on long-haul flights departing Paris, rolling out over the coming months.

La Première

Arnaud Lallement, the three-Michelin-starred chef of L’Assiette Champenoise in Reims, has created more than thirty dishes for La Première’s first and second services, developed in collaboration with Servair’s Culinary Studio.

The menu includes lobster poached in court-bouillon with tender potatoes and a paprika sauce, created as a tribute to Lallement’s father, and a Swiss chard stew with chickpeas and a yellow wine sauce.

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Lallement said: “For Air France customers, I wanted to draw on memories of the seasons and let my subconscious speak, almost as if under hypnosis.”

Desserts continue a partnership with Claire Heitzler, named Pastry Chef of the Year by Gault & Millau in 2013.

Four new desserts will be introduced over the coming months, including Racine, a Caribbean dark chocolate mousse with Madagascar vanilla cream, and Planifolia, made entirely with Bourbon vanilla.

Business

Mathieu Viannay, chef of the two-Michelin-starred La Mère Brazier in Lyon, has created more than twenty dishes for Business, including, for the first time, hot dishes available during both services.

These include creamy fregola with Mimolette cheese, arugula, roasted butternut squash, and preserved lemon, and glazed salmon with a lemony soy-butter sauce and green Puy lentils.

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François Adamski, Servair’s Corporate Chef, created the breakfasts and brunches served on flights departing Paris no later than 9:30am.

Dishes include Chimay-style stuffed eggs with truffle béchamel sauce and mushroom polenta, and a buckwheat galette filled with mushrooms and spinach, served with Mornay sauce and toasted hazelnuts.

Adamski said: “For these new dishes, I drew inspiration from the traditional principles of French gastronomy while adding a modern touch. For me, the simplest things are sometimes the best.”

Desserts continue a collaboration with Nina Métayer, named World’s Best Pastry Chef.

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New additions include Instant poire-chocolat, pairing pear and chocolate, and Parenthèse mandarine-amande, featuring mandarin and almond.

Business cabin passengers can pre-select their hot meal up to 24 hours before departure.

Premium

Frédéric Simonin, chef of his eponymous one-Michelin-starred restaurant, has created the Premium cabin menu, with passengers choosing between two regularly updated hot dishes, including a vegetarian option.

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Dishes include conchiglie with chanterelle mushrooms and herb cream, and shrimp with tomato and squid-ink rice.

Photos: Air France

Air France Introduces Yann Couvreur Desserts

Air France has brought on French pastry chef Yann Couvreur to create five exclusive desserts for its long-haul Business cabin, with the collection launching in October 2025 and rolling out progressively over six months across all Paris-departure flights.

Couvreur’s dessert programme centres on simple, seasonal products with authentic French pastry flavours. The collection includes a multi-layered chocolate composition featuring crunchy biscuit, silky ganache, and airy mousse made with rich dark chocolate and a hint of salt.

A second dessert pairs a crunchy biscuit with almond mousse and pear confit. Three additional desserts from the five-item collection have not yet been detailed. Couvreur stated his goal is to showcase French products worldwide and invite Air France passengers to enjoy his original gourmet creations.

A man stands in the aisle of a modern airplane cabin, holding a boarding pass, with empty seats around him, ready to experience SAS new business short haul meals.

The partnership marks Air France’s first collaboration with Couvreur. However, the airline has maintained a dedicated Business cabin pastry programme since 2023, rotating renowned French pastry chefs for its long-haul dessert service. Couvreur joins this roster, handling the final course in the premium cabin.

Couvreur operates nearly a dozen Yann Couvreur Pâtisserie boutiques across Paris, having opened his first location in 2015 in the Goncourt neighbourhood. Internationally, he runs operations in Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and two Miami establishments, including the Yann Couvreur Café in Wynwood.

His background includes positions at Trianon Palace Versailles under Michelin-starred chef Alain Dutournier, Carré des Feuillants, Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme, and Eden Rock St. Barthélemy, where he developed his first signature dessert line.

Images courtesy of Air France.

Eurowings Launches Signature Fragrance

Eurowings has unveiled a comprehensive sensory branding initiative.

The German carrier’s latest announcement distinguishes itself from pure low-cost operators whilst maintaining its value positioning.

Strategic Positioning Through Sensory Marketing

The airline’s introduction of its “Burgundy Breeze” fragrance, boarding music, and branded farewell confectionery represents a sophisticated approach to customer experience.

Three flight attendants in blue uniforms stand in an airplane galley, one holding a bowl filled with blue and pink packaged snacks, as Air France adds Daniel Boulud to its US chef roster.

This multi-sensory strategy addresses a critical challenge facing value carriers: how to create memorable brand moments without increasing operational costs greatly.

Clemens Strauss, Head of Customer Experience, Marketing & Sustainability, frames this initiative around emotional engagement rather than service enhancement—a telling distinction that reveals Eurowings’ understanding of leisure travel psychology.

Operational Considerations and Cost Management

The choice of farewell sweets over traditional meal service enhancements demonstrates astute operational thinking.

Confectionery distribution requires minimal crew training, galley space, or service time whilst delivering a tangible brand touchpoint.

The burgundy and sky blue colour coordination with corporate branding shows careful attention to visual consistency across the customer journey.

Lufthansa Group’s Coordinated Sensory Strategy

This sensory branding approach positions Eurowings between traditional low-cost carriers and full-service airlines—a strategic middle ground that many European carriers are exploring.

The emphasis on “tangible brand experiences” directly challenges the commodity perception that often plagues budget aviation.

Eurowings’ fragrance initiative follows the recent launch of Swiss International Air Lines’ “Alpine Valley” signature fragrance in March 2025.

This fragrance became available in economy class lavatories as part of the airline’s “SWISS Senses” programme.

This suggests a coordinated group-wide strategy to differentiate subsidiary brands through sensory marketing whilst maintaining their distinct market positions.

The timing of this announcement, following increased competition in European leisure routes post-pandemic, suggests Eurowings recognises that fare competition alone may not sustain market differentiation.

The airline’s description of itself as a “value airline” rather than a low-cost carrier reinforces this positioning strategy.

Industry Implications

Eurowings’ sensory branding initiative may signal broader industry recognition that customer experience differentiation requires moving beyond traditional food and beverage offerings.

This strategic direction positions Eurowings as a potential case study for how leisure-focused carriers can enhance perceived value without fundamental changes to their cost structure.

Images courtesy of Eurowings

Air France Adds Daniel Boulud to US Chef Roster

Air France has expanded its celebrity chef programme on US departures, bringing Michelin-starred New York restaurateur Daniel Boulud aboard alongside existing partner Dominique Crenn while introducing Laurent Le Daniel as the airline’s first dedicated pastry chef for North American routes.

New Menu Offerings Roll Out Across Premium Cabins

Boulud’s creations launched in July across five major US gateways, featuring chicken with saffron, turnips, pumpkin and green olive semolina in La Première and braised lamb shoulder with root vegetables in Business class. His seasonally rotating dishes will expand to all US destinations by November 2025.

A white plate with sliced zucchini, nuts, and sauce beside a rolled white napkin tied with a gray ribbon on a dark blue surface.

The chef joins Dominique Crenn, who has been developing monthly fish and vegetarian options since February 2024. Crenn’s current La Première offerings include lobster with pico de gallo condiment and tea sauce, plus root vegetable mille-feuille with truffle sauce.

Business passengers can select from her cod with quinoa and marinière sauce or open ravioli with courgette, tomato, hazelnut and parmesan sauce.

A plated gourmet dish with sliced meat, vegetables, and sauce on a white plate, accompanied by a cup of sauce, knife, and fork on a white surface with a red diagonal line.

Dessert Programme Debuts with Breton Specialist

Laurent Le Daniel, Meilleur Ouvrier de France, has created exclusive desserts for both premium cabins. La Première passengers receive his “Coeur de Bretagne”—a Breton-inspired creation featuring salted butter caramel, milk chocolate and crispy hazelnut biscuit. Business class features his “Lemon delight,” a contemporary take on traditional lemon tart.

Person wearing a hat, glasses, and layered clothing stands in the aisle of an empty, modern airplane cabin, leaning on a seat and smiling.

These desserts are available on all US and Canadian departures, marking the first time Air France has assigned a dedicated pastry chef to specific route networks.

A rectangular slice of layered yellow cake sits on a white tray next to a metal spoon, with a glass of water in the background.

Operational Enhancements Support Culinary Expansion

Air France has extended its Business class pre-selection service across the long-haul network, allowing passengers to choose main courses up to 24 hours before departure.

Both Boulud and Crenn emphasise fresh, local sourcing in their Air France creations, aligning with the carrier’s sustainability commitments.

Chef Credentials Bolster Premium Positioning

Boulud operates multiple Michelin-starred restaurants across New York, including Restaurant Daniel, Le Pavillon, and Café Boulud. His accolades include the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef of the Year and recognition as Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French government.

Le Daniel earned Meilleur Ouvrier de France status in 1997 and currently serves as president of the National Confederation of Artisan Pastry Chefs, Chocolatiers, Ice Cream Makers, Confectioners, and Caterers of France.

The expanded chef programme supports Air France’s 18 US destinations this summer, including services to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, both New York airports, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh-Durham, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC.

Images courtesy of Air France