What ‘restaurant’ has 21 gourmet kitchens in eight countries on three continents, has more than 400 chefs serving food directly to its customers, and serves 150,000 meals a day and 35 million meals a year?
Welcome to Turkish Do&Co, “the world’s best restaurant at 30,000 feet”, the inflight catering company (and event caterer, restaurant and soon-to-be hotel operator) that is 50% owned by Turkish Airlines. Sixteen Irish travel agents taking part in the MSC Cruises fam trip on MSC Divina from Istanbul to Venice visited the company’s Istanbul operation this week and learnt that Do&Co supplies more than 60 airlines, including British Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.
The jointly owned company was established six years ago with the aim of gaining a competitive advantage by combining Turkish hospitality with top-class onboard service and by adopting boutique production techniques using fresh produce daily.
Real chefs serve the meals on Turkish Airlines long-haul flights, with 70% of the product cooked on the ground and 30% onboard – so, for example, steaks can be cooked to individual customer requirements or something prepared that is not on the menu.
The Do&Co Academy Istanbul facility includes three independent ‘classrooms’ for cabin crew training – mock-ups of First Class on a B777, Business Class on an A340, and Economy Class on a B737.
THY Cabin Crew Training Facility
The agents were very impressed by the Do&Co facility – and also by the Turkish Airlines cabin crew training in Istanbul, where more than 6,000 of the airline’s crew train every year, along with cabin crew from many other airlines.
This facility includes mock-ups of A320, A340 and B737-400 cabins, a new B777 door operator and escape slide, and a 19 x 12 metre training pool with which cabin crew can train exits from doors directly into water.
