The Challenge
Building a Digital Foundation to Elevate Passenger Experience
Air Europa recognised the evolving needs of its passengers - demanding more choice, convenience, personalisation, and seamless digital access throughout their journey. To meet these expectations, the airline sought to create a phased digital pathway, beginning with the foundation of its core food and beverage (F&B) operations. By establishing a strong digital base, Air Europa aimed to gradually expand its ecommerce platform in line with passenger demands and the airline’s broader ambitions.
Key challenges included integrating digital solutions with existing systems, enhancing the passenger’s onboard experience, and reducing operational inefficiencies, all while maintaining flexibility to grow and adapt over time.
About Air Europa / Gate Group
Founded in 1996, Air Europa is the third-largest airline in Spain and a full member of the SkyTeam Alliance. As part of the Globalia tourism group, Air Europa operates a fleet of 42 aircraft serving destinations across Europe, Asia, North, and South America. The airline is committed to delivering exceptional passenger experiences through continuous innovation and digital transformation.
Through innovative solutions and a focus on enhancing the passenger experience, Gate Group partners with airlines like Air Europa to deliver tailored food, beverage, and retail offerings that drive revenue growth and operational efficiency.
"We give each airline the versatility to select its priority issues and build from there; start small, grow at will, and define your own digital journey - which is exactly what Air Europa has done.”
The Solution
Air Europa and Gate Group partnered with Omnevo and gategroup to implement a modular, vendor-agnostic digital solution tailored to its specific needs. The collaboration began with comprehensive workshops to map out strategic, operational, and technical pathways for the project, ensuring a well-defined roadmap for success.
Omnevo’s pre-order and F&B capabilities were central to Air Europa’s strategy, enabling the airline to expand its onboard offerings gradually and strategically. The platform integrates seamlessly with Air Europa’s onboard ePOS system, passenger manifests, and seat mapping, ensuring a smooth and efficient pre-order process.
Strategic Priorities
Passenger Experience:
Enhancing the onboard journey with personalised, convenient F&B options that encourage spending and strengthen the passenger-airline relationship.
Weight Saving:
Reducing onboard weight through pre-ordered F&B, minimising unused stock, and improving fuel efficiency.
Sustainability:
Decreasing waste through efficient pre-ordering, aligning with Air Europa’s commitment to sustainable operations.
The Results
Air Europa became the first airline to prioritise the digitalisation of its F&B programme before developing a retail platform, leveraging Omnevo’s modular capabilities to drive immediate results.
For the airline, the integration of digital tools streamlined operations, improved inventory management, and allowed for tailored promotions and bundled offerings. The crew benefited from instant access to full menu details, product information, ingredients, and allergens via the ePOS system.
Passengers enjoyed the freedom and convenience of pre-ordering from the inflight menu, with the flexibility to pre-order items for multiple flights in a single transaction. This seamless, engaging experience fostered stronger customer relationships, driving higher engagement, conversion rates, and loyalty.
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