On June 1, Japan Airlines (JAL) launched a new in-flight meal brand called “JAL Hawaiian Table” for Premium Economy Class and Economy Class on flights from Tokyo/Haneda and Tokyo/Narita to Honolulu. Through Hawaii-inspired menus, the airline aims to create a sense of excitement for the journey via its in-flight meals.
Developed by JAL Royal Catering, the theme focuses on authentic Hawaiian local dishes that can be enjoyed by a wide range of age groups, from adults to children. As with JAL’s regular international in-flight meals, the menu will be renewed every three months.
The first menu, available from June 1 to August 31, features “Lemon Cream Penne with Garlic Shrimp” as the main dish, paired with “Sweet Potato Salad with Coconut Milk Flavor” and “Salmon and Quinoa Poke-style Salad.”
The menu was developed by Mei Kikukawa of the Product Development and Management Department at JAL Royal Catering. For the centerpiece of the first lineup, “Lemon Cream Penne with Garlic Shrimp,” she says they prototyped about 20 different menus before deciding on this one. Although garlic shrimp is not commonly seen in in-flight meals, Kikukawa explains that she “wanted to introduce something memorable as the very first menu.” She repeatedly adjusted the size of the shrimp and the amount of penne in pursuit of both ease of eating and rich flavor. To highlight the depth of the garlic, the side dishes were created with a refreshing taste.
▲ Mei Kikukawa from the Product Development and Management Department at JAL Royal Catering, who was in charge of developing the JAL Hawaiian Table menu
Until now, JAL Royal Catering has developed menus based on themes set by JAL, but this time, for the first time, it has proposed a unified brand concept, including the overall concept and the design of the tray mat. Kikukawa says, “We created this brand because we wanted to liven up JAL’s Hawaii routes through in-flight meals, and we want passengers to feel the excitement of travel from the moment they board the aircraft.” She also expressed her desire to take on the challenge of expanding the series with themes based on regions around the world, such as Asia and Europe.
▲ The tray mat design is aligned with JAL’s corporate red color and inspired by a Hawaiian sunset
Since March, JAL has been gradually renewing its international in-flight meals, and from June 1 it is switching to summer menus on other routes as well. On flights from Honolulu to Japan, in Business Class, JAL will offer new menus supervised by Chef Moe Ogawa of “natuRe waikiki,” including “Marinated Grilled Eggplant and Whelk with Tomato Consommé Jelly,” “Lobster Salad with Prosciutto and Papaya, Lilikoi Vinaigrette,” and “Red Wine-Braised Beef with Truffle, served with Truffle Gnocchi, Roasted Carrots, and Broccoli.”
▲ Summer menu served as the second meal in First Class and Business Class on Europe and North America routes from Tokyo/Haneda and Tokyo/Narita
On flights from Tokyo/Haneda and Tokyo/Narita to Europe and North America, JAL will serve, as the second meal in First Class and Business Class, dishes such as “Summer Vegetables and Chicken Confit in Spiced Tomato Cream” and “Celeriac Coleslaw,” supervised by Chef Natsuko Shoji of “été.”
In addition, on domestic First Class flights in Japan, new menus featuring the prefectures of Shimane and Miyazaki will be offered in June and July. On long-haul domestic routes (Tokyo/Haneda–Sapporo/Chitose, Fukuoka, Okinawa/Naha, Kagoshima, Miyako, Ishigaki and Osaka/Itami–Sapporo/Chitose, Okinawa/Naha), meals will be served on tray sets, while on short-haul routes (Tokyo/Haneda–Osaka/Itami, Hiroshima), they will be served in bento-box style.
▲ First lineup menu of “JAL Hawaiian Table”
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
