We All Scream for Ice Cream: The Scoop on Icy Airline Offerings
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APEX Insight: From organic and gluten-free scoops to signature made-to-order sundaes, airlines are populating their dessert menus with this universal favorite – and flying them halfway across the world. With summer coming to a close, APEX Media looks at the menu offering that has been keeping passengers cool all season long.
What’s better than enjoying a cool, refreshing ice cream treat in flight? Nothing, most passengers would argue, which is why many airlines are focusing their catering efforts on the sweet stuff. Passengers are getting the chance to vote on their favorite flavors and enjoying locally sourced ingredients.
JetBlue offers Mint passengers a taste of Brooklyn’s finest organic dessert, Blue Marble Ice Cream, while Korean Air favors Croatian-made gluten-free Gelati d’Oro. When United Airlines unveiled its Polaris business class earlier this year, the airline included made-to-order signature ice cream sundaes on the menu. And business-class passengers on American Airlines have a selection of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream options to choose from.
Ice cream for the upper classes continues with Virgin America. In 2014, San Francisco-based Humphry Slocombe partnered with the airline on a tasting contest and social media campaign to determine which of the three flavors made exclusively for Virgin – ButterByMoodlight, RedHotBanana or CoconutBlondAmbition – would make it on board. Votes were counted and #ButterByMoodlight, a creamy combination of brown butter and blueberry glaze, debuted as the airline’s first custom ice cream flavor. During the campaign, economy passengers who presented their boarding pass at Humphry Slocombe in San Francisco were treated to a complimentary scoop. The airline now serves Roselani’s Pauwela Sunrise ice cream as well.
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Adding culture to flavor, in 2009 Qantas began serving signature Aussie ice cream dessert Pine Lime Splice, and they’re now keeping customers cool with another fruity Aussie favorite: Weis Bars. Aussies take their ice cream seriously – so much so that when a New York-based homesick Aussie took to Twitter last week to voice his frustration about being unable to taste a Golden Gaynetto (a cross between a Golden Gaytime and a Cornetto), the land down under’s newest icy treat, Qantas had to step in. A box of Gaynettos was quickly boarded on first class and flown halfway across the world to bring this expat Aussie “a piece of home.”
This summer, Flight Centre did some research of their own and named their picks for best in-flight desserts. Oddly enough, ice cream didn’t make the list. This is likely because the samples were from economy cabins, and many airlines reserve ice cream treats for first and business classes. As these premium dessert options gain popularity, so will the screams for ice cream from passengers across all cabins!