The ACA Corner: October insights from CHS Inflight Kitchen and ACIT
The ACA Corner: October 2025
Introduced for the first time this month, the ACA Corner presented in partnership with Official Media Partner PAX International is a monthly column dedicated to voicing expertise directly from ACA members. ACA represents more than 65 percent of the worldwide airline catering market. ACA invites all members to share their views in future editions of the ACA Corner by contacting Mercedes Dieguez.
Caterer's perspective: Tim Miller, Manager, CHS Inflight Kitchen
The inflight employee: Building a high-altitude workforce
Excellence in the sky begins with the people on the ground. Employee acquisition in the airline catering industry is a uniquely demanding process that blends the precision of logistics with the finesse of hospitality. From chefs and food packers to logistics coordinators and sanitation experts, every role contributes to the seamless delivery of meals to passengers across the globe. Taking the time to find the right candidate is not a luxury—it is a strategic necessity. Rushing recruitment can lead to mismatches that cost far more in the long run than a few extra weeks of search. A great hire elevates team performance, strengthens morale, attracts other top talent and contributes to a lasting positive reputation.
But finding the right people is only the first step. Once they join, success depends on how well they work together. Teamwork is the backbone of inflight excellence—a high-pressure, time-sensitive environment where precision, coordination and collaboration are non-negotiable. Culinary, logistics, sanitation and delivery teams must operate both independently and interdependently to prepare and deliver thousands of meals daily, often across multiple shifts. A single delay can disrupt a flight's entire service, making mutual trust and real-time communication essential for success.
Beyond teamwork lies something even more powerful—engagement. Employee engagement is the heartbeat of a thriving workplace. It is not just about showing up, but about showing up with purpose, energy and pride. Taking time for the small things and recognizing each individual transforms a functioning team into one that truly flourishes. Engaged employees go above and beyond, boosting productivity, strengthening loyalty and delivering better outcomes.
CHS Inflight Kitchen is a firm believer in these acquisition, teamwork and engagement principles, and uses them daily to guide our team to success..Happy employees generally lead to happy customers, and that is what we are all here for!
Tim Miller
Manager of Inflight Kitchen
Charleston International Airport (CHS)
Tim Miller, Manager of Inflight Kitchen, Charleston International Airport (CHS)
Supplier's perspective: Frank Casamento, CEO, ACIT
Rethinking inflight catering: Ambient as a strategic lever
Airline catering faces mounting constraints. Maintaining quality and safety across long, multi-leg routes demands a flawless cold chain—yet in many geographies, refrigeration is fragile or unpredictable. Meanwhile, food waste looms as a systemic issue: millions of tons of catering waste are generated globally each year, with associated environmental and cost burdens.
Add to that the rising energy costs, logistics complexity (cold storage, frequent deliveries, tight turnaround times), and regulatory pressures (managing waste classification under international catering waste rules), and you see why airlines need more than incremental tweaks.
One way to tackle these challenges is through ambient meal formats—foods stable without active cooling—combined with integrated systems: adaptive packaging, “one-touch” plating, and coordinated warehouse and logistics flows. These elements can reduce reliance on ideal cold chains, allow meals to arrive ready to serve, and introduce flexibility across diverse route profiles and station capabilities.
Airlines need solutions that deliver both sustainability and consistency, to help global carriers face these challenges head-on.
This belief underscores the direction our industry should take: not to replace fresh or chilled catering wholesale, but to embed ambient as a complementary lever. The real work now is to innovate packaging, advance logistics, test, iterate—and build ambient methods robust enough to withstand real operational pressures.
Frank Casamento
CEO
ACIT
Frank Casamento, CEO, ACIT
Your ACA Leadership Symposium Official Media Partner for 2026
PAX International is the Official Media Partner of the ACA Leadership Symposium 2026, taking place in Toulouse, France from February 18 to 20. Toulouse is home to Newrest’s headquarters, where CEO Jonathan Stent-Torriani also serves as President of the ACA.
Registration for the ACA Leadership Symposium 2026 is now open. Industry stakeholders are encouraged to secure their spot and join the conversation shaping the future of inflight food and beverage.
The prestigious event, now in its second edition, will gather top-level executives from across the airline catering supply chain in the vibrant Pink City for three days of strategic dialogue, collaboration and insight-sharing. Building on the success of its inaugural edition in Amsterdam this year, the ACA Leadership Symposium is set to become a cornerstone event for the inflight catering industry.
ACA welcomes following new ACA members
Air Chefs, Gastland Flight Catering, Niche & Bespoke Private Aviation Caterers.
ACA welcomes following new Associates Members
The Funny Food Factory and YUTOECO
ACA Members
Catrion, Charleston Airport International Catering Services, dnata, FERIER, Flying Food, Foodfolk, gategroup, Gastland, GIC International, Global Catering, KLM Catering Services, LSG Group, Newrest, RwandAir Catering, Sky Catering Mongolia, Servair, Sky Café (a GAT company),
ACA Associate Members
ACIT, AtlasAvia, DSC Consult, Expana, Jofrauto, Manna From Heaven, Nemis Technologies, Subu Connect, TCR, The Funny Food Factory, Yarra Valley Dairy
