Learning Objectives

• Examine information flows from airlines to flight providers

• Identify the requirements for service and product specifications

• Understand the use of e-business strategies

Introduction

It is clear from previous chapters that flight catering depends upon a great deal of information. Airlines were early adopters of computers and IT to handle their reservations and ticketing processes. Now IT is used in every business sector to handle information needs, including flight catering. However, a major problem has been that many IT systems were originally developed to handle specific and different aspects of the operation, and developed by different software companies or user groups. This has meant that until the late 1990s most systems were not integrated. It is only now that we are beginning to see the emergence of fully integrated management information systems.

This chapter looks at information systems and examines their use and purpose within the flight catering industry. The significant flows of information are identified, along with the communication channels that are used to disseminate it. In addition, we will examine why there is a need for information systems in flight catering and investigate the benefits they can offer. In addition to these current uses of, and trends in, information systems in flight catering, we will look at how businesses in the industry are adopting e-business strategies.

Information Systems

An information system is a mechanism that assists a decision-making process. To be more specific, it is seen as a work system whose business process is devoted to capturing,...