Start with F&B, add retail later: Air Europa's modular route to onboard digital
Build the foundation before the storefront
Air Europa's passengers wanted the things every airline's passengers now want: choice, convenience, personalisation and digital access across the journey. The question was sequencing.
Most airlines answer it by launching a retail platform and adding operational plumbing later, which front-loads the commercial promise and the risk at the same time. Air Europa took the opposite view. Food and beverage is the highest-frequency onboard transaction, it touches catering, loading, crew and finance, and getting it right builds the operational base that every later retail category depends on.
The requirement was a platform that could start narrow, integrate with the airline's existing ePOS, passenger manifests and seat mapping, and expand on Air Europa's timetable rather than a vendor's.
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.”
Modular, vendor-agnostic, sequenced by the airline
Air Europa partnered with Omnevo and gategroup on a modular solution scoped to its own priorities. The work began with workshops mapping the strategic, operational and technical route, so the sequence was agreed before the build.
Omnevo's pre-order and F&B capability sits at the centre. It integrates with Air Europa's onboard ePOS, passenger manifests and seat mapping, so pre-orders arrive matched to seats and crew work from full product data including ingredients and allergens.
One capability is worth singling out: passengers can pre-order for multiple flights in a single transaction, choosing which items are delivered on which flight. For an airline with connecting and return traffic, that turns one purchase decision into several fulfilled services.
Commercial priorities
- Passenger experience. Personalised, convenient F&B that encourages spend and strengthens the direct relationship.
- Weight saving. Pre-ordered F&B cuts unused stock and carried weight, with the fuel effect that follows.
- Sustainability. Loading to known demand reduces waste.
A foundation that carries the next phase
- F&B digitalised first, giving Air Europa an operational base of accurate demand, seat-matched pre-orders and reconciled sales before any retail category was added.
- Multi-flight pre-order in a single transaction, with passengers choosing which flight each item is delivered on. This is a differentiator very few onboard platforms offer.
- Crew working from complete product data, including ingredients and allergens, available instantly at the point of service.
- Tailored bundles and promotions, including online pricing to encourage pre-order ahead of departure.
- Expansion on the airline's timetable, with modules added as demand and ambition grow rather than in one programme.
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