German ULD manufacturer Dokasch has launched a special ULD for return-catering - a process where airlines carry catering for the return trip already on the outbound flight. This may have manyfold reasons such as the food’s availability or quality at certain airports or seasonal flight schedules and charters with no catering partner contracted at the respective location. Fresh food is sensible to heavy movement. Once shifted or slipped, there is no real option for replacement at the destination with a highly negative impact on passenger experience.
German Airline Condor is the launch customer and supported the development of the ULD.
The AKE LD3 “Dokasch Cater Cage” can take up to 12 half size trolleys (or an equivalent mix of half- and full-size), plus additional catering boxes and oven racks. It may be individually customized to the specific requirements of each airline. Trolleys are well secured so the catering items inside are kept in place securely.
“Our catering ULD is a perfect solution to ensure all components for the return-catering are kept nicely in place.” says Martin Kraemer, vice president sales and marketing at Dokasch. “Beside food items, also dry goods, pillows, blankets or magazines can all be stowed in the ULD. This ensures a perfect passenger experience on the return flight.”
"Together with Dokasch, we were able to customize the ULDs to fit Condor's needs. This allows us to securely and flexibly store trolleys and meal containers, ensuring that our high-quality products and accompanying onboard equipment can be safely unloaded at the destination" says Nicola Burger, head of catering at Condor.
"This saves time and simplifies the logistics process,” Thilo Schaefer, head of cargo, adds. “Once again, the collaborative effort between the airline and Dokasch has resulted in an excellent product."
