Not Guessing, Knowing: How Data Is Rewriting Inflight Retail
1st July 2025
It’s 5:45am. A catering team is loading barsets onto the first flight of the day. Somewhere between the warehouse and the tarmac, a decision was made: how many breakfast wraps to load on board.
But was that decision based on real data from recent flights… or just what they packed last Tuesday?
For years, inflight retail has been driven by gut feel, historical assumptions, and hope. Hope that what’s packed will sell, that nothing runs out too soon, and that the returns won’t include half the trolley.
It’s a system built for yesterday’s flights and it’s showing its age.
The Quiet Revolution in the Aisles
There’s something quietly transformative happening on board and it’s not a new snack box or redesigned amenity kit.
It’s data.
Airlines now sit on a wealth of retail information: from real-time POS to consumption patterns, route preferences to individual buying behaviour. And for those who are willing to use it, this data is changing everything.
It’s shifting onboard retail from guessing what passengers want… to actually knowing.
- Which routes consistently run out of sandwiches?
- Which BOB combos spike on afternoon departures?
- What do leisure travellers reach for that business passengers ignore?
- Which items never leave the cart but still get packed?
If you’re responsible for onboard retail, you’ve probably asked some version of these questions. Now, you can answer them with confidence.
Smarter Stocking = Stronger Margins, Less Waste
One of the biggest quick wins? Stocking based on reality, not routine.
With data-informed planning, airlines are optimising product mixes at the route level, reducing unnecessary uplift, increasing availability of bestsellers, and improving crew flow. It’s not just about fewer stockouts or less waste (though those matter). It’s about profit and passenger experience finally aligning.
Personalisation at 35,000 Feet
Passengers are used to personalised experiences everywhere else in their digital lives, in their apps, streaming services, loyalty programs.
So why not onboard?
With real-time retail systems and CRM integrations, airlines can now tailor inflight offers by loyalty status, booking history, seat type, and even time of day. That means fewer generic trolleys and more relevance, snack suggestions that match past orders, or exclusive bundles for returning customers.
This isn’t about gimmicks. It’s about driving relevance, loyalty, and revenue at scale.
So Why Aren’t More Airlines Doing It?
It’s not the tools.
It’s not the talent.
It’s not even the budget (most of the time).
It’s mindset.
Many onboard retail strategies are still built on legacy platforms, legacy habits, and a fear of changing what “kind of works.” But “kind of works” isn’t good enough anymore, not for margins, not for sustainability, and not for a generation of passengers used to seamless digital experiences.
This isn’t about replacing human intuition. It’s about giving your teams the data to make smarter, faster, more confident decisions.
Final Boarding Call
Inflight retail isn’t just about what fits in the trolley. It’s about what fits the moment, the passenger, and the airline’s broader commercial and environmental goals.
The data is already there. It’s been flying with you all along, in every click, every receipt, every unmet request. All it needs is the right system and the right mindset to bring it to life.
So the question is: are you still guessing… or are you ready to know?
Let’s Talk
If you’re exploring how to move your inflight retail from reactive to data-driven with better margins, less waste, and happier passengers we’re here to help.
