UK. Travellers journeying via Heathrow can now order food and drink in advance as a result of the airport’s new partnership with US provider Grab.
Hosted within the Heathrow app, the service trial has launched with at least one restaurant per terminal, with a view to extending to all restaurants across the airport in coming months. The app allows travellers to pre-order, check turnaround time and collect from a dedicated collection point when they arrive.
Grab already serves 20 US airports and the partnership with Heathrow marks its launch in the UK. TRG Concessions is first to trial the service, with restaurants including Giraffe, Wondertree, Comptoir Libanais and The Curator all offering dishes for pre-order.
Once travellers have downloaded the Heathrow Airport Guide app, they can select food and drink items, customise orders and pay, before collecting within the turnaround time ahead of their flight. Each restaurant signed up to the service will have a dedicated point for orders to come through to a tablet, which also allows staff to communicate directly with the customer.
During the initial trial, Grab will communicate the launch to its existing US customers travelling to Heathrow, with the options also available to passengers already using the dedicated Grab app.
Heathrow’s Head of Food and Beverage Ben Crowley said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Grab to offer a new, innovative service to Heathrow passengers. This enhances the takeaway offer our restaurants provide and allows passengers to enjoy the fantastic range of dining options at 30,000 feet. This is the latest move in our service proposition as we continue to put passenger experience at the heart of our airport operations.”
Grab Chief Experience Officer Jeff Livney added: “We are excited to partner with London Heathrow Airport and its award-winning food & beverage programme with our expansion into the UK. We share Heathrow’s commitment to ‘making every journey better’ and look forward to providing a seamless takeaway experience for busy Heathrow travellers on the go.”
TRG Concessions Managing Director Nick Ayerst said: “TRG Concessions has an on-going commitment to providing guests with customisable, high-quality food in a timely fashion. Partnering with Grab and Heathrow allows us to incorporate industry leading technology and innovation into our food service operations. We believe this partnership will lead to improved customer convenience, satisfaction and increased guest participation in our sites.”
