How JetBlue Decides What Food to Feed Its Flyers

For two years, Nicole Huang has wanted to put instant oatmeal on JetBlue flights. Huang, manager of JetBlue's onboard experience, believes it would sell. But she has yet to persuade her colleagues it makes sense. Some question whether flight attendants could meet customer expectations. How much water would the flight attendants pour? Would the the standard be a soupy oatmeal? Or a thick one? That's not the only issue. JetBlue flight attendants do not use carts, so they'd have to carry near-boiling water from the galley to, say, seat 10B. JetBlue solved this problem with coffee by giving customers tight lids, but there has been no similar breakthrough for oatmeal packaging. "There are just too many concerns about oatmeal," Huang said. "I'm working on it. We'll find a way to make it match the JetBlue customer experience." At JetBlue, nothing in the onboard food program is chosen haphazardly. Huang and her small team evaluate each product, whether it's sold on its own, like