Sarah Klatt-Walsh is an airline industry expert with over 30 years of experience in culinary development, customer experience and sustainability. Her initial passion for food & beverage led her into airline catering – and, after getting a taste of the aviation world, she never looked back...

 

Sarah spent the first 10 years of her aviation career on the catering side with Swissair Catering and Gate Gourmet in Zurich and Hong Kong. Sarah then crossed over to the airline side where she enhanced the travel experience and customer satisfaction of millions of customers for Swissair, Swissair-Sabena, SWISS and most recently British Airways. Focusing on the end-to-end customer experience, product strategy and development, service & hospitality, brand translation & marketing partnerships and catering operations, she has successfully managed large operational budgets, led and inspired large and diverse teams, and created and introduced various product and service concepts in line with the airline’s brand DNA.

 

Sarah is currently a member of the IFSA Foundation Board and a judge for the Onboard Hospitality Awards.  She has also served on the IFSA Executive Board, the WTCE Advisory Board and the Mercury Awards Judging Committee. Over the years, Sarah has won several personal awards within the industry – including the JJ. O’Neil Scholarship Award, the Cost Sector Catering Awards, the Anita Gittelson Innovator of the Year Award from TravelPlus, and in 2019 was awarded the Onboard Hospitality “Lifetime Achievement Award”.

 

Sarah is now an independent consultant focusing on sustainability and developing sustainable strategies. She firmly believes that environmentally friendly travel is possible when all stakeholders involved are willing to make significant changes to the way they do business. It is not a one-off, but a journey, and one she’s very happy to be a part of.