Air travelers won't have to go hungry much longer
By Keith L. Alexander
Washington Post
If your idea of airline dining isn't a tiny bag of pretzels and a can of soda, then Earl Furfine is hoping to hear from you. With airlines slashing costs these days, it's becoming harder and harder to find a decent meal — or any meal at all — on most flights.
Enter the entrepreneur. Small-business owners are jumping in to fill the void on board and in your stomach. Some carriers, including US Airways, America West, Northwest and United, have tested sales of packaged meals at the gate.
Furfine, a Rockville, Md., software developer, in December launched Carry-On Cuisine, an Internet-based company that lets travelers order an entree from an airport restaurant at the same time they book their flights.
The service, available through www.carryoncuisine.com, is in its very early days. Furfine says the Web site gets 300 to 400 hits a day, and he sells only about one meal a day. Carry-On operates only at Reagan National and Dulles International airports in Washington.
Passengers flying from National can choose from 10 meals offered by California Pizza Kitchen, including barbecue chicken pizzas and Oriental chicken sandwiches. Four entrees at TGI Friday's, including chicken caesar salads and club sandwiches, are available at Dulles.
Travelers must order and pay by credit card at least a day in advance. Furfine hopes soon to be able to take orders up to an hour before a flight's departure. Passengers pick up their orders at a special counter at the restaurant for speedy service.
The meals at both airports cost $7 to $9, plus a $1 service charge. Carry-On doesn't sell drinks because beverages are still available aboard flights.
Furfine, 41, ran a computer software company that provided ticketing message services to airlines until it collapsed amid the cutbacks after 9/11.
Furfine then turned to consulting and found himself often on business trips. A disciplined eater and triathlete, he said he was frustrated when he had to rely on what — if anything — the airlines served.
"I was always running late for flights and had to eat rubber chicken pieces on the plane that were nasty," he said.
On a flight between Dallas and Washington in November 2001, Furfine scribbled the idea for his company on a cocktail napkin. He partnered with Sabre Holdings, a marketing company used by travel agents, to provide the technology. Travelers booking Washington flights will see his site on Sabre's Travelocity Web site. Under his deal with Sabre, Furfine collects 50 cents of every $1 in revenue. He hopes to begin an ad campaign and to provide meals for large travel groups.
