Compass wins £60m Terminal 5 contract

The five-year contract includes foodservice, hospitality and the housekeeping of the £60 million lounges. Compass will continue to provide food services for British Airways passengers at Terminals 1 and 4 until March 2008, when the airline will transfer its operations to the new £4.2 billion Terminal 5. Housekeeping services included in the terms of the deal are cleaning, luggage handling, spa and arrival facilities. Simon Soni, General Manager Catering Operations Inflight Services at British Airways, said: "We reviewed our foodservice and housekeeping operations as we wanted to appoint a single provider. "Compass has demonstrated its ability to meet our exacting and demanding requirements over many years and has the expertise and resources to deliver a wider remit, which takes in our cleaning, housekeeping and luggage services." Geoff Wilson, Compass operations director with responsibility for the BA contract added: "We are delighted to have won a new contract with a global brand leader such as British Airways, and are excited to have the opportunity to develop further a partnership which started in 1982." As part of the contract, Compass will provide hospitality services in British Airways' lounges. Facilities include 94 showers, six infinity baths and pre-flight dining services for passengers on both short and long haul flights from Heathrow to most of the airline's destinations across the world. This will involve a Compass team of 300. The terms of the contract include commitments to free range, organic, fair-trade and sustainable products, with a strong emphasis on quality and provenance of ingredients. The Concorde Room will offer soft boiled eggs with marmite soldiers to accompany the traditional English breakfast. All-day dining choices include the new BA signature burger using Hereford beef, best of British cheeses and eggs benedict with Blackstone ham. Afternoon teas will be served featuring a selection of natural leaf teas; freshly-made finger sandwiches featuring Aylesford smoked trout, Dorrington ham and Darlesford organic chicken; warm homemade cookies; tea bread; brand snaps and mini fruit and plain scones with jam and clotted cream. Compass also provides pre-flight dining services for passengers at Terminal 5 and at seven airports in the United States and Canada, including JFK, Newark, Washington, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Toronto. The new state-of-the-art full kitchen at Heathrow has allowed Compass to enhance the current pre-flight dining offer to include seasonal British and other traditional favourite dishes, exquisite amuse bouches and pre-desserts.