WTCE partners with SkyRate to launch allergy safety clinic for airlines and caterers

World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) has partnered with SkyRate, the independent airline allergy review platform, to launch the SkyRate Clinic at WTCE 2027, taking place at Hamburg Messe from 6 – 8 April 2027.

An estimated 220 to 250 million people worldwide live with a food allergy, with millions more managing intolerances or special diets (World Allergy Organisation, 2025). For many of them, booking a flight still carries uncertainty over whether cabin crew will know the correct protocol and implement it throughout the journey.

Visit the SkyRate Clinic at WTCE 2027

Led by SkyRate Founder and WTCE Special Diets Ambassador, Julianne Ponan MBE, the clinic will be hosted at the WTCE Ambassador Hub each day to give airlines, caterers and suppliers a space to discuss allergen handling, labelling, crew training and onboard communication, and to leave with practical steps to improve passenger safety and their SkyRate score.

At the clinic, discussions on labelling, crew training and menu design will start with the passenger reviews behind each airline score. Airlines can see whether service breaks down at booking, in catering, in crew communication or at boarding, while caterers and food brands can see which product gaps come up repeatedly, from items that are not sealed or clearly labelled to a single special meal being the only safe option. These conversations are intended to help the industry make onboard travel safer and more inclusive for passengers who worry about flying with allergies or dietary needs.

Clinic sessions will be free to attend and will open for booking via the WTCE website in January 2027.

How SkyRate scores airlines
Founded by Ponan, whose mission is to support and represent all of those who live with allergies and anaphylaxis, SkyRate was built to close the information gap with real-life passenger reviews and scores.

Through passenger ratings, each airline receives a two-part score weighted 70% Allergy Safety and 30% Dietary and Transparency. The question set draws on more than seven years of airline allergy audits, and the platform is endorsed by leading allergy experts including Dr Melissa Adamski, WTCE Nutrition Ambassador and Founder of Nutted Out Nutrition and Adam Fox OBE, Professor in Paediatric Allergy. Airlines cannot influence or pay for their own scores, so ratings reflect what passengers report.

Shona Thomson, Event Manager of WTCE said: “There is no single way to make food and beverage onboard allergen free overnight, and that is why we are partnering with SkyRate. The brand-new clinic will run every day of WTCE 2027 and give visitors free access to passenger reviews, expert guidance and the time to work through these challenges with the SkyRate team, so they leave with a clear plan for their own operations. We look forward to hosting these important conversations showing safer, more inclusive travel is good for passengers and good for business.”

Julianne Ponan MBE, WTCE Special Diets Ambassador and Founder of SkyRate, said: “We know first-hand what it is like to travel worrying that your allergens or dietary needs won’t be taken seriously. Airlines and caterers want to get this right, and we want to support them as they do. Every improvement made onboard changes what a flight feels like for someone who has been anxious about it, and we’re looking forward to hearing visitors’ questions at the clinic to make onboard travel easier and safer.”

WTCE 2027 will take place at Hamburg Messe from 6 – 8 April 2027. For more information and to register, please visit: https://www.worldtravelcateringexpo.com/en-gb.html