Much has been said and written about Sky Chefs in the past.
I cannot help but wonder whether the Sky Chef concept was in fact a very cleaver (and relatively inexpensive) marketing strategy cooked up (no pun intended) by James Hogan.
A Business or First Class passenger wants to make a reservation and looks at the options. All airlines offer lounges, flat-laying seats, nice meals, and obsequious service. But, oh, look . . . Gulf Air has a Sky Chef! Cool! Booking made.
Admittedly, GF has to work on other areas (modernity and cleanliness of the cabin and punctuality), which André Dosé has pledged to address sooner rather than later. However, and without knowing the full costs, I've always figured that the Sky Chefs are a cost effective way to descriminate our product from the competition.