Route launch cake

[davidjohnson6]

New routes invariably involve a cake on the first flight day
Why is it that passengers sometimes get sight of the cake but almost never get given even a few crumbs of the cake, even when the number of pax is modest ? It seems to always end up in the stomachs of the local Govt bigwigs...
I'm beginning to wonder why portraits of previous mayors in town halls rarely portray somebody who eats a modest diet and keeps fit...

[ShyTorque]

You can't have your cake and eat it.

[Mr Mac]

davidjohnson6
I was on the first outbound EK flight from Saigon and do not remember any cake but very empty 777 !!

Cheers
Mr Mac

[S.o.S.]

By chance, I was on the first FRA to DTW on an LH A340 in 1999. No fanfare of any kind that I saw. There may well have been something in the terminal for those sitting up front. Cabin announcements made reference to it.

[PAXboy]

I have been on two inaugural routes both entirely by coincidence.

Sometime in 1987 (I think) the (Second) Manx Air were upgrading from the Viscount to the BAe 146. I visited the IOM for 25+ years as my mother and her husband retired there. I had chosen a Friday lunch time as the cost was lower. Turned out to be the first day of their G-OJET (if I recall correctly) and the big launch was the evening rotation. All the crew were happy to say goodbye to the Viscount and there was Champagne for all. I liked the 146 (and later versions) a lot and sad to see that it did not work out, for all the reasons we know.

In December 2001, I travelled LHR-MUC-JNB (return) and learnt at the terminal that this was Lufthansa's inaugural rotation on the route, also A340 as above. There was no cake but, in the terminal during boarding the PR department had a troop of African drummers and musicians. Unfortunately, the troop were from North East Africa ...!! Still, it gave them some money.

[Hotel Tango]

Not by design, I was on the inaugural Capitol Air flight from San Juan to Miami December 4th, 1981. Champagne and appetizers were available to all passengers at the gate. The flight was operated by a DC-8-61 N911CL.