Japan Airlines has launched a new initiative to combat food waste on select flights in Asia. The carrier is asking passengers who know they will prefer to sleep through meal service to make an “ethical choice” and let the airline know beforehand.
“Ethical Choice” option
With its new initiative, “Ethical Choice – Meal Skip Option,” Japan Airlines is asking those passengers who plan to forego eating the airline’s food to notify the carrier in advance. Just like submitting a request for a special meal, such as kosher, low-gluten, or vegetarian raw, customers can visit the airline’s website and choose “no meal” for their booking.
The option is thus far only available on select overnight flights within Asia. A representative for the airline told CNN that this is as many passengers want to sleep through the entire flight rather than wake up to eat.
Even if staying awake, some customers also choose to bring their own snack, rather than indulge in an offered tray to break up the monotony of a flight. The meals prepared for these travelers will then end up going to waste. This is exactly what Japan Airlines is hoping to avoid by providing the possibility to opt out of the meal service altogether.
So far only available BKK to HND
The option is thus far only available on JAL’s service JL034 from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) to Tokyo Haneda (HND). The flight departs from BKK at 22:05 and is usually operated by a Boeing 777.
The scheduled arrival time at HND is 05:40. Even though most of us have been guilty of the occasional midnight-snack fridge raid, the five-and-a-half-hour flight does not exactly operate on prime meal-time.
The opt-out-of-service feature was first introduced on a trial basis on November 19th and is available until 25 hours before departure.
Simple Flying has contacted Japan Airlines for more information about the initiative but was yet to receive a response ahead of publication.
Wasted food takes up 28% of the world’s agricultural area
While some airlines are taking steps to reduce single-use plastics, in 2019, the average airline passenger still left behind three pounds of waste from each flight. A big part of this is made up of packaging, cutlery, and food scraps. 20% of all food produced by in-flight catering teams is wasted each year.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, total global edible food wastage is 1.6 billion tonnes per year. The carbon footprint from wasted food production amounts to 3.3 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent of greenhouse gases. It also equals 28% – 1.4 billion hectares of land – of the world’s agricultural area.
While reducing emissions is paramount for airlines’ sustainability work, food waste is also of pressing concern. If all passengers traveling globally were given a chance to let the airline know beforehand that they would be waving a polite no as the trolley passes in the aisle, how much food could that save?
Would you consider opting out of an in-flight meal given a chance? Let us know in the comments.
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