Photo: Lufthansa Group AI innovation in action. Lufthansa Group's "Tray Tracker" initiative represents an innovative solution supported by artificial intelligence to measure and reduce in-flight meal waste. The mobile technology scans returned meals and uses AI to determine whether a meal was partially eaten, completely consumed, or left untouched.
Flight route, travel class, and meal concept are also included in the analysis. The insights will allow for optimization of portion sizes and meal selections in the future. Additionally, "Tray Tracker" will contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions by minimizing food weight, thus reducing the aircraft's overall weight, and consequently, less food is transported and wasted.
Lufthansa has been employing this innovative initiative at its home base in Frankfurt for nearly a year. Recently, the AI began scanning trays in Munich. In the future, tray tracking is expected to be utilized by other Lufthansa Group airlines. The innovative mobile device was developed by the digital analytics team of Lufthansa Group's catering in collaboration with zeroG, a subsidiary of Lufthansa Group.
Another initiative by Lufthansa Group to prevent food wastage is called "Pendle". Launched by Lufthansa's Innovation Hub in 2024, this initiative uses algorithms to analyze data points such as flight duration, route, and past demand. In the long term, the goal is to connect both projects.
Lufthansa Group implements a variety of measures and projects to minimize food wastage on flights. Passengers on short and medium-haul flights of Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, and SWISS can pre-order their preferred meal and even purchase all food products at a reduced price on the last flight of the day. Premium class passengers on intercontinental flights with the group's airlines can select their main course before departure. This step also helps reduce food waste due to overstocking. Additionally, there is an emphasis on transitioning from single-use plastic and aluminum to more sustainable alternatives. Since 2022, one-third of plastic and aluminum items have been replaced on aircraft.