Japan Airlines (JAL) is trialing a program in which you can skip your in-flight meal in exchange for an amenity kit. It is billed as an “ethical” way to reduce food waste. But could JAL be laying the groundwork to eliminate meal service altogether on shorter overnight flights?
JAL Meal Skip Option
The trial is being conducted on only one flight, JL34 from Bangkok (BKK) to Tokyo (HND). Passengers can opt out of meal service, which JAL notes will contribute to its effort to eliminate food waste.
As a reward for skipping meal service, JAL will provide a free amenity kit. Business class passengers will receive a longhaul business class amenity kit while economy class passengers will receive a regional business class amenity kit.
How To Skip Your Meal On JAL
The process of skipping your meal is a fairly easy one:
Step One: Click the “Request special meal” button on the Booking Details screen.
Step Two: Select ”No Meal” from the pulldown menu, then click the “Continue” button and proceed to the next screen.
Step Three: Your select will be shown in the Flight information on the Booking Details screen.
If you change your mind, you can change back (or select a special meal), as long as it is done 25 hours before departure.
Good Idea?
Like One Mile at a Time, I like this program in theory. First, it is optional. Second, it is being offered on a flight in which most already might prefer to sleep. Third, it does truly cut down on waste. For those reasons, I am cautiously optimistic about this program.
But in the back of mind I cannot help but to be suspicious…I always am when it comes to airlines. What if JAL eventually eliminates meal service altogether, arguing that it is due to “overwhelming consumer preference” and that the logistical hurdles cannot justify handling meals for the few who still want them?
Now as far-fetched as that may sound, we routinely hear airlines attribute customer-unfriendly “enhancements” as direct responses to customer preference (like Lufthansa arguing that it is eliminating free drinks onboard due to customer demand….). JAL must still compete with ANA for customers, but can you imagine if the two combined, as some have proposed? In that case, I could see free meals going away much quicker.
CONCLUSION
In its current form, the optional JAL meal skip program does offer an “ethical” way to cut down on food waste. Whether it remains optional is something that I hope we will never have to discuss again…
Will you take advantage of the new JAL meal skip program?
“Will you take advantage of the new JAL meal skip program?”
Not unless they include PJs.
So instead of food waste you get more plastic waste from the amenity kits. I don’t mind companies offering consumers choice, it’s the BS virtue signalling I can do without.
WR2’s right.
If they want to offer me something relatively worthless to skip my meal, give me some frequent flier miles. 🙂
It might also be a clever way of finding out if someone will eat on a flight. I’ve been in biz class where almost everyone declined a meal. It’s easier on the flight attendants, but certainly not responsible on the uneaten food front. Dunno if the food went to waste. But it’s likely that it wouldn’t board another flight.
On the one hand, I like the concept of being able to decline a meal in advance. It reduces waste (and cost) by allowing the airline to load fewer unwanted meals, and improves service efficiency for those who do want to eat.
On the other hand, this kind of virtue signaling is tiresome (though how much virtue are you really signaling by handing out amenity kits with single-use toiletries). As Chris suggested, give me 1,000 miles or a $20 voucher, or something. That really would lead to less overall waste, and give me a real incentive to decline the meal.
This is not virtue signaling. The logistics of food handling and having an amenity kit are very different. They are looking to reduce food waste, which they will. So not sure how this is virtue signaling. They will achieve what they set out thi achieve. They didn’t say they are trying to protect the environment.
My fear is more aligned with Matthew, but different…UNBUNDLING. We’re seeing hints of it with a couple other airlines…once we arrive at this scheme across the board, the Greyhoundization/Amtrakization of the skies will be complete. BYO TV Dinner, BYO beverage, BYO alky. If they’re not going to serve it, yet have had the ability/opportunity to do so, I’ll self-administer, thank you very much!