Airlines diversify in-flight meals to cater to growing passenger base
Chef Masaki Hashimoto, center, poses for a photo in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on March 6, with Air Canada executives to present the new Japanese in-flight meals for the airline, for which he served as a supervisor. (Kenta Nakamura)
Diners wanting a premium Japanese 'kaiseki' cuisine worthy of a Michelin star are getting their desires fulfilled high in the skies over the Pacific.
Air Canada's Signature Class passengers departing and arriving in Japan since March can feast on a meal featuring simmered 'kinmedai' (alfonsinos), 'hamo' (dagger-tooth pike conger) skin marinated in sweetened vinegar and soba noodles infused with green tea.
The dish was supervised by a one-Michelin-starred Japanese head chef based in Toronto.
Air Canada has offered Japanese in-flight meals in the past, but it is the first time for the airline to serve a menu created by a Japanese chef.
Scott O'Leary, vice president in charge of customer services and other aspects, said that the company invests to improve in-flight experiences for its passengers and that the quality of meals is as important as the conditions of the seats and the aircraft itself.
Air Canada designs its meals and services consistent with airport lounges and other facilities as part of efforts to improve the overall quality of airline services to expand its loyal customer base, he added.
IMPROVING IN-FLIGHT EXPERIENCE
Air Canada is among airlines offering all possible options to win over passengers with in-flight meals, which are also increasingly diversified as the number of inbound tourists grows.
Fares for flights departing and arriving in Japan remain high because of increased air travel demand, rising fuel costs and other factors.
For both All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) and Japan Airlines Co. (JAL), the average spending per international passenger has risen by about 50 percent from prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While inbound tourists benefit from the weak yen, there is a growing need for high-quality trips meriting the price tag, according to a high-ranking member of a major foreign airline.
The situation shows that passengers are also slowly becoming luxury-minded when it comes to in-flight meals.
In addition, airlines are serving a wide variety of menu options to cater to more diversified dietary habits in recent years.
Air Canada serves 12 "special meals," including those conforming to religious regulations, prepared for vegans and meeting other preferences.
ANA and JAL also offer more than 20 meal options each in an aim to increase the satisfaction levels of their customers by providing more choices.
"Eating habits are increasingly diversified on a global level. We will enrich the options for our customers," an ANA representative said.
REDUCING FOOD LOSS
Furthermore, such efforts lead to reducing food loss and waste.
Because some passengers have meals in airport lounges before boarding or sleep through their flights, in-flight meals are often left unserved.
Untouched meals and leftovers cannot be reused because they must be incinerated upon arrival for quarantine reasons.
According to an estimate by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and other authorities, airlines generate 3.6 million tons of cabin and catering waste globally annually.
Of this, uneaten in-flight meals account for about 18 percent, or approximately 650,000 tons.
It led JAL to start the Meal Skip Option service for all its international routes in 2022, allowing passengers to select the option to cancel in-flight meals when they book their flights.
"Some passengers who couldn't eat regular in-flight meals for various reasons now make reservations for what they can eat and finish eating it all, and the number of meals disposed of has dropped," a JAL representative said.
The airline intends to reduce the disposal rate for in-flight meals from 4.4 percent in the business year that ended in March 2024 to less than 4.3 percent in the current business year.
ANA also launched the similar No Thank You Option service in 2023.
The company has incorporated a service to accept advance reservations for sandwiches and other snacks to reduce leftovers.
It also utilizes artificial intelligence to forecast the suitable number of meals to be loaded on each flight.
ANA has set a goal of lowering the disposal rate for food including snacks served in airport lounges from 4.3 percent in the business year that ended in March 2024 to 3.8 percent or less in the business year ending in March 2031 and to 2.3 percent or less in the business year ending in March 2051.
The airline recycles 100 percent of food scraps generated while preparing in-flight meals to produce compost and other materials.
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