With the “Tray Tracker,” the Lufthansa Group has developed an innovative, AI-supported solution to measure and reduce onboard meal returns.
The mobile technology scans meal returns from the onboard catering of flights at the dishwashing line. Artificial intelligence recognizes whether a meal has been partially eaten, completely eaten, or left untouched. The flight route, travel class, and meal concept are also included in the analysis.
The insights gained will enable optimized portion sizes and meal selection in the future. In addition, the “Tray Tracker” will contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions, as avoiding overload will reduce the total weight of aircraft.
Lufthansa has been using the innovation at its site in Frankfurt for almost a year now and recently the AI has also started scanning trays in Munich.
In the future, the Tray Tracker is set to be used at other Lufthansa Group locations and airlines as well. The innovative mobile device was developed by the Lufthansa Group Digital Catering Analytics Team in cooperation with Lufthansa Group subsidiary zeroG.
Another machine learning-based project by the Lufthansa Group to prevent food waste is called “Pendle.” Launched by the Lufthansa Innovation Hub in 2024, the initiative uses algorithms that analyze data points such as flight duration, flight route, and previous demand to optimize loading. In the long run, the aim is to link the two projects.
More environmentally friendly onboard products
The Lufthansa Group is pursuing various measures and projects to reduce food waste on board as much as possible and optimize loading. Passengers on Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, and SWISS short- and medium-haul flights can pre-order their preferred meal as well as they can purchase all fresh products at a reduced price on the last flight of the day with the “to go” offer.
Premium class passengers on intercontinental flights with the airlines mentioned above can select their main course before departure. This measure also helps to reduce food waste caused by overloading. In addition, the focus is on switching from single-use plastic and aluminum to more sustainable alternatives. Since 2022, a third of plastic and aluminum items have been replaced on board.
Featured image credited to Lufthansa Group
