What should airlines do with all the fresh food left over at the end of the day? Generally speaking, it just goes into a trash bin. Swiss hopes to see the food go a bit further – and drive a bit of revenue – with its new “Too Good To Go” program trials.
The company already uses “big data” to reduce waste, optimizing catering loads based on historical demand. But that still leaves chances of excess product on board.
With the new program passengers on the final flight of the day are offered a bag containing one, two or three such fresh food items at one third of their usual price. The bag’s contents are not revealed in advance, and remain a surprise for the purchaser.
“Managing waste on board is an important part of our commitment to greater sustainability,” stresses SWISS CCO Tamur Goudarzi Pour. “We hope to significantly reduce unused food on board our aircrafts by introducing this service.”
Thus far the program is only being trialed on a limited number of flights. SWISS’s Head of Western Switzerland Romain Vetter suggests “The new approach has been well received by our passengers on the flights concerned.
The company is considering expansion of the effort, pending final analysis of the trials’ findings.
And the fact that there’s some potential for additional revenue probably doesn’t hurt, either.
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I use Too Good To Go in DC. I think this is good program even for airlines.
The contents of the leftover Swiss International Air Lines food bags previously tossed in the trash are not revealed in advance and remain a surprise to the purchaser. So how do people with food allergies know in advance that the food they are purchasing will not give them a deadly allergic (anaphylactic) reaction?
Knowing what I do of European business practices and disclosure requirements for allergens, I’d assume they can sort that out. Or assert the broadest range of potential allergens and let passengers choose their acceptable level of risk and concern.