Delta asks business class passengers to skip inflight meal to reduce waste

Airline has vowed to become first carbon neutral carrier

Passengers have been given the option to skip their inflight meal (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Delta Air Lines has added a “skip” option to its flight meal requests form for business class passengers to “help reduce food waste”.

The US airline has added the option as part of its pre-flight selections process,View from the Wing reported.

Delta’s ‘Delta One’ service is described on its website as “one of the most exclusive cabins in the sky”, and is only available on long-haul domestic flights and some international services.

It offers a 180-degree flat-bed seat for sleeping and work, priority check-in, full-height private doors, amenity kits and premium dining.

A screenshot for food options for a long-haul flight in a Delta One cabin includes the options of a sous vide chicken breast; Impossible plant-based meatballs; spinach, potato and chickpea chana masala; trout fillet; or to “skip first meal service”.

The description for the skipping option reads: “Not planning to dine with us? Opting out of your first service meal helps reduce food waste.”

Some Delta One flights cost upwards of $8,000 for a round trip, and Delta will open further Delta One lounges in 2023.

The option to skip the provided meal is in line with the airline’s environmental plans. In 2020, Delta announced it would commit $1bn to become the first carbon neutral airline globally over the next 10 years.

The airline stated it would invest in driving innovation, advancing clean air travel technology, and accelerate its reduction of carbon emissions and waste.

In June this year, Delta rolled out a new policy requiring Delta Sky Club members to wait three hours before their flight to access the lounge, announcing “we are not a WeWork”.

Managing director of Delta Sky Club Claude Roussel said three hours was a “very generous amount of time” to spend in the club, and that the change would “balance the popularity of the Delta Sky Club experience with the premium atmosphere and service we wish to provide for our guests”.