Reducing food waste on board

KickstartAI X KLM - TRAYS

Reducing food waste on board proved to be a major operational and environmental challenge for KLM. A dedicated KLM team developed a model to combat food waste: TRAYS. During the Kickstart AI challenge – a three-week sprint - insights and ideas from other perspectives were incorporated to further develop the model. 

TRAYS, a predictive model for catering

KLM knows that between 3% and 5% of booked passengers do not board. This led to significant food waste, as unused meals were always thrown away. 

Goals

KLM’s goal was to develop a predictive model to optimize meal quantities based on actual passenger boarding numbers.

Approach

TRAYS is the first model specifically developed for KLM’s catering activities. The AI model predicts the number of passengers on board based on historical data. The Meals On Board System (MOBS) receives the expected passenger numbers per flight with separate forecasts for Business, Premium Comfort and Economy classes. The prediction using the AI model starts 17 days before departure and continues until 20 minutes before the flight departs. This means the most accurate possible number of passengers is predicted for the entire catering process from purchasing to loading, thus preventing a surplus of meals.

During a Kickstart AI challenge, insights and ideas from a cross-functional team of ten talented engineers from bol.com, Ahold Delhaize, NS, and ING were exchanged to see if this could be beneficial for the model.

Key features

• Adaptive forecasting 
  Starts predicting 17 days before each flight, refines up to 20 minutes before departure.

• Real-time optimization
  Continuously adjusts forecasts to help minimize waste and optimize processes.

• Seamless integration
  Real-time forecasts are fed into the Meals On Board System (MOBS), customizing catering for each class.

• Data-driven adjustments
  Uses historical data to improve accuracy for just-in-time catering, from procurement to delivery on board.

Results

• 63% reduction in food waste
  Compared to traditional catering based on total booked passengers.

• Saving 110.000kg of food per year
  With intercontinental flights showing the most significant improvements.

• Environmental and cost benefits
  KLM not only minimizes costs but also reduces its environmental footprint.

“Investments in digital technology are a priority for KLM. The application of artificial intelligence contributes enormously to improving our flight operations and making them more sustainable. Combatting food waste is a good example of this, resulting in tens of thousands fewer meals being wasted on our flights each year.” 

Marjan Rintel (CEO KLM)