KLM deploys artificial intelligence to combat food waste

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Dutch airline KLM wastes less food on board its planes thanks to artificial intelligence. AI programs enable the company to better predict how many passengers who have made a reservation will actually join a flight. This allows it to calculate the number of meals needed, resulting in up to a 63% reduction in food waste. This translates into annual savings of more than 100,000 kilos of food.

“Investment in digital technology is a spearhead for KLM. The application of artificial intelligence contributes greatly to making our flight operations better and more sustainable. The fight against food waste is a great example of this, resulting in tens of thousands of fewer meals wasted on our flights every year,” said Marjan Rintel, CEO of KLM.

Not all bookings made result in a passenger boarding a KLM aircraft. Depending on the class, between 3% and 5% of booked passengers do not show up (on time) for the flight.

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The latest AI model (TRAYS) is the first developed specifically for KLM’s catering operations. It predicts the number of passengers on board based on historical data. The Meals On Board System (MOBS) receives the expected number of passengers per flight with separate forecasts for Business, Premium Comfort and Economy classes. The prediction using the AI model starts 17 days before flight departure and continues up to 20 minutes, so that for the entire catering process, from procurement to loading, the number of passengers is predicted with the highest accuracy, thus avoiding over-meals.

The TRAYS AI model was launched late last year from Kickstart AI. It brought together talents from companies such as KLM, bol, Ahold Delhaize, NS and ING to work on its development.

A three-month analysis shows that 63% less food is wasted compared to catering per booked passenger. The biggest improvement is seen on KLM’s intercontinental flights from Schiphol Airport, where 2.5 (1.3 kilograms) fewer meals are thrown away per flight. On an annual basis, this represents a saving of 111,000 kilograms of meals on all of the airline’s flights served from Schiphol.

KLM is also working on applying artificial intelligence in other areas of its operations. For example, AI is important for making aircraft maintenance more intelligent. In addition, AI programs are used to simulate predicted bad weather days, making it clear in advance what is the best time to work in order to keep flights running as much as possible. Artificial intelligence also helps customers by offering them personalized travel advice after booking a flight.