How Lufthansa Is Using AI to Slash Food Waste and Simplify Booking

Flying is about more than just getting from point A to B. For the Lufthansa Group, it’s also about using every part of the journey—from the meal tray to the checkout page—to improve sustainability, ease, and security for travelers.

In two recent innovations, the German airline group revealed how artificial intelligence is helping it cut food waste in the sky, while a new partnership with Visa is streamlining how passengers book flights online.

Here’s how both changes are reshaping the future of travel.

Smarter Skies

Ever wondered what happens to those uneaten meals on your flight? The Lufthansa Group has been wondering, too—and now it’s using AI to do something about it.

Enter the Tray Tracker, a mobile tool that scans returned meal trays at the dishwashing station. Developed by the Lufthansa Group Digital Catering Analytics Team in cooperation with its subsidiary zeroG, the system uses artificial intelligence to analyze how much of a meal was eaten—if anything at all—and compares it against data like flight route, class of service, and menu type.

Already in use at Lufthansa’s Frankfurt hub and newly launched in Munich, Tray Tracker is helping the airline figure out what passengers actually eat, which meals are most returned, and where loading can be reduced—saving food, money, and carbon emissions.

Photo: Courtesy of Lufthansa

By cutting down on overloading, Lufthansa reduces aircraft weight, which in turn lowers CO₂ emissions. “The insights gained will enable optimized portion sizes and meal selection in the future,” the airline said in a statement.

The goal of this initiative? A smarter catering system that gives travelers what they want—without wasting what they don’t.

Pendle Learns What People Actually Want to Eat

Tray Tracker isn’t Lufthansa’s only AI-powered food project. The Lufthansa Innovation Hub has also rolled out a system called Pendle, launched in 2024.

Pendle uses machine learning algorithms to predict demand for in-flight meals by analyzing data like flight duration, route, and past preferences. Over time, the airline plans to link Pendle with Tray Tracker to create a unified, intelligent catering operation.

Photo: Courtesy of Lufthansa

This initiative is part of a broader effort by the German airline group, which includes SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines, to reduce food waste on board.

Some of the key initiatives include allowing passengers to pre-order meals on short- and medium-haul flights, offering discounted “to-go” meals on the last flights of the day, providing premium cabin passengers with the option to select their main course before departure, and replacing single-use plastics and aluminum with more sustainable materials, with one-third already replaced since 2022.

How Lufthansa Is Making Flight Booking Simpler

On the ground, Lufthansa is tackling a different type of friction: the online booking process. Starting October 2025, the airline group will roll out Click to Pay, a fast and secure payment option powered by Visa, across its websites for Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines.

Photo: Courtesy of Lufthansa

The new system allows customers to book a flight using just their email address—no need to manually type in card details. Once a user registers a debit or credit card through their bank or a participating payment network, they can check out in seconds. Even first-time buyers or guest users will be recognized at checkout.

“Today, our guests can already plan and book all aspects of a flight more independently, easily, and quickly than ever before,“ said Dieter Vranckx, Chief Commercial Officer of the Lufthansa Group. “Click to Pay is a great additional offer that further optimizes the travel experience with our airlines when purchasing a flight ticket.”

Click to Pay Makes Fraud Less Likely

Beyond convenience, Lufthansa Group claims Click to Pay also boosts security. Traditional card numbers are never processed. Instead, the system uses tokens—random digital stand-ins for card data—which are useless if stolen. As noted by the airline, that makes the risk of fraud up to 80 percent lower compared to manual card entry without tokenization.

Photo: Courtesy of Lufthansa

For customers of Europe’s leading airline group, completing a purchase will be as easy as contactless payment,“ said Albrecht Kiel, Visa’s Head of Central Europe. “Click to Pay makes online card payments faster and more secure than ever before.”

A Travel Experience That Thinks Ahead

From reducing waste in the galley to eliminating friction at checkout, Lufthansa Group is investing in a passenger experience that’s smarter, safer, and more sustainable. With AI tracking what people actually eat—and digital tools simplifying how they book—travelers can expect more personalization and fewer headaches.