Is skipping your in-flight meal the “ethical choice”?

There are many reasons to forego an inflight meal: you’re not hungry, you’re sleeping, you prefer food to be edible ... but this airline wants some notice.

Like most full service carriers, Japan Airlines provides a meal for every flyer, but if a passenger chooses to sleep through the meal service or to bring their own food, the meal is wasted.

So, inspired by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (one of which is about avoiding wasting food), Japan Airlines is asking passengers to give them a heads up on their meal preferences ahead of time so that no unwanted meals would be thrown away.

Japan Airlines’ 'Ethical Choice Meal Skip' option isn’t about cost cutting; it’s about reducing food waste, an airline spokesperson told CNN.

If a passenger plans to skip their inflight meal, they can jump on JAL’s website or call the airline in much the same way as ordering a vegetarian meal. JAL will then ensure that no extra meal is prepared and then wasted.

The option is being very gradually rolled out is currently only available on select overnight flights within Asia.