WASTE REDUCTION FROM THE IN-FLIGHT SERVICES OF AIRLINES IN THAILAND

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The objective of this research is to study the situation of waste, type of waste, guidelines in reducing the amount of waste and to study the results of waste reduction generated from the inflight services of airlines in Thailand.  This is a qualitative research.  The model group consisted of airline administrators and flight attendants of various airlines in Thailand.  The data collected is done by document analysis and in-depth interviews.  Analyzed the results using content analysis techniques.  It is found that 1)  The waste from the in-flight services has the tendency of increasing according to the distance traveled and from the servicing competition among the airlines 2) The type of waste from the in-flight services, could be categorized in 3 groups: Waste from food and beverages, waste from facilitation services and waste caused by the working process of the airlines  3) The guidelines to reduce the amount of waste from the above mentioned 3 groups of waste, could be reduced in 3 ways: Modifying the behavior, modifying the use of the materials, and modifying working processes or services 4) The results of reducing the waste from the in-flight services of the airlines in 2018, overall, it has been found to have a 10% reduction of the waste in general.  It is expected and estimated that the reduction of waste from the in-flight services of airlines would reach 50% by the year 2022.  However, there is no clear guideline of having zero-waste airline just as yet. 

Key words: Waste from the inflight services, waste reduction of the airline, Zero Waste Airline