Cathay Pacific, the Hong Kong flag carrier, surveyed business-class passengers about potential sustainability initiatives.
Courtesy of Cathay Pacific
One of the best airlines in the world is considering asking business-class passengers to bring their own cutlery on board, the travel news site View From The Wing reported.
Cathay Pacific, the Hong Kong flag carrier, is one of just 10 airlines rated five stars by Skytrax. All of them are based in Asia.
View From The Wing reported that Cathay Pacific sent a survey to some members of its "Cathay Lab" community, and that it was aimed at those who travel in business class.
Of the four questions, perhaps the most noteworthy was asking whether passengers would "Bring your own cutlery set."
It also questioned if they would pick up empty plastic water bottles and recycle them, whether they would hand said water bottles to a flight attendant, or if they'd bring their own bottle on board.
As it's just a survey, it's not clear whether any of these ideas will ever be implemented — but it shows Cathay Pacific is looking into some unique ideas for sustainability.
Much of the aviation sector's discussion about sustainability has focused on the likes of sustainable aviation fuel, or building more fuel-efficient jets.
But looking into changing the amenities for business-class passengers is a different step. It also seems unlikely that many customers would be happy to bring their own cutlery.
After all, one of the perks of flying upper class is better food — served on proper plates with metal cutlery. Although as one of the world's most respected airlines — which carried 42% more passengers last month compared to March 2023 — it perhaps has more room to experiment.
Cathay Pacific did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, sent outside local working hours.
