Cut costs, improve sustainability, enhance passenger personalisation: surely these are the holy trinity of many an amenity kit brief. But when Icelandair also decided to change the usual model and add an ‘on demand’ element, they discovered they could achieve all three with a remarkable win, win, win innovation.
Working with Skysupply, the team focused on a distinctive range of amenity bags created in partnership with Icelandic abstract artist Inga Elin and themed around the weather that the airline’s base destination is famed for. They then began discussions with their crew and agreed a new system of delivery – whereby kits would be given on request and filled only with items each passenger chose for themselves. The item requests would be taken just like a drinks order, and despite some initial hesitancy that this might create more work onboard, the system launched in October and has received nothing but positive feedback from passengers and crew.
Thorunn Guðmundsdóttir, Onboard Services and Procurement Manager, Icelandair, explains: “This change might well mean we can increase our service levels while cutting costs, being sustainable and increasing personalisation. Feedback has been very positive with passengers feeling it’s an extra service and feels more like pampering, and crew are completely supportive. Our only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner.”
The on-demand model was initially rolled out on North American routes in Business, and was motivated by a drive to save money and cut the waste seen regularly in the shape of abandoned or half used kits which couldn’t be effectively recycled. Success so far suggests roll out across the network will follow.
Surprise demand
The team predicted around 60-70% of passengers would want the kit but the data to date shows only 30% actually request them, and most ask for just one or two inclusions – most popular are lip balm, hand lotion and eye shades. Guðmundsdóttir adds: “We know our passenger profiles are changing and becoming more diverse, so one kit does not necessarily suit all. By giving them choice we discovered kits are a ‘nice to have’ for some, but not a ‘must have’ for all, and presenting them as an option has added an extra, positive interaction with crew.”
Options offered include: a sleeping mask with a pattern that matches the bag, a paper-wrapped dental kit with a bamboo toothbrush and toothpaste, paper-wrapped earplugs, socks and lip balm and hand cream from sustainable skincare range Verso Skincare. Very few passengers ask for everything.
BeOnd has worked with Aviva along similar lines and presents passengers with a curated amenity tray. They can browse and select items that match their preferences which, the airline reports, enhances the sense of care and personalisation but again eliminates the waste. Developed in collaboration with Avant, a London-based skincare brand known for its sustainability and performance, passengers can choose what suits their personal ritual from a range that includes Avant eye-restoring pads, a face mask, and Humantra electrolyte pouches.
Fiji Airways has also debuted what it calls an eco-conscious ‘deconstructed amenity concept’ exclusively for Business in a partnership with skincare brand Beauty Thinkers. The offer allows guests to build their own personalised kit from a curated selection of Beauty Thinkers’ wellness items. A spokesperson says: “This approach empowers mindful choice, reduces unnecessary single-use waste and enhances the premium experience through meaningful crew-guest interaction. The deconstructed kits can serve as a tangible expression of our brand values, blending comfort, cultural storytelling, luxury and environmental responsibility.”
Changing focus
For years many airlines have been measuring just how many people take their amenity kit home and actually value it, compared to the number that leave it behind, and these initiatives show they are slowly waking up to the fact that in many cases they are wasting money and can in fact offer a differentiating and better product by changing the model.
In partnership with Linstol, LEVEL, the low-cost, long-haul airline of the IAG Group based in Barcelona, says it is introducing a new concept for its amenity kits from May 2026. The kits will be offered free of charge to Premium Economy passengers and for purchase by Economy passengers under the ‘Fly your Way’ tagline.
Instead of the traditional one-size-fits-all kit passengers will be able to choose from one of four individual packs best suited to their journey intentions: ‘Sleep your way’ features a sleep mask, earplugs and socks; ‘Enjoy your way’ has headphones made from recycled plastic for inflight entertainment; ‘Glow your way’ features a comb, vegan lip balm, and a facial mist from HAAN; or ‘Smile your way’ has a toothbrush and toothpaste by HAAN. All items are packaged in a reusable canvas bag, with a design inspired by Barcelona that will change every three months.
Guðmundsdóttir identifies a further benefit to the Icelandair model. “This system allows us to change the products we offer at any time. We are not locked into a year or two years’ worth of the same kit, we do not need huge stocks, so we can adjust and add, for example, seasonal summer or festive items.”
She also flags up a challenge in implementing such change. “Not all suppliers wanted to work with us on this. Some were very worried that the kit numbers would drop significantly – and so too their income from us. While everyone talks about sustainability, some do still resist change for the sake of money.”
Learning opportunity
Wolfgang Bücherl, MD of Skysupply says: “Sustainability for amenity kits is challenging but also very interesting and opens up opportunities for innovation and change.
“There are pros and cons with every sustainability choice, but we were excited to work on the partnership with Inga Elin and to focus on the design, the storytelling, and the materials of the pouch.
“The challenge on stock is that you of course don’t know what passengers will choose and you don’t want to run out, but there are learnings coming in on that all the time.
“This model is not yet really a trend exactly, and it is easier for a smaller airline, but it does make sense for those which really prioritise sustainability as a part of their brand.”
Material world
Elsewhere the use of sustainable materials and partnerships with sustainable brands is also on the up. Singapore Airlines, for example, worked with WESSCO for its partnership with sustainable lifestyle brand, Out of the Woods, to bring an eco-minded touch to Premium Economy with bags made from washable kraft paper. And the Delta One kit, in partnership with Italian fashion house Missoni, is crafted from recycled, renewable and lightweight materials and contains over 60% sustainable content to significantly reduce its overall footprint. The team chose a production house which leverages on-site renewable energy to lower emissions, and chose recycled PET as a core fabric. Aluminium cosmetic tubes were selected to minimise reliance on virgin resources and keep materials in use longer.
Korean Air says it incorporated ESG principles into its new First amenity kit by using a pouch made of Saffiano ‘Recycled PET’ faux leather; while All Nippon Airways (ANA) is claiming a new benchmark in its First and Business amenity kits in an exclusive collaboration with Franzi, a historic Italian luxury leather goods house. At the heart of the project lies Fr-eclaim, a travel-exclusive material developed after eight months of joint R&D. This is an evolution of the widely used rPET derived from recycled plastic bottles. Fr-eclaim is said to have redefined the potential of recycled materials in aviation by offering exceptional strength, wrinkle resistance, and long-lasting colour performance. It aims to recreate the distinctive hand feel and softness of Franzi’s iconic leather.
Forward planning
Clearly the sustainability and cost imperatives are forcing some to radically rethink the amenities offer. Perhaps the shift in the model also reflects the push to be more inclusive – moving away from a potentially stereotypical kit for ‘men’ or ‘women’. Add in the returning data and growing use of technology and artificial intelligence, and perhaps a next step could be passengers pre-ordering amenity choices as they do food.
But we’re not there yet. Changing the model is a big step, with huge implications for suppliers, and does of course assume that the will is there to get that job done. The good news is, change is no longer just on the horizon: The proof is here that a major model shift can, and does, work.
