Alaska Airlines Trials Reusable Plastic Cups

Sunday October 20th was National Reuse Day and Alaska Airlines celebrated by doing a trial run of reusable cups on one of the carrier’s flights. Alaska partnered with r.World to conduct a feasibility study on a roundtrip flight between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP) (r.World is headquartered in Minneapolis.

According to the press release, “r.Cups reduce waste because they’re designed to be reused instead of tossed aside – helping to eliminate single-use waste. After use, the cups are collected, cleaned and sanitized and made ready for their next journey.”

Alaska Airlines Reusable Cups — Alaska Airlines trialed reusable cups on National Reuse Day.

Michael Martin, r.World Founder and CEO, had this to say about the trial:

“We’re excited to team up with Alaska Airlines to take reuse to new heights on National Reuse Day. Together we’re showing that reuse is an easy way to eliminate single-use waste on flights. Alaska Airlines is leading efforts to bring sustainable innovations to their fleet and overall travel industry.”

Alaska Airlines has long been focused on sustainability and reducing waste. Over the past few years the airline:

Became the first airline to deliver a plastic-free beverage service to guests onboard, swapping out plastic cups for paper cups, or in First class, reusable glassware. This transition eliminates 55 million plastic cups annually.
Replaced plastic water bottles with Boxed Water which is served from 92% plant-based cartons.
Conducted a series of West Coast beach cleanups and worked to raise awareness about the impact of plastic waste.
Allowed guests to pre-order meals which resulted in a 61% reduction in food waste from 2019 to 2023.
Became the first U.S. airline to ditch plastic straws and stir sticks on board.

Alaska Airlines began serving Boxed Water in 2021 and eliminated plastic cups in 2023. — Alaska Airlines began serving Boxed Water in 2021.

While Alaska has been on the forefront of sustainability among US carriers, this whole thing seems a little gimmicky. Guests in First Class already receive beverages in reusable glassware during flight. The airline has already switched from plastic to paper cups, a first among the major U.S. carriers, in Economy.

Alaska Airlines Paper Cups — Alaska Airlines began using paper instead of plastic cups in January 2023.

While these cups weigh less than glass cups, the fact that they need to be removed from the aircraft to be washed and sanitized before being reloaded seems like a daunting task. For the 12 passengers in First Class using glassware, this isn’t a huge deal. However, doing this exercise for 160+ passengers in Economy on every flight seems like a logistical nightmare.

Ryan Spies, Alaska Airlines’ Managing Director of Sustainability, seemed to hint at this when he said;

“This feasibility study will help us better understand additional ways we can cut onboard waste. While we are only running a limited test at this point, we hope to gain valuable lessons and learnings that we can bring forward.”

If you’re interested in the airline’s sustainability programs you can read more about it here.

Summary

To celebrate National Reuse Day, Alaska Airlines partnered with r.World to offer reusable plastic cups on a roundtrip flight from the carrier’s Seattle hub to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Alaska is already one of the most sustainability focused airlines in the country and I can’t imagine them rolling this out fleetwide anytime soon.

(Images courtesy Alaska Airlines)