In a year when many airlines are quietly shrinking, simplifying or scrapping their complimentary amenity kits, a handful of major carriers in the Middle East and Türkiye are doubling down on them in economy. Emirates, Qantas, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines are all treating economy amenity kits as a strategic asset for branding, comfort and sustainability in 2026, even as peers shift toward on-demand or bare‑bones offerings.
Amenity Kits Under Pressure In 2026
The amenity kit used to be an almost unquestioned staple of long haul flying, but in 2026 its role is being actively debated inside airline boardrooms. Under pressure to cut costs, reduce cabin waste and simplify inflight service, a growing number of carriers have pared back or removed standard kits in economy and even some premium cabins, replacing them with small bundles of essentials handed out on request.
Airlines in Asia and the South Pacific have been particularly vocal about waste concerns, citing data that a high proportion of pre‑placed kits are left unopened on seats and ultimately discarded. For carriers facing tighter margins and ambitious sustainability targets, the logical response has been to scale back. At the same time, environmental advocates and some frequent flyers argue that traditional kits wrapped in layers of plastic are out of step with the push toward low‑impact travel.
Yet the retreat is far from universal. Industry analysts note a growing divide between airlines that see amenity kits as expendable, and those that view them as a relatively low‑cost way to differentiate their brand, especially on long haul routes where comfort and perceived value carry extra weight. It is in this second camp that Emirates, Qantas, Etihad, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines have firmly planted their flag, particularly when it comes to the back of the plane.
Emirates: Wildlife, Wellness And Cactus-Based Pouches
Dubai based Emirates has emerged as one of the most visible defenders of the amenity kit, rolling out a completely new collection for economy and premium economy passengers on long haul flights from December 2025. The airline has used the refresh to combine three priorities that have defined its recent strategy: sustainability, storytelling and passenger wellbeing.
The new kits are built around a partnership with conservation initiative United for Wildlife and feature collectible pouches made from bio‑based and recycled materials, including fabrics derived from cactus. Each design highlights endangered species associated with one of four natural environments sea, sky, forest and desert, accompanied by information cards explaining the threats they face. The airline hopes the bags will be reused on the ground, extending both their lifespan and the reach of the wildlife message.
Inside, economy passengers receive classic overnight comforts such as socks, eye mask, toothbrush, toothpaste and earplugs, while premium economy customers get an expanded selection that now includes plant based skincare products from Aveda. The contents echo a broader focus on health and nutrition across the Emirates network, from a shift away from engineered meat substitutes on vegan menus to investment in fresh produce from its Dubai vertical farm.
For Emirates, the continued investment in physical kits is less a nostalgic holdout and more a conscious bid to turn a once generic giveaway into what executives describe as a keepsake. The airline is gambling that well designed, reusable bags with a clear environmental narrative can satisfy sustainability critics while reinforcing the carrier’s luxury image in every cabin.
Qantas: Waste Cuts, Paper Packaging And The Branding Battle
Australia’s Qantas has taken a more cautious path, but it too has decided that amenity kits remain part of the experience, including for economy travellers on longer routes. As the group pursues waste reduction and circularity targets, its amenity program has been thoroughly reworked rather than abandoned.
The carrier has phased out many single use plastic components in both premium and economy kits, shifting toward paper based packaging and recycled materials. Company sustainability updates for the 2024–25 financial year highlighted the launch of new amenity kits across the cabin spectrum as a key contributor to the removal or replacement of more than 21 million additional single-use plastic items. That figure gives a sense of the scale of waste historically tied up in miniature toothbrushes, wrappers and pouches.
At the same time, Qantas has leaned on amenity kits as branding showcases, particularly in premium cabins through collaborations with Australian labels and skincare brands. Recent commentary from aviation analysts in the region points out that while Qantas has publicly relaxed some of its strict plastic reduction timelines in response to supply chain constraints, it has not used that as a pretext to scale back amenities. Instead, the airline is positioning redesigned kits as part of a broader customer experience upgrade that includes larger economy meal trays and refreshed menus on international routes.
For economy passengers, the message is that amenity kits may look and feel different in 2026 lighter, more recyclable, less overtly luxurious but they are not disappearing. Qantas is betting that thoughtful design and visible ties to local brands and materials will persuade travellers that a more sustainable kit can still feel like a perk rather than a cost cutting exercise.
Etihad: Collectible Economy Totes As Everyday Objects
In Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways has chosen a slightly different model, using its amenity program to blur the line between onboard offering and lifestyle accessory. The airline has spent the past two years overhauling kits in every cabin, with a particular emphasis on reuse and contemporary design.
In economy, Etihad now provides amenity totes on flights over six hours. Instead of a small pouch destined for a drawer, passengers receive a foldable bag designed to be useful well beyond the journey. Available in three collectible versions that mirror the airline’s aircraft liveries, the totes are made from recycled plastic and arrive stocked with core amenities such as an eyeshade, earplugs and Beekman 1802 hand cream.
The airline describes the collection as a bridge between functionality and luxury, pitched as an accessory that can be repurposed for shopping, commuting or gym visits. By concentrating multiple items in a single reusable bag, Etihad has also been able to strip out secondary packaging and reduce plastic components, aligning the offering with its own environmental commitments.
In the context of a wider onboard refresh that includes co branded premium kits with Giorgio Armani and upgrades to tableware and loungewear, the decision to maintain a distinct economy amenity product underscores Etihad’s belief that even the most budget conscious passengers respond to touches of design. The tote concept offers a template for how an airline can defend amenity kits in an era of waste scrutiny by making them obviously useful at home.
Qatar Airways: Quiet Consistency In The Back Of The Plane
Qatar Airways has drawn headlines in recent years for its high profile business and first class collaborations on amenity kits, but it has also remained one of the carriers that still offer structured amenity provisions to economy passengers on long haul services. While the airline has been less vocal than its Gulf neighbours about the details, travellers on extended flights continue to receive kits with essentials such as socks, eyeshades and dental items, either pre placed on seats or distributed after takeoff depending on the route.
The Doha based carrier has focused its public messaging on premium products including branded pouches and designer cosmetics in business class, but its approach to economy aligns with the broader Qatar Airways mantra of offering a relatively premium experience even in the lowest cabins. In practice, that has meant keeping touches like amenity kits, snack services and a wide entertainment catalogue available on many routes where competitors have pared back to the basics.
Industry watchers expect Qatar Airways to follow its regional peers in gradually reshaping the form and material of economy kits, tilting toward more obviously sustainable designs and partnerships while retaining the underlying service. For now, what stands out in 2026 is the carrier’s quiet consistency. While not as heavily marketed as Emirates’ endangered species bags or Etihad’s totes, Qatar Airways’ economy kits remain a small but telling part of its competitive positioning on long haul corridors between Europe, Asia and Africa.
For travellers weighing up options on busy routes through the Gulf, that consistency contributes to a perception that comfort extras are less likely to vanish mid booking, even as the airline experiments at the top of the cabin pyramid with new premium concepts.
Turkish Airlines: Culture, Collaboration And Economy Collectibles
Turkish Airlines has taken perhaps the most culturally rooted approach to amenity kits among the five carriers. In 2024 and 2025, the Istanbul based airline rolled out a refreshed range that spans business and economy cabins, with designs inspired by both global fashion houses and Türkiye’s own UNESCO listed heritage sites.
For business class, a tie up with Lanvin Parfums produced a series of reusable bags stocked with premium skincare and fragrance in packaging that leans into the fashion label’s Parisian aesthetic. However, Turkish Airlines has also made a point of designing amenity concepts specifically for economy, rather than treating the cabin as an afterthought. On long haul flights, economy passengers receive kits developed in partnership with Italian travel gear brand Mandarina Duck, offered in bold colours and containing essentials including lip balm from local specialist Atelier Rebul.
Another economy concept, created with Istanbul Modern art museum, uses patterns and artwork referencing Turkish culture and history on short and medium haul routes. Earlier, the carrier introduced a UNESCO Türkiye series of pouches featuring stylised depictions of sites such as Mount Nemrut for passengers in both cabins on longer sectors. In each case, the designs are meant to be collectible and to connect travellers with the country’s cultural narrative before they land.
As with its Middle Eastern peers, Turkish Airlines has wrapped these collaborations in a sustainability message, highlighting the use of recycled textiles, paper packaging for earplugs and bamboo components in toothbrushes. The airline argues that pairing high design value with lower impact materials turns amenity kits from a disposable extra into an ambassador for Turkish style and responsible travel.
Why These Carriers Are Holding The Line
The decision by Emirates, Qantas, Etihad, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines to retain and refresh economy amenity kits in 2026 is not a sentimental one. Executives and designers across the five groups point to a combination of strategic reasons: brand differentiation, passenger psychology on long flights, and the relatively small cost of kits compared with the goodwill they can generate.
For leisure travellers who may take one or two long haul trips a year, an amenity kit is still a tangible symbol that they are getting something extra from a full service carrier. Analysts note that these occasional flyers are often the most likely to share photos on social media and to associate the airline with generosity or a touch of luxury. At the same time, leaving kits off seats but making them available only on request, as some rivals do, risks embarrassment for passengers who are shy about asking, especially in more reserved cultures.
By contrast, pre placing or routinely distributing kits sends a clear signal about what is included in the ticket price. In competitive markets such as Europe to Southeast Asia or Australia to the Middle East, where price differences between carriers can be slim, these small cues can tilt perceptions. Airlines that want to sustain a premium halo across the cabin have concluded that the marketing value of a well executed kit outweighs the potential savings of removal, provided materials and logistics are handled more efficiently.
Sustainability concerns have not disappeared, but the five airlines have sought to answer them with design innovation rather than retreat. Recycled textiles, bio based fabrics, reduced plastic components and multipurpose bags all feature heavily in the newest kits. The underlying message is that amenity kits are not inherently wasteful the problem lies in how they are made and whether they are destined for a single use life.
The New Economics Of Comfort At 35,000 Feet
The persistence of economy amenity kits at these carriers also reflects a broader recalibration of what counts as value in air travel after the pandemic era. With fares on many long haul routes still elevated compared with pre 2020 levels, passengers have become more sensitive to visible cutbacks in service. Airlines that maintain or enhance small comforts can signal that higher prices are being channelled back into the experience rather than simply absorbed by fuel and finance costs.
At the same time, modern amenity programs are being expected to work harder. Airlines now use them as platforms to showcase local designers and skincare brands, reinforce environmental pledges and extend the brand into the everyday lives of travellers. A tote bag carried to a supermarket in Abu Dhabi or a wildlife printed pouch used as a pencil case in Europe may do more for brand recognition than a traditional advertising spot.
That multifaceted role helps explain why, in 2026, economy amenity kits have become a litmus test for airline strategy. Carriers that view them purely as a cost are increasingly stepping away. Those that see them as a flexible tool for storytelling and differentiation are investing in new materials, new partnerships and new designs.
For now, passengers flying economy with Emirates, Qantas, Etihad, Qatar Airways or Turkish Airlines remain among the relative few who can still expect to find a thoughtfully curated kit waiting on their seat, even as many of their global competitors quietly remove the same perk from view.