Always on the lookout for additional savings, Europe's traditional airlines are continuing to abandon what made them different from their low-cost counterparts: the provision of a free snack on board. Over the last few years, British Airways, the Lufthansa group, Finnair, SAS Scandinavian Airlines and TAP Air Portugal have all made the move. aligned with the low-cost offer. Air France-KLM will also be joining the movement.
KLM already seems to be working on abolishing this free service - generally a sandwich or wrap with a drink - from 2025. Nothing has yet been confirmed, but rumours are swirling about this possibility. For its part, Air France has also just indicated that it will test this idea on two lines Paris-Helsinki and Paris-Lisbon. These are routes where its two competitors now only offer services for a fee.
The company will always offer a free drink - coffee, tea or water - accompanied by a sweet or savoury snack, also free of charge. For those who would like a more substantial offerthe company will be selling sandwiches, snacks and drinksdepending on flight time. A final decision will be taken following this test. Business class passengers can rest assured that nothing will change for them in terms of services.
In-flight service is one of the costs that airlines can still reduce. Even if this cost is often less than five euros for a "normal" meal, and even less for a sandwich with a drink... Airlines sell this idea to passengers, arguing that à la carte service allows them to offer lower prices. Unless they help passengers to keep in shape !
Interestingly, the Lufthansa group reduced its on-board service to one drink after Covid. The group has done an about-face and decided to reintroduce a snack in every classroom. After realising that its service was being perceived increasingly negatively by its customers. " Obviously, we'll be paying close attention to how our customers react to this test drive. And there will always be a free on-board service." says Henri Hourcade, Managing Director, Sales France.
