British Airways could start charging short-haul passengers for in-flight meals

Until now, complimentary meals on short-haul flights have been one of the key differentiators between British Airways and no-frills carriers such as easyJet and Ryanair. This is about to change. Britain's flagship airline is now considering scrapping free in-flight meals on short-haul flights in an attempt to keep overall costs low and fares competitive.

According to the airline's new chief executive, Alex Cruz, passengers will have the option of paying for a higher quality meal.  Vueling, Iberia and Aer Lingus, all owned by BA’s parent company IAG, have already adopted this new measure. The airline hopes for a smooth transition as passengers have become accustomed to paying for food on short-haul flights.  Speculations involving Waitrose as a potential supplier are yet to be confirmed.

Long-haul flights are not guaranteed to be spared from these developments either. British Airways recently introduced a new pre-paid option, allowing passengers on long-distance flights to pre-purchase a higher quality meal as an upgrade to the complimentary one.

Whether or not passengers will take well to these changes remains to be seen. In a statement, a BA spokesman declared: “Everything we do is with our customers in mind and we will make changes that reflect their feedback”.