British Airways to stop in-flight meals in economy class on short-haul flights

British Airways, the national flag-carrier airline of the United Kingdom, is stopping in-flight meals, except breakfast, for economy-class passengers on short-haul flights.This cost-cutting step, starting next week, is aimed at saving the debt-ridden airline £22 million ($36.2 million) a year, according to British Airways.

The airline will, however, continue to serve meals to the passengers in the premium-class and business-class.

A snack and non-alcoholic drink will be served free of charge to all passengers. British Airways also will reduce the range of free alcoholic drinks on short-haul flights.

A spokesman of British Airways was quoted by the British media as saying that the debt-ridden carrier was doing away with the sandwich or full meal that are served on short-haul flights lasting under two and a half hours and after 10 a.m.

However, he added that the airline will continue to serve complimentary snacks and drinks on board, but plastic-cups of water will replace complimentary bottled water.

At the same time, passengers of British Airways cannot buy food on board like they can do on board budget carriers such as easyJet and Ryanair.

In a statement, British Airways said that the airline has found in a research that it could cut costs in the area of catering “without affecting customer experience.”

It was also found that the airline suffered about 30% wastage on account of providing free meals on certain routes.

The research, according to British Airways, suggested that it was only after two and a half hours in the air that passengers needed “more substantial refreshments.”

It may be noted that Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways, has been attempting to effect cost reductions in the airline – which employs over 40,000 people – in what he told the employees as “a fight for survival.”

Willie Walsh’s steps to cut costs included voluntary redundancies, as well as the employees, including Walsh himself, agreeing to work without pay in July 2009.

Aviation analysts say that British Airways is the “most vulnerable” among the major Europe-based carriers owing to the protracted slump in the aviation sector, and that is why, despite a fund-raising to the tune of about $1 billion, it is striving to reduce costs.

Meanwhile, the media quoted the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (BASSA) – a branch of the Transport and General Workers Union exclusively for British Airways’ cabin crew – as saying that British Airways had informed them of further cuts that the carrier was considering.

These planned reductions include removing chocolates and Jacob’s crackers from the first-class passengers, eliminating complimentary packets of pretzels in the economy-class, and removing hot towels from the Club Class.