Trial affects flights from Dulles

One of the last bastions of old-style airline service – free meals for economy class passengers on international flights – could be the next to fall. A United Airlines official told Bloomberg News that starting October 1, the airline will no longer serve meals to economy-class flyers on routes between its Washington Dulles hub and Europe – unless they want to pay for them. First class and business class passengers will continue to receive free meals on the affected flights, which number about 33 a day. United will reportedly charge coach flyers on those routes $6 for “snack boxes” or $9 for salads and sandwiches. The United official told Bloomberg the carrier will conduct customer surveys before deciding whether to extend the practice to other international flights. Meanwhile, United is making some changes in domestic in-flight service. United said that during the fourth quarter, customers flying in business class on domestic flights with three classes of service will be offered the same “Buy on Board” food selections that coach passengers pay for – sandwiches, salads, snacks, etc. – but at no cost. Wine and cocktails will continue to be free for business class flyers, the airline said. The San Francisco Chronicle, citing a memo it said United gave to flight attendants, reported that on September 2 the airline will stop handing out free snacks like pretzels and cookies to economy class passengers.
Also on October 1, the newspaper reported, United plans to increase prices for its buy-on-board food service.