Complimentary snacks in coach?

Staff admin
Sep 6, 2023
2 min read

You were running late for your flight, got held up through TSA security and your flight is already boarding so you missed the chance to eat something at the airport or grab a go bag to keep you from starving on for the next 3 hours on the flight. Ah don't worry the airline will feed you. right?

Well yes and no or may be.

All US airlines faced some form of financial hardship post 9/11 and then through COVID. All the airline brain cells were being spent on initiatives that would result in cost savings for the airline. Why burn cash on items that were nice to have but not must have. Guess what, complimentary snacks and beverages were the low hanging fruit items which were deemed nice to have and not must have items. Most of the US carriers domestically decided that customers can and should pay for basic drinks and snacks, that previously were part of the cabin service offered to all coach customers.

These carriers were also probably inspired by several of the low cost airlines who always charged for these items including for basics such as water. Adoption of this model during the financial hardship years was universal except Southwest and JetBlue who may have reduced their menu but never the less continued to offer free non-alcoholic beverages and snacks.

Don't get me wrong these complementary items weren't anything substantial or filling but at least peanuts, pretzels and a soft drink were offered.

What is really annoying, is how airline executives think of customer service as an easy target for cost savings initiatives. The likely hood of a customer defecting from one airline that charges for a water bottle to one that does not is highly unlikely, and the airlines banked on this probability. What was the worst that could happen? The complaints and Customer satisfaction scores would likely take a hit for a while but eventually customers would accept it and move on. The airline executives were spot on. The costs were controlled and customers did not defect.

Today, as the surge in leisure travel is back in coach class, airlines that had previously abolished or thinned their complementary snack and beverage offerings, are busy marketing the quality of the snacks they offer. The airlines are trying to out maneuver each other by offering healthier snacks and a wider selection too. This service differentiation through competition is a good thing for all consumers traveling in coach.

No surprises then that some airlines do not and will not offer any complimentary snacks or beverages. Allegiant, Spirit and Frontier have decided their model is better served to save on snacks/beverage cost and pass these savings on to you the traveler in the form of cheap air travel. Excuse me if i don't buy that bull. A Spirit flight from DFW to LGA without snacks can be purchased for the same price on Southwest, American, Delta or Jetblue who all offer comprehensive complimentary snacks and beverages.

Know before you go, don't be surprised if you get asked to pay for a water bottle. Here is information collected from the airlines web sites that will help inform you better about what to expect for coach cabin domestic travel in terms of complementary menu.

Complementary snack & beverages by airline (US coach class, domestic)

Alaska

On trips more than 350 miles. Coca-Cola®,