People love to reminisce about the “golden age” of flying when passengers dressed up and acted courteously, and flyers were served real food like carved roast beef on actual china. But they forget that this glamorous mid-20th-century experience came at a very high cost—tickets to fly in those days were a rare luxury purchase limited to the well-to-do.
As jumbo jets like the Boeing 747 lowered airfares by operating on economies of scale, the public’s appetite for cheap tickets only grew. Airlines can only make a profit when they take in more than they spend, and all amenities on flights have to be paid for by someone. If customers want cheap fares, they can’t expect luxury dining too.
And now, Air France customers can expect nothing at all in the hospitality department. The major European airline has announced that it will cease offering free food on all flights, even long-haul trips. Passengers are only going to get coffee, tea, or water. Everything else has to be paid for out of pocket. Free food on an airline isn’t actually free, of course, it’s built into the cost of the ticket. While flyers may complain about airlines “cheaping out,” it is the buying public who demand low-cost fares over any other factor.
Before this change, Air France gave everyone at least a cookie in the morning or a sandwich on longer flights. Passengers were also offered “free” drinks–alcoholic or non–fruit juices, and more.
Air France is one of the last carriers to put effort into the food served on board. The airline just passed its 90th birthday, and it said it has been “celebrating the French art of living” since its founding in 1933. The company has made much of its cuisine, describing it as “constantly reinvented” by top-notch chefs. Now Air France is following behind Dutch carrier KLM, which will start charging for food in 2025.
Opinion is divided, with some flyers recognizing that cost-cutting will help keep fares low. Others, however, complain that the airline is “skimping” and they think they’ll also have to wait longer to be served food if everything is paid for a la carte.
