i think Laker only started to charge for food on the very first Skytrain flights to the USA.
the IT charters were still catered - IIRC Laker reintroduced free hot meals on their USA flights - i used them often until their collapse and i did not pay for meals on Miami or LAX.
It was Thomson holidays that were the first tour operator (and airline - in the form of Britannia) to unravel the original package holiday (where you got it all flight/baggage/seat number/meal -hot usually-coach transfer and hotel with all meals as booked)
this unravelling was all done under the title ''Just for You''
then the lo-co airlines started and the rest is history....
we have to blame Thomson for the mess we are now in with ridiculous charges and extras and no food on 5 hour flights etc etc
even the legacy carriers have cut back enormously hence no meal on a SIN-LHR flight until breakfast time!
awful