Air Canada chops North American inflight meals
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Air Canada chops North American inflight meals
From CBC.ca
Hungry Air Canada passengers travelling on most flights within North America, in the lower-fare classes, will now need to pay for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The airline, which will charge up to $5 for snacks and sandwiches, says the move is an effort to keep up with customer demand for low fares. The change took effect on Nov. 1.
Complimentary meal service will only be offered on North American flights longer than 4.5 hours, says the company's website.
A spokesperson for Air Canada in Vancouver says the move is simply an extension of what the airline started in 2003 when it scrapped meals for short and medium-haul flights.
Spokesperson Angela Mah says the company needs to compete with airlines such as WestJet, which has always charged for meals.
Mah says there's another change as of Nov. 1. – passengers wanting pillows will need to pay $2.
Mah acknowledges some customers may feel there's been a loss in service, but she says Air Canada's research shows the biggest concern for most travellers is price.
Brad Davies thinks back fondly to the days before no-frills flying became the norm.
"Travel used to be a rather elegant way to spend your day, and now it's ... just a really fast bus."
The director of sales for the travel agency Global Travel says Air Canada's decision mirrors that of many American carriers that have already stripped away food.
Still, Davies says he's disappointed.
"I think there'll be quite a few people upset. Most people don't really pay a lot of attention when they're booking online and they could easily go to the airport to find out they don't get a meal and they thought they would."
When I book a flight, the cost is a mystery to me. It's not like getting on a bus when you know what the cost will be. Also, considering the cost of a flight can run into hundreds of dollars / pounds, an extra 7 bucks can be easily absorbed into the cost of the ticket. To me, it looks as if Air Canada is trying to look like a low cost for short haul and full service for long haul. How to confuse your customers in one easy lesson!
Hungry Air Canada passengers travelling on most flights within North America, in the lower-fare classes, will now need to pay for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The airline, which will charge up to $5 for snacks and sandwiches, says the move is an effort to keep up with customer demand for low fares. The change took effect on Nov. 1.
Complimentary meal service will only be offered on North American flights longer than 4.5 hours, says the company's website.
A spokesperson for Air Canada in Vancouver says the move is simply an extension of what the airline started in 2003 when it scrapped meals for short and medium-haul flights.
Spokesperson Angela Mah says the company needs to compete with airlines such as WestJet, which has always charged for meals.
Mah says there's another change as of Nov. 1. – passengers wanting pillows will need to pay $2.
Mah acknowledges some customers may feel there's been a loss in service, but she says Air Canada's research shows the biggest concern for most travellers is price.
Brad Davies thinks back fondly to the days before no-frills flying became the norm.
"Travel used to be a rather elegant way to spend your day, and now it's ... just a really fast bus."
The director of sales for the travel agency Global Travel says Air Canada's decision mirrors that of many American carriers that have already stripped away food.
Still, Davies says he's disappointed.
"I think there'll be quite a few people upset. Most people don't really pay a lot of attention when they're booking online and they could easily go to the airport to find out they don't get a meal and they thought they would."
When I book a flight, the cost is a mystery to me. It's not like getting on a bus when you know what the cost will be. Also, considering the cost of a flight can run into hundreds of dollars / pounds, an extra 7 bucks can be easily absorbed into the cost of the ticket. To me, it looks as if Air Canada is trying to look like a low cost for short haul and full service for long haul. How to confuse your customers in one easy lesson!
