BRITISH Airways passengers were left disappointed when the airline removed free food and drinks on short-haul flights and replaced it with M&S food that you have to pay for in 2017.
However, passengers travelling on the CityFlyer services have found that they are still able to get snacks and booze for free.
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Flights to and from London City, London Stansted, Birmingham Bristol, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester marked as CityFlyer are still given complimentary food and drink.
These routes fly to a number of destinations in Europe such as France, Spain and Germany.
This can range from light snacks and drinks to a more substantial meal depending on the time of day and length of flight.
Snacks can include Corkers crisps or Tyrell’s popcorn.
Alcoholic drinks are also complimentary, such as Gordon’s gin and the BA Brewdog IPA.
Some passengers said they were given bacon rolls or continental meal options, such as a croissant with cheese and ham.
According to the British Airways website: “You can continue to enjoy our complimentary food and drink service but look forward to the M&S on board menu in the future.
“Depending on the time and duration of your flight, we will offer you a light snack or something more substantial, along with a drink of your choice from the bar.”
It isn’t clear when the M&S food options will be rolled out for the CityFlyer route.
In 2016, the food retailer announced plans to supply the British flag carrier with food in replacement of the free meals.
However, passengers hit back at the airline after being forced to buy food and drink.
Chief executive Willie Walsh moved to defend the airline, saying it is still worth paying a premium to fly BA.
Mr Walsh said: “You only need to travel with Ryanair and British Airways to appreciate the difference.
“Consumers value what they get from BA. If they didn’t, you wouldn’t have customers or see the numbers growing. Sales on board have been well in excess of what we expected. It’s a greater, better choice of food.”
However, long-haul flights continue to have free meals served, with a revamped menu including Graze snack boxes and Magnums.
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How to see if you are on a CityFlyer flight
When booking your British Airways flight, you can check if you will be on a CityFlyer flight.
For example, when booking a flight from London City to Majorca, it explains who will be the carrier.
If it is a standard flight, it will say British Airways.
If it is not, it will say BA CityFlyer.
This route will have free food and drink on it, compared to the other flight which will not.
CityFlyer routes often only fly on weekdays as opposed to the weekend.
Plane food can taste better if wearing noise-cancelling headphones according to an expert.
Professor Charles Spence, a taste expert, said that it can cancel out the low-pitched drone of the engine which can make food taste more bitter.
The European airline which serves the best food, according to one frequent flyer, is Air Europa.
