In a devastating move for Biscoff cookie fans, Delta Air Lines announced this week that it will no longer serve free snacks and beverages to economy passengers on flights of less than 350 miles, starting May 19.
For some fliers, the reaction was: You can take beverages from their cold, dehydrated hands.
“Paying premium prices for a budget experience is crazy work,” one social media user wrote.
Trips under 250 miles were already service-free in economy. The roughly 450 affected flights — or 9 percent of the carrier’s daily flights — previously offered an “Express Service” featuring water, coffee, tea and two snack options.
At the same time, Drake Castañeda, a Delta spokesperson, said the airline is upgrading about 600 flights in the 350-to-500-mile range from express to full service, which includes all alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages and four snack choices. (Boozy drinksare not complimentary.) That’s about 14 percent of daily flights.
The airline said in a statement that the change is intended “to create a more consistent experience across our network.” Castañeda also noted that it was challenging to execute express service on such short flights.
“The flight attendants aren’t really able to begin any kind of service until we get to at least 10,000 feet, and then they have to wind things down to prepare for arrival once they start the descent,” he said. “This is all contingent on it being a smooth flight.”
Delta isn’t unique in limiting snack services, and some budget airlines charge for anything they serve you. Even so, many travelers are still grumbling, but is it warranted? We discuss.
Natalie Compton: Okay, maybe a hot take, but I think this move is a good thing. It cuts down on trash, people already bring their own water bottles and these are SHORT flights. How long is a 350-mile flight in air time?
Andrea Sachs: It’s less than an hour. But I save my thirst for the flight so I don’t have pay exorbitant airport prices. The free drink is like a little bonbon I can savor for however long the actual flight time is — 18 minutes, 22 minutes. I don’t care.
Hannah Sampson: Just for practical reasons, I see how the change makes sense. But I get why a lot of people are feeling burned, too. It just feels like a constant stripping away of perks or basic services.
AS: They don’t give us anything beyond the seat. They are eliminating all of the special touches. If I wanted bare-bones, I’d fly the ultra-budgets — well, minus one. RIP, Spirit.
HS: I’m usually racing through the airport with my hands full, and there are bathroom stops to be made. I’m not taking time to hydrate. And I will not be paying $4 or whatever the going rate is for a bottle of soda to bring on a plane, absolutely not. I have come to depend on the plane drink.
I know Delta is saying that they’re adding some [full] snack and beverage service on flights that didn’t have it before, so I guess that’s something someone is getting. But when you’re making basic economy even less appealing, it feels like a net negative.
NC: Right, we don’t even get miles on basic economy flights anymore! This feels like another blow.
AS: I do have to say that I regularly do not receive a beverage or snack because the air is so choppy. Then I regret not filling my water bottle or grabbing an airport beverage, so that’s on me. And I do feel for the flight attendants as they rush to take everyone’s order, then dash the carts back to the galley and return with trash bags. It’d be nice if we could place our order in advance and our drink would be waiting. Oh wait, is that first class?
HS: Even if the airline is calling off the service, how hard would it be to provide a little cookie and water bottle on request? Even as you’re boarding? Because one thing I know is if I am flying Delta, I will be craving a Biscoff.
NC: Biscoff at boarding sounds like a perfect compromise.
HS: Delta, are you listening? (Also, other airlines: Are you going to do the same? That’s usually how it goes.) [Editor’s note: American Airlines said it offers free nonalcoholic drinks and snacks on flights over 250 miles. United Airlines has free drinks on all flights and snacks on flights of more than 300 miles.]
NC: Andrea made a good point: These poor flight attendants were rushed to do this service on an extremely short flight. Meanwhile, they’re competing with AirPods and noise-canceling headphones to get peoples’ attention, then people leave trash behind. I’d want to get rid of the service, too. Maybe they could do some kind of self-service?
AS: My only concern with self-service is if they offer the amenity during boarding, it will slow the process even more. It’ll be chaos, with people asking for substitutes or trying to carry one more item in their already full hands.
HS: Ugh fine it’s a no-win situation. Put ’em at the gate before boarding! They can have this idea for free.
AS: I also have to say that express service wasn’t really doing it for me, since I am still unsure if those warnings about contaminated airplane water are substantiated, and I try to not drink tiny plastic bottles of water because of the wastefulness. So if coffee, tea and water are the only options, I am okay with losing those.
NC: I’d argue most of us did take advantage of this kind of service — whether we were really thirsty or not! But when the offer was there, we thought, “Hey, it’s a free can of Coke.” Now I’m stuck with half a soda I didn’t need that’ll end up in the trash.
AS: I am totally that person who can’t finish her drink in that short time span. Then I have to embarrassingly place a sloshing cup of liquid into the trash bag. One time, I just poured it into my Hydro Flask.
Oh, I have a thought! Maybe Delta can make a deal with airport concessionaires to give passengers with short-short-haul flights a 10 percent discount. You’re welcome, Delta.
NC: It’s hard enough getting a $12 meal voucher for a canceled flight. I do not see them giving us any kind of discount, but it would be a nice gesture.
Which brings me to my other point: I do not think this service cut is the biggest deal in the world. But I do think airlines — not just Delta, but the other guys, too — have never had a worse image to the general public. They’ve cut and cut and cut, left us with zero miles on basic economy flights and hiked fees all around.
HS: Obviously we will survive without a snack and few sips of water for an hour. I don’t want to merely survive when I’m traveling; I want to thrive. Maybe it’d be up to me to BYO Biscoff.
AS: And bring enough for the whole class, please.
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