Marks & Spencer reveal their inflight menu for British Airways… and you’ll have to pay for it
- British Airways passengers have to pay for catering on short-haul flights, but will be able to chose from some delicious Marks & Spencer favourites
- Everything on the menu is under £5, and there are vegetarian and gluten free options
- Choose from a M&S Café bacon roll for £4.75, classic cheese ploughman’s sandwich for £3 or a classic fruit salad for £3.10
- Soft drinks are from £1.50, with alcohol starting at £4
- Popular Percy Pig sweets will also be on sale for £1.80
British Airways passengers will have to PAY for food and drink on short-haul flights if they want a mid-air snack.
The airline is ditching the free food on offer on flights under five hours, putting it on the same page as other no-frills carriers like easyJet and Ryanair.
Marks & Spencer is to provide the in-flight catering for short-haul BA flights
In the past, people on these kind of BA flights would get something like a bacon sarnie and a drink.
But travellers can wave goodbye to that from January 11 next year.
Instead, the company is teaming up with Marks & Spencer, which will now provide its in-flight catering.
All British Airways flights under three and a half hours from both Heathrow and Gatwick will be offering the new M&S menu for economy passengers
On offer will be things like the famous Percy Pigs sweets, a bacon butty, cheddar ploughmans and roast beef sarnies as well as a host of other familiar M&S on-the-go snacks, crisps and treats.
The news will come as a blow to many, but the plus side is the prices aren't too high.
There will be 21 favourites on offer, like £1 crisps, how sandwiches for £4.74 and fruit salad for £3.10
Other snacks include a nut assortment, wasabi peas, salted cashews, Oriental snack mix, flapjacks and crisps.
And for a sweet treat, as well as the famous Percy Pigs, there’s milk chocolate covered popcorn and pretzels, Swiss milk chocolate mountain bars and packs of mini oat biscuits.
RELATED STORIES
You'll be able to get your holiday started early too, with soft drinks from £1.50 and alcoholic tipples from £4.50.
You’ll be able to pay for your food with debit or credit cards - including contactless cards - as well as with British Airway’s Avios loyalty points.
BA insist this will mean there will not be long waits while passengers are paying for their choices and are looking at ways to let customers pre-order their onboard snacks.
The announcement is the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures as the airline pits itself against its low-cost rivals.
The airline recently came under fire for removing the second meal service on its long haul flights under seven hours and this latest move - ending the traditional free food and drink on all their short haul flights - may also come as a shock to loyal passengers.
But the airline insists it is necessary to help them compete with the low-cost carriers and offer cheaper flights.
Chairman Alex Cruz said this week: “Our passengers have told more choice and quality products. Marks and Spencer is a well-known British brand that is respected and trusted, so it’s an ideal partnership.
“We’ll be refreshing the choices every three months and hope to introduce seasonal specials too.”
The menu changes will also be introduced to BA flights from Stansted and London City airport by summer next year. Passengers travelling in their Club Europe business seats will continue to get free food and drink.