4.5 hour flight and no free refreshments?

[BlueJeansNiceTop]

Granted I’m more of a long haul traveller on decent airlines that give you complimentary meals, drinks and booze.

But I’ve just come off a 4.5 hour TUI flight and was astonished not to even get a free cup of tea. Is that the norm now?!

Totally normal, I am also more of a long haul flier but I always read the small print before flying so I know what is included with whom. In fact I am so sad, I also check what is on the menu first too and whether I will have to pay for my G&T!

I have to say I was more surprised the KLM City Hopper to Amsterdam which is cheaper than Jet2 for our airpoirt gives you a cup of tea and a breakfast croissant or tiny sandwich for a 40 minutes flight!

On the flight back it’s always the egg wrap with a strange plastic cup of water with a peal off lid which soaks you if your not careful when you open it.

Spilling it is the best you can do with it in my opinion. It's hidious tasting water.

100% normal

You don;t get anything free on BA shorthaul anymore either

Take a bottle of water with you

I Think this is the way airlines are going. We fly to Canada later this year with Transat and I don’t think we get any free food on that flight (about 9 hours). However it was over £1000 cheaper each for me and DH than flying the same one way route with BA so I think it’s worth it. I will eat at the airport and buy Pret sandwiches and crisps in case I get peckish on the flight so all I’ll want to buy on the plane is a couple of glasses of wine.

OP I found this out last year when I travelled on a cheaper airline for the first time since I was a student. I was shocked! If I’d known I would have taken a picnic

I have always expected to pay for food and drink on short haul but was gutted when we flew long haul with Thomas Cook and were provided with the minimum food and drink. I had to pay for film packages and gin! At least Tui are a bit more generous with their drinks on long haul.

Completely normal - 6 hr flight to egypt too.

Its not free though - they do include it in the cost of your ticket. Personally I would rather pay less and buy myself something edible from Pret a manger rather than the slop on a plate they serve on a plane.

I don't even mind paying if the food is decent and it hasn't run out by the time the trolley reaches you (which it often has or choice is limited). Like others, I usually buy at Boots, which is fine, but you are not supposed to drink your own alcohol on board and I like to have a G & T, not least because I am a nervous flyer. Sometimes the service has been so slow that on an admittedly shortish flight, we have begun our descent before the trolley arrives. First world problems, I guess!

We did 4 6-7 hour trips with Ethiopian Airlines last year and were given two meals on each. It was quite tasty, though I was actually judged by the cabin crew for not waking my kids at 2:30am for 'dinner'.

I love plane food, just for how it fills in the time, as you poke around and explore all the tiny strange containters and packets. But I haven't really travelled enough for the novelty to wear off, I've only done 6 long haul flights.

I always take sandwiches etc. with me from home, take a thermos flask and a teabag and fill up the flask at a cafe after security (sometimes they won't let me fill up my flask so I just fill up the biggest cup and then tip it into my flask after I pay) and then I've got a big flask of tea to last me the journey, buy a bottle of water/fill up my own bottle at a sink.

Ooh who was that with @DontCallMeCharlotte, I’m thinking of taking DH there for his birthday?

Yes but it's hardly unreasonable. I'd be objecting if, say, I was flying long haul with Emirates etc but not with Tui short haul.

@TansyTree I fly Air France from uk to Paris fairly frequently and a sandwich and drinks including wine are still distributed as standard.

I was on a long haul transatlantic flight a couple of years ago on BA and they couldn’t stop feeding us. It was ridiculous. Every time they cleared up, it seemed they were coming round again.
We were so sick of food by the time we got off and we didn’t even eat the last snack and meal.

Thanks mystery.

I always buy good before the flight. Although last time the people in the seat in front of me got on my nerves so I ordered a bottle of champagne that made the flight go quicker !

I never actually use the entertainment system on long flights. I download stuff on netflix to my ipad before I go, or I read. I mostly try to sleep! I tend to leave mine on the map thing that shows you where you are.

We always buy food at the airport and take it on. Just because we've had problems in the past with DS being fussy when he was younger and some sandwiches being 'mixed' - so ham and tomato (DS doesn't like tomato).

So we split up and go to our favourite sandwich or pastry places at the airport and stock up! Then eat as we need to. We'll take soft drinks on board but buy a hot drink if we need it.

It’s the ‘Ryanair Effect’. European short-haul airlines have been engaged in a ferocious race to the bottom for the last 15 years.

Headline ticket prices are now the only thing that matters. The product has been ‘unbundled’, so stuff that was once included in the price of the ticket, eg baggage allowances, ‘free’ food, alcohol, itinerary changes etc etc now cost extra, even on BA which after seeing its market share decline for years has been forced to compete with the low-cost airlines.

The benefit of this to the customer is that, in real terms, short-haul flying is much, much cheaper than it has ever been. Unless, of course, you absolutely insist on flying at peak times, eg to Malaga or Palma on a Saturday in August or to Munich for Oktoberfest, or to Ireland on Christmas Eve. At those times demand for seats massively exceeds supply and market forces rule.

Yup, flew to New York with Jet2. Nothing.

It was the most uncomfortable flight I’ve ever been on. By the time you’ve paid for the meals it won’t be worth it, not for that level of discomfort. Couldn’t pre-book meals for the return flight either.

Never again.

Yup, flew to New York with Jet2. Nothing.

Makes note never to fly with Jet2!

Sine airlines make as little as 50p per seat profit hence so many going broke eg. Bmi, germania or up for sale eg wow, flybe. Margins are really really tight.

Yes, but if you fly in Scotland on Loganair you still get a cup of tea and a tunnocks caramel wafer

Fantastic

Sounds pretty normal. I think BA do free refreshments and if you up grade to premium economy I think you get a free drink on TC.

I don't understand why people expect a meal on a flight. Would you expect a meal on a train?