There is hardly a topic that aviation enthusiasts discuss as frequently, emotionally and intensively as catering and drinks on economy class flights within Europe. The times when, for example, a multi-course menu was served at Tyrolean Airways are long gone. Many providers rely on food and drinks against payment, but the offer is accepted extremely differently.

Subjectively, pretty much every Austrian Airlines flight attendant should have had “classic infrequent flyers” on board, who, however, were served with the fact that on the last flight, which was sometimes decades ago, a schnitzel included in the fare was served on the folding table now the purse has to be pulled out for sandwiches and thirst quenchers. The ticket prices have by no means fallen with the introduction of paid catering on short and medium-haul routes by the Lufthansa Group, because at the moment when demand picked up sharply again, the Lufthansa Aviation Center also wanted to benefit financially. On many short routes, the prices are significantly more expensive than before the Corona pandemic, even though the group of companies is only affected by the sharp rise in fuel costs with a time lag. Fuel hedging is the keyword that has literally saved the buttocks of many airlines.

Most low-cost airlines have entered the market with paid catering from the start. The only differences are in the diversity of the selection and of course in the price. Gradually, established carriers and holiday airlines adopted the concept. Previously, however, suitcase-free tariffs and, in some cases, hand luggage and check-in fees had been copied. This also has a certain educational effect, because many passengers expect that their wallets will have to be pulled out again for every movement. Of course, this does not apply to classic low-flyers who last flew in the 1990s.

The product differences between low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, Easyjet, Eurowings, Vueling, Volotea, Wizz Air and the Lufthansa Group carriers are becoming smaller and smaller. If you take Vienna-Palma de Mallorca as a reference in the cheapest fare, Austrian Airlines only includes a hand luggage trolley and a cup of water, which is only available on explicit request. In fact, Austrian Airlines does not charge any extra fees for checking in at the counter, but many airports require passengers to obtain their boarding passes online, via smartphone or from machines beforehand. Otherwise there are hardly any differences to the Ryanair product, because, for example, check-in luggage, food and drinks, seat reservations and much more are collected from both providers.

Pre-orders as an indirect admission that things are not going smoothly

Low costers don't always have the cash register ringing on all routes when it comes to selling catering and thirst quenchers on board. There are routes where the trolleys are bought downright empty and others where at most a single cup of coffee is bought. Nevertheless, the topic of paid catering works better with low-cost airlines because it is more or less established and sometimes the ticket prices are lower than with "classic airlines". The willingness to purchase additional services is generally higher if one perceives the ticket itself as a bargain.

This is exactly where the Lufthansa Group has a problem, because the gradual sharp increase in ticket prices with the gradual reduction of included services annoys many travelers. It's clear that you don't expect a three-course meal, which hasn't been available on short-haul routes for a long time. However, many passengers expect that with ticket prices of 500 euros, 600 euros or even 1000 euros (one way) between Germany and Austria, at least a free choice of drinks and a roll should be included. But that is not the case and out of silent protest only a few are bought on board.

Of course, the Lufthansa Group does not like to talk about the fact that the paid catering on many routes - to put it mildly - is accepted by the passengers as in need of improvement. However, the extent is so remarkable that a few days ago it was announced that dishes from the sales catalog could be ordered online in advance. Austrian Airlines had a similar solution before the Corona pandemic in cooperation with Do&Co, but this was quietly and secretly discontinued with the introduction of inflight sales.

Sustainability is playing an increasingly important role. What good is it if you carry a lot of different food with you that the crews or their employers or the catering company on whose behalf and on account the sale is left sitting? With pre-orders you want to reduce the daily food waste. However, this presupposes that the passengers are willing to pay for food and drink if the ticket prices are high. This is often unnecessary, especially on shorter flights, because almost everyone can endure an hour without eating or drinking. Or who expects snacks and drinks to be included in the Flixbus? But the difference is the price. If you have paid a lot of money for the trip, you are inclined to forgo a coffee and/or a roll. Especially when the costs charged on board exceed those charged in airport catering.