Air India to offer packaged snacks on flights less than 1 hour duration

Air India said it will now offer boxes with packed items such as cookies or peanuts instead of samosas and sandwiches that were served on flights of less than an hour’s duration.

The national carrier is reported to have got multiple complaints of the samosas and sandwiches being spoilt and the new move to offer packed dry fruits will stop such episodes. The official suggested that the boxes will be kept near the entrance of the aircraft and passengers would have to pick their pack as they enter. “They can eat it on the flight or take with them. We are not going to have direct saving on meal cost by this switch,” an AI official told ET.

The official further added that the new move will, however, help in cost-cutting indirectly, as packed items with longer shelf life will not require any kind of refrigeration or heating before they can be served. He went on to indicate that such items will also reduce the weight of the plane and thus lead to saving on fuel costs.

Considering the number of less than one-hour duration flights operated by Air India, the total saving after the measure would be significant. Worth mentioning that it was only last year that the national carrier had decided to offer vegetarian food in the economy class of domestic flights.

The move comes a few days after full-service carrier Vistara announced that it will start a special low-cost flight category ‘Lite’. Passengers who opt for these fares will have to buy snacks and drinks on board – something that is usually included in the fare when one flies Vistara.

Almost all airlines that operate in India are going through a turbulent period with the country’s most profitable airline IndiGo reporting a first-quarter profit drop of 91 per cent. Meanwhile, premiere airline Jet Airways is facing a severe fund crunch situation and has informed its employees that it will not be able to operate beyond 2 months if they do not cut costs.

While airlines are seeking ways to cut costs internally, food and beverages served on board may be one key area where the airlines can reduce their expenditure, reported ET.