BA may cut meals and offer snacks on short-haul flights

BA is reviewing its catering after trouble at its supplier, the Heathrow-based Gate Gourmet. The loss-making business, which provides BA with 80,000 meals a day, was hit by a strike this summer that left many BA flights without food.

The airline is considering offering vouchers for free meals at airports or handing food bags to passengers when boarding. But industry insiders believe stopping the popular breakfast service could upset many business travellers.

Low-fare, no-frills flights have boomed. Some US carriers have cut food on short flights, and many UK airlines, including BA, have already changed the sorts of food they offer, opting largely for snacks such as sandwiches and muffins.

The review is thought to concentrate only on flights to nearby cities such as Paris. Longer short-haul trips and long-haul flights are unlikely to be affected.

A BA spokeswoman said: "We listen to our customers' views on the service we offer and what they would like us to provide. We make changes to the catering we offer on a regular basis. But we remain committed to offering all our customers complimentary catering on all our flights."

BA catering has returned to near-normal, although passengers on some short-hauls are still being given food bags or vouchers.