Passengers go hungry as cash-strapped airlines opt for the in-flight 'doggie bag'

Traditionally it was, "Chicken or beef sir?" Now, it's more likely to be a bag of pretzels or a packet of peanuts. Airline meals, so often attacked for their quality, are becoming even cheaper, smaller and more infrequent. As the world's struggling airline industry continues to seek new ways of saving money, passengers are beginning to feel the bite (or lack of it).

Traditionally it was, "Chicken or beef sir?" Now, it's more likely to be a bag of pretzels or a packet of peanuts. Airline meals, so often attacked for their quality, are becoming even cheaper, smaller and more infrequent. As the world's struggling airline industry continues to seek new ways of saving money, passengers are beginning to feel the bite (or lack of it).

In the United States, leading airlines have already targeted in-flight meals as a way to cut costs. A study by the US government's Department of Transportation found that major carriers Delta, Continental, Northwest and American spent substantially less on food per passenger in 2002 than they did in the previous year. On transatlantic journeys, some had made cuts of up to 15 per cent on food spending, while on domestic flights the cost of meals has been slashed by up to a quarter. Northwest, for example, spends an average $2.30 (£1.40) on domestic flights. Continental has the cheapest meals on transatlantic flights, spending $10.72 (£6.56).

The trend for cheaper meals, experts say, has spread to this side of the Atlantic, leaving consumers short-changed and often in search of a hot meal.

"I've certainly noticed a difference in terms of meals on European flights recently," said Jamie Bowden, an airline consultant. "Airlines have been looking for ways to manage their costs better and many have decided to cut back on the more substantial hot meals, largely replacing them with sandwiches and more snack-oriented menus."

British Midland, British Airways and Aer Lingus are now offering sandwiches, rolls, yogurts and chocolate bars to passengers in the form of "deli-bag" style lunches and dinners.

Some in the industry, including the founder of the budget airline, easyJet, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, are less tactful than Mr Bowden about what they see as a decline in standards not being reflected by a proportionate decline in prices.

"How many frills do BA really give you on a short flight?" asked Mr Haji-Ioannou. "The last time I flew with them – occasionally I have to travel with them – it was a doggie bag. All this talk of a meal on a plane has been reduced to a doggie bag. It won't be long before they charge for that doggie bag."

David Stockton, the food and beverages manager at British Airways, defended his company's shift away from more traditional menus. He said the exercise reflected customer tastes rather than cost-cutting. He denied spending on meals had been cut.

"Passengers' eating trends are changing. They want simple, recognisable food which they are able to eat on the hoof. They want to eat when they choose to – grazing habits are growing," Mr Stockton said.

But Gate Gourmet, the company that manufactures most of British Airways' meals, said cost-cutting had taken place across Europe.

A spokeswoman, Connie Voight, said: "The industry is not doing well at the moment and the airlines are seeing that the way they can save money is in catering.

"All European airlines in general have cut back on catering in the short-haul economy class, particularly in recent years. It is a trend which will last as long as the industry is consolidating itself. As soon as things begin to take off again, probably in 2004, they will go back to proper meals."

LSG Skychefs, the world's biggest provider of in-flight meals, making more than 300 million meals a year for airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France and American Airlines, is not unduly concerned.

Andy Smith, the UK manager, said: "September 11 was a catalyst for change, and the market is also watching what the low-cost carriers are doing with interest. A lot of companies are experimenting with snacks as a way of saving costs without alienating passengers."

While airlines continue to tighten their belts, the exercise appears to be having a similar, and not entirely welcome, effect on passengers. Marco Hart, a Dutch web designer and founder of www.airlinemeals.net, an incredibly successful and somewhat surreal website dedicated to the world's aeroplane cuisine, said standards had been slipping since the late 1990s.

"It's a definite trend, and it's happening in both America and Europe" said Mr Hart, 32, whose website features and rates more than 1,800 different meals from 200 airlines. "Most of the carriers are cutting back on the full meals when it comes to shorter flights and replacing them with snacks, especially for economy flights. People are always complaining about airline food, but even two or three years ago it did used to be better, especially in terms of quantity."

The worst airline cuisine ...

Siberia Airlines: The nation's antiquated "babyflots" are well tested over long distances; Vladivostok to Moscow is almost 4,000 miles, further than London to Chicago. The chefs' skills are not tested at all – standard fare on an eight-hour flight is cold meat with loads of fat, rancid pickle and stale bread.

American Airlines: The world's biggest airline has come up with a novel way to cut costs – don't serve meals on many shortish routes. Any meals on domestic economy flights usually involve the "bistro bag", a packed lunch passengers must pick up from industrial-sized bins en route to the plane.

Cubana: Cuba's national airline is saddled with creaky former Soviet aircraft, and catering to match. Its domestic flights offer plastic cups of luminous orange liquid for washing down some crazed chef's version of sponge cake. Given thesafety record, passengers keep mum, being simply glad to land alive.

... and the best

Mexicana: The catering on Mexico's domestic flights is brilliantly simple: Johnny Walker Black Label, or not. This principle is replicated on other airlines in the region, notably Tan-Sahsa, of Honduras, where a strong drink helps in calming the nerves landing at the notorious Tegucigalpa airport.

Monarch Scheduled: While airlines are busily stripping away the frills, the scheduled arm of the Luton-based charter airline maintains an impressive cooked meal service, complete with wine, even on a 90-minute hop to the Med.

Virgin Atlantic: Mass-produced meals like every other airline at Heathrow and Gatwick, but Richard Branson's effort scores with tasty vegetarian options beyond the trad "chicken or beef". There are also ice-creams during the inflight movies. And, unlike US airlines, not all alcoholic drinks start at £3.

Simon Calder Travel Editor