[Steve Jones]

This seems to be the way of the future...

End of an era as British Airways scraps free meals

Agence France-Presse

STRUGGLING British Airways has announced that it will scrap all free meals apart from breakfast on short-haul flights to save £22 million ($44 million) per year.

Passengers on flights lasting less than two hours will only be served drinks and snacks from 10 a.m., the airline confirmed. BA's latest belt-tightening measure will be implemented from Monday.

”When you fly with British Airways, the in-flight catering is top-class and, unlike some other airlines, it is free,” a BA spokesman said.

”It is not unusual to make small changes to avoid waste and save money where it makes sense and it meets customers' changing tastes.”

Around one fifth of BA's 40,000-strong workforce, including pilots, have already agreed to accept cuts in pay or to work for free to help the group save millions.

BA is in trouble after recently posting an annual loss of £375 million, which it blamed on high fuel costs.

The world's leading commercial airlines are facing a major cash squeeze as the global economic slump crushes demand for air travel.