It’s a rule of thumb that airline snacks are dearly expensive, but passengers flying with budget airlines may find themselves paying as much as 2,646 per cent of the retail value for in-flight refreshments.
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Peanuts, chocolate and still water are all marked up to a staggering extent by low cost airlines, with Ryanair, Flybe and easyJet among the worst offenders, according to nw research by KAYAK, the travel search engine.
Flybe is responsible for the biggest mark-up, selling Cup a Soup (70g) for £2.50, when the same amount retails at just 12p in supermarkets – an increase of 2,646 per cent. Thomas Cook Airlines sells the same product for £2.40, representing a 1,820 per cent increase.
Meanwhile, olives bought on an easyJet flight, costing £1.80 for 65g, have been marked up by 1,259 per cent from the average supermarket value of 22p for 100g.
It’s a similar story for drinks: passengers on Ryanair can expect to pay £2.34 for a 500ml bottle of still water, a 1,324 per cent increase on the supermarket price of 16p.
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The budget airline also charges more for less, with passengers having to pay £1.96 for a 250ml can of cola, when the supermarket price is just 25p for a 330ml can.
“Airlines are providing a service when it comes to food and drink on board, which accounts for some of the mark-ups we see,” says Loella Pehrsson, KAYAK Regional Director UK, Ireland & the Nordics.
“However, travellers are allowed to take food items through security, so it really makes sense to plan ahead and take your own snacks onto the plane. When it comes to drinks, get around the sky-high in-flight prices by purchasing drinks in the terminal.”
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This isn't the first report into large mark-ups by airlines: a similar study in 2012, conducted by TravelSupermarket.com, found that the average price increase on in-flight snacks was 347 per cent.
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Defending its prices, easyJet has insisted it offers good value for the service it provides. “Comparing supermarket prices with onboard airline prices is not comparing like with like," said a spokesman. "Major supermarkets have huge economies of scale, lower cost prices and much lower supply chain costs than airlines which have to provide specialised loading in an airline environment.”
Copy from http://www.telegraph.co.uk
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