Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian charge passengers on European flights for food and drinks. KLM doesn’t want to go that route – for several reasons.
In the future, Lufthansa wants to sell food and drinks on long-haul flights as well – plus an extra offering in addition to the free catering service. However, in the future, strong alcoholic beverages will not be free in Economy Class to have. And on European flights from Lufthansa and its Swiss and Austrian subsidiaries are already paying budget travelers for food and drink.
It’s different with KLM. “We serve snacks and drinks even on the shortest flights,” says the Dutch airline. “You can also get a fresh sandwich on long flights within Europe.” Change the selection at regular intervals. But is this concept sustainable even in times of tight airline budgets?
A clear refusal of paid meals
Or will KLM take Lufthansa as a role model in the future and also demand money for meals on European flights? In response to these questions from aeroTELEGRAPH, KLM’s chief financial officer, Eric Soelheim, in Amsterdam said they would definitely stick to free food. Regarding “the KLM brand and the way we treat our customers,” Swelheim said they did not want to follow the path of some competitors.
As Boet Kreiken, head of customer experience at KLM, said, they will not say goodbye to free snacks and drinks. KLM follows an “integrated concept”.
Consistent experience on both short and long distance routes
In other words: many KLM passengers were coming to Amsterdam on feeder flights from Europe and transferred to a long-haul plane there. Keriken said it’s important for the airline to have a consistent customer experience on both flights. If you want to cancel the free catering service, it will also reduce the contact between the crew and passengers – which is not in the best interests of his airline.
“Tv expert. Hardcore creator. Extreme music fan. Lifelong twitter geek. Certified travel enthusiast. Baconaholic. Pop culture nerd. Reader. Freelance student.”
More Stories
The economy is growing slightly faster than expected at the end of the year by dpa-AFX
Where there is more Pepsi than pepper
If China stimulates its economy, this could lead to higher inflation in the United States