United To Test Cutting Meals in Coach on Some Transatlantic Flights

Beginning in the fourth quarter of this year on transatlantic flights out of Washington's Dulles airport, United Airlines will begin charging for meals in coach class.  It's a test to see whether passengers rise up and bang spoons on plates or quietly accept the new reality of no more free miles aloft as they have on many domestic coach flights. 

If you own stock in airline catering companies, I'd suggest selling.  Because I can already tell you the result of the test: United will save lots of money and begin extending the no-food-for-free rule across its international route network.  Maybe some long, trans-Pacific flights will be exempt, but even that isn't guaranteed.   

Not that this is shockingly new--several years ago I was surprised while aboard a Northwest, nine-hour, non-stop flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Honolulu that there was a charge for meals.  And that was when they were giving jet fuel away, comparatively speaking. 

What's new about this, of course, is that United foreign competitors have shown no sign of charging for meals.  But maybe it's just in business and first-class cabins where the US airlines feel the need to pile on more perks in order to keep up with foreign competition. 

So remember to BYO meal soon on even flights that last more than six or seven hours.  At least on United, at least out of Dulles, come October.