Snacks in the 21st century are a bit of a luxury item – at least on aeroplanes. Back in the old days, a packet of peanuts or pretzels seemed to be counted as part of the ticket cost on most flights, but with the rise of low-cost airlines, those days are over.
Travellers these days expect to pay a bit more than usual for the convenience of enjoying their on-board snacks, but new research by KAYAK.ie reveals that in-flight prices can be over 1100% higher than what the supermarket charges.
A comparison of two major airlines in Ireland found significant price increases on basic snacks and refreshments, with both carriers charging up to €3.00 for a coffee. The worst offender is bottled water: a 500 ml bottle of still water in a supermarket was found to cost €1, while on board it cost over €3.00 – a markup of over 200%.
Research shows that wine prices on board are just a little over the odds with a 187.5 ml bottle of wine costing passengers up to €6.00 on board, while in the supermarket it would be less than €2.19 – a mark-up of just over 174%. However, compared to the mark-ups for all the other refreshments on board, this could be considered a good deal.
Something to crunch?
Ryanair, perceived by most as the airline offering the lowest seat prices, was found to be the most expensive when it came to on-board snacks, with passengers paying €2.00 for a small bag of pretzel bites and €2.50 for a packet of crisps, the same price as for two large multi-packs of crisps in the supermarket.
Butter croissants are also expensive: buying one on a plane costs nearly twice as much as in the shops surveyed. Ryanair is not alone in charging high prices. The price comparison snapshot by KAYAK.ie also found airlines routinely charged twice as much as supermarkets for chocolate bars.
Cashing in on beverages
On average, airlines charge €6 for a small bottle of wine, €4.75 for 330ml of beer and €2.50 for a 200ml can of soda, which is over 2.5 times more expensive than in a store. Orange juice was also found to be a big offender with an average price of €2.25 on board (for a 150 ml bottle), nearly as much as two large (900 ml) bottles in a supermarket.
Some of the other largest markups
- Croissant – €2.50 on board vs €0.89 in supermarket +180 %
- Noodles – €3.50 on board vs. €1.44 in supermarkets +143 %
- Sandwich – €5.00 on board vs. €2.85 in supermarkets +75%
Basic item comparison
