Sipping a glass of champagne with your free baguette on an Air Malta flight will now set you back an additional €5.
The Times of Malta is informed that the national carrier has just instructed its crews to start charging new prices on a revamped in-flight menu, which offers a greater choice.
Announcing the introduction of the new in-flight selection, Air Malta said that a revised “Buy on Board product range” has been introduced on all Air Malta flights “in addition to the free water and snack that is offered on all flights”.
However, no mention was made of the fact that the prices of some of the products on the new menu have been increased substantially. Apart from champagne, which is now selling at €15 instead of €10, the prices of other snacks, such as crisps and chocolates, have gone up by some 50 per cent. The price of peanut packets has increased most, from €1 to €2.50.
Asked to confirm the sudden increase in prices and whether this is part of efforts to increase its revenue streams, Air Malta’s PR office did not reply.
Instead it said: “Air Malta is focused on boosting its productivity, efficiency and product offering, not only to successfully meet our restructuring targets but also to enable us to offer better value to our passangers.”
At the start of 2015, Air Malta stopped offering free hot meals on board and instead started giving a small sandwich to passengers, branding it a ‘baguette’.
Passengers who want more food are offered a choice of hot and cold meals for a price.
The change was criticised by passengers and also led to industrial action by the cabin crew, who insisted that their collective agreement entitled them to a superior in-flight meal.
The issue was resolved after the company offered flight attendants a cut of in-flight sales.
By doing away with the hot meal service, Air Malta said it was going to save €8 million over the remaining years of the contract it has with Sky Gourmet, its in-flight catering provider.
However, the caterers – providing the sandwich and other catering facilities – were given a five-year extension to their original contract.