Continental Kills Free Snacks In Coach

Continental and new spouse United Airlines have begun to decide which of their pre-marriage belongings to keep and which to discard. One thing that has already gone in the dumpster: free snacks in coach.

As of March 1, domestic Continental flights stopped handing out free pretzels to economy passengers on most flights; a projected costs savings of $2.5 million a year.

“As a cost savings initiative and to better align us with our competitors, beverage snacks will be removed from the main cabin for all non BusinessFirst markets which includes: domestic, Latin and Caribbean leisure, transcon, Hawaii and Canada markets,” reads an e-mail sent to employees earlier this week.

United already has a no-free-snack policy on these flights.

For those who can’t fly without gratis grub, Delta and Southwest still have free pretzels, cookies and peanuts. And then there’s Frontier with its baked-on-board chocolate chip cookies.

The United-Continentals recently announced that continental jets would eventually be outfitted with United’s “Economy Plus” seats, which offer more legroom for an extra fee.

Last year, before the merger, Continental became one of the last airlines to get rid of free coach meals on domestic flights.

Continental Airlines ends free pretzels for economy-class customers [Cleveland Plain Dealer]

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