Lufthansa has been using chargeable food and drinks on European routes for two years. Only a bottle of water and a piece of chocolate are free. The Lufthansa Group saves 47 cents per passenger – but generates new income. It’s about millions.
They offer “a high-quality range of dishes with fresh, exquisite ingredients”. And the aim is to inspire and to fulfill individual wishes, according to Lufthansa about its Onboard Delights offer. With it, the German airline replaced free meals two years ago.
The Lufthansa Group is thus following a trend that network airlines around the world have adopted from low-cost airlines. Instead of free snacks, they increasingly offer economy travelers on short and medium-haul routes higher-quality food and drinks for a fee. At Lufthansa, each passenger only receives a free bottle of water and a piece of chocolate.
Lufthansa has saved so much money since switching to pay for meals
Austrian Airlines calls the corresponding offer Austrian Melangerie, Swiss speaks of Swiss Saveurs and Lufthansa calls it Onboard Delights. When it was introduced in 2021, the German airline emphasized that it had met the wishes of customers who wanted a higher quality offer. It also protects the environment because less food has to be thrown away. Lufthansa, for example, was able to reduce the proportion of discarded products that ended up in the garbage by 45 percent last year.
The group also saves money with the paid offer. Specifically, it is 47 cents per passenger and flight. While the cost of food and drinks was 80 cents per passenger before the changeover, it is now 33 cents. A shareholder inquired about unit costs at Lufthansa’s general meeting last week. And the group willingly provided information, as reported by the Frankfurtflyer portal.
Switching to pay-to-eat brings in millions of euros in revenue
However, the savings potential of a few million euros is only one aspect. Because at the same time, the group earns money with the food and drink offering that is subject to a fee. Every traveler willing to pay spends an average of 8.65 euros. Last year, Lufthansa generated around 4.9 million euros in income, as the shareholder was told. Overall, there is an improvement in earnings in the double-digit million range.
In order to further reduce food waste and increase sales, Lufthansa announced the Onboard Delights Last Minute initiative last Thursday (May 11): Passengers have the opportunity on all flights to Frankfurt and Munich on which pay meals are offered before landing, fresh products that have not been sold can be purchased and taken away at a lower price of a standard 3.50 euros.
By Benjamin Reclies