Do I need to remortgage the house … for a meal like this?
Low-cost airlines are charging up to 12 times as much for food and drink as you would pay in a supermarket.
According to new research, carriers such as Ryanair charge £3 for a 500ml bottle of still water, as opposed to 25 pence in a supermarket. Meanwhile, a small tube of Pringles crisps will set you back £2.20 on a Ryanair flight, compared to just 26 pence in a supermarket. Monarch charges £1.50 for the tube, while easyJet charges £1.75.
These five-star prices could see a family of four being forced to fork out an eye-watering £45 for a basic lunch – sandwich, crisps and a drink – for each of them.
EasyJet charges six times the price for a bottle of water – with a 330ml bottle of still Vittel water costing passengers £1.50. Meanwhile, sandwiches cost £4 on board bmibaby and £3.95 on board a flybe.com flight – almost double the average cost of a supermarket sarnie.
However, Stephen McNamara, Ryanair’s communications chief, shouted down the argument. “The restaurants on the 100th floor of the Empire State Building or on the top of the Eiffel Tower also charge a little more than the shops below. You do tend to pay a bit more in a restaurant at 30,000 feet.
“You don’t have to pay our prices. If you don’t want to buy a bottle of water, don’t buy it.
“If you are saying passengers should pay the same as at a supermarket like Tesco or Asda then bear in mind you are not comparing like with like.
“If the likes of Tesco and Asda start offering air fares we can look at this again,” he added.
