Etihad Now Charges For Drinks And Snacks In Economy

The good times are well and truly over at Etihad. Once having one of the best economy cabins in the world, financial pressures are forcing the Abu Dhabi based airline to cut costs and the latest cost saving targets are economy cabin snacks and drinks.

While meals remain free, Etihad passengers in the economy cabin are now being charged for snacks and certain drinks requested outside the scheduled meal service. This applies to both short and long haul routes.

It is the latest in a series of unfortunate cutbacks at an airline once well known for its extravagance. Business class passengers have been bearing the brunt of cuts to inflight service but now the pain is being shared with the main cabin.

Congratulations, your meal has been ‘enhanced’

Etihad has revamped and “enhanced” their economy meal service. On flights over three hours, the entree and salad are no more. The main course meal will be slightly larger.  Dessert will continue to be served after the meal on longer flights. The economy menu on a dummy long haul Etihad flight booked for next week looks like this.

Granted, this doesn’t look so bad – who doesn’t like lemon drizzle cake ? There continues to be an alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks service with meals. But Etihad likes to style itself as a premium full service carrier and if you are doing a 12 hour plus flight with them it’s likely you might want a snack or a cup of coffee outside the meal service, and charging passengers for this is more easyJet service than premium airline service.

Sweet and Salty

Etihad’s pay as you go snack service is called Sweet and Salty. It’s a standard airline assortment of snack bars, instant noodles and microwaved light meals such as a USD$7 lasagne. Drinks include such items as Saile & Sabga gourmet hot chocolate and Piper by the glass.

Etihad challenges

The challenges facing Etihad have been well covered here at Simple Flying. Etihad is only 16 years old and for most of its short life it has had bold expansionary plans. Backed by the Government of Abu Dhabi the airline made its presence felt at airports around the globe.

Etihad was known for its lavish premium cabins and flooding markets with excess capacity.

But in the face of strong competition, high operating costs,  unfriendly governments in key markets such as the United States, and some poorly conceived investments in Europe, many experts believe Etihad has never made money.

There was a series of ill fated investments in airlines like Alitalia, Jet Airways and Air Berlin based on a strategy of buying into failing airlines, turning them around and using them to feed traffic into the Etihad network. It didn’t work.

Right now Etihad cannot match the capacity of its near neighbour rival Emirates and it cannot match the in-cabin product of Qatar. Etihad is between a rock and a hard place.

Final thoughts

Charging passengers for a muffin isn’t new in the aviation business and it’s a bit of a first world issue. But the market has always distinguished between the LCCs that do charge and the premium carriers that don’t. Etihad needs to decide what market it wants to operate in.

Etihad appears to be taking a middle path, charging passengers for some things and not for others. The problem is that it’s sending mixed messages.

Etihad still charges premium carrier economy fares. If I have to choose between Etihad which is going to be mean with snacks, charge me a fee to choose my seat, quibble about my bags and an airline like Singapore Airlines or Qatar which will look after me all the way to Europe with one all inclusive fare, I know which carrier I would choose.

Simple Flying