Delta Air Lines will eliminate food and beverage service on flights of 349 miles or less beginning May 19, a change that touches about 450 daily departures, or roughly 9% of its schedule.
Starting May 19, flights of 349 miles or less will no longer receive any food or beverage service, affecting about 9% of daily departures
Anadolu / Getty Images
Delta Air Lines will eliminate food and beverage service on flights of 349 miles or less beginning May 19, a change that touches about 450 daily departures, or roughly 9% of its schedule.
The company framed the decision as a way to standardize the onboard experience for passengers throughout its route map. Routes such as Los Angeles to San Francisco fall within the affected range. Passengers in Delta Comfort and Delta Main Cabin on flights of 350 miles or more will continue to receive full snack and beverage service.
Passengers traveling in Delta First are unaffected; the premium cabin continues to receive full service no matter how short the route.
"Even on the small number of flights without beverage service, our crew will continue to be visible, available, and focused on caring for our customers, like they do on every flight," Delta said in a statement.
Under the current policy, flights of 251 miles or more offer at least a complimentary snack and beverages to all cabins, according to ABC News.
Other large domestic airlines have long applied comparable restrictions. Snacks are unavailable on United Airlines routes shorter than 300 miles, while American Airlines draws the line at 250 miles, offering beverages only when a passenger asks for them.
Join 500,000+ readers who start their day with Quartz.
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.