Fly Hungry
No more Cheerios: I'll miss Continental Airlines free food
Another sign that flying is no fun: Continental Airlines will no longer serve free meals to coach passengers.
The Houston-based airline has been the only U.S. carrier to offer complimentary food on most flights. But no more. Officials announced today that beginning this fall, the airline will discontinue free food for coach passengers, except on domestic flights over six hours — guess that means Hawaii — and international flights.
I'll admit the Continental meal wasn't the greatest in the world, but there was something reassuring about getting a box of Cherrios and a banana for breakfast or a microwaved hamburger at lunch.
So what if it was barely a step above vending machine food? Trapped in a plane in a cramped seat, the one thing I looked forward to was the sound of the squeaky-wheeled food cart rolling down the aisle. As hungry as I usually am on airplanes, it tasted like a gourmet meal.
More than that, it conjured up long-ago times when flying was special. But that's no longer the case.
Like other airlines, Continental now plans to sell food onboard.
I think I'll ask for more pretzels instead.