Airlines now are barely spending any money on food for passengers

Airlines now are barely spending any money on food for passengers
(Image credit: iStock)

Most people don't eat a meal on an airplane and then pinch themselves to make sure they weren't really at a Michelin-starred restaurant. The way things are going now, however, they should probably just slap themselves and wish they were at Sizzler.

U.S. airlines are spending much less on passenger food than they did before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that pre-9/11, airlines were spending $4.79 per passenger, compared with $3.62 in 2013. That average encompasses all the money spent on food sold to travelers in economy and meals that are served for free in first and business class.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.