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LONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - British Airways said on Thursdayit will no longer provide free snacks and food in economy classon short-haul and domestic flights, joining budget carriers likeRyanair and easyJet which charge for sandwichesand other items.
BA, owned by IAG, said from January it would sellfood from British retailer Marks & Spencer to economyclass travellers. Passengers travelling in the class aboveeconomy will continue to receive free meals, as will passengerson long-haul flights.
The change comes as BA's parent company IAG tries to cutcosts at a time of increasing competition in the Europeanshort-haul market and will narrow the gap between flightsoffered by BA and its low-cost, no-frills rivals.
The airline said the switch to selling M&S food was drivenby customer dissatisfaction with the its current short-hauleconomy catering.
"They've told us we are experts in flying and service, butwhen it comes to catering on short-haul flights, they want tochoose from a wider range of premium products," BA chiefexecutive Alex Cruz said in the statement.
BA said it would sell an M&S Aberdeen Angus beef and redonion chutney bloomer for 4 pounds 75 pence, a hot bacon rollfor the same price, plus other breakfast options, nuts, crispsand chocolates, and customers could pay using Avios points, partof a BA loyalty scheme, if they wanted to. (Reporting by Sarah Young. Editing by Jane Merriman)
