Europe's most expensive airlines for onboard food and drink

The era of airlines providing free catering to all passengers on a short-haul flight is almost over, and new research shows there's even more bad news.

A survey by flight comparison website cheapflights.co.uk ranked Europe's most popular airlines according to the cost of a typical onboard meal. Icelandair was found to be the most expensive, with the total for a sandwich, crisps, glass of wine and a hot drink reaching £14.45. Iberia was the second most expensive of the airlines included, with a total cost of £14.05. It also offered the most expensive gin and tonic, with some customers paying £9.80 for the drink.

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British Airways, which now invites travellers in economy on domestic and European routes to choose from a range of items from Marks & Spencer, ranked ninth out of the 14 airlines listed and carried the cheapest crisps, at £1, and bottle of water at £1.80. Yet those looking to pay less for food and drink on flights should look to German airline Eurowings. Passengers can purchase their in-flight meal for £11.80, along with a beer for £2.55, which was the cheapest in the survey.

Just eight of the 22 most popular airlines in Europe are still serving passengers complimentary snacks or beverages. Andrew Shelton, managing director of Cheapflights, said passengers might want to consider bringing their own sustenance on flights.

"Many will see BA's move as the end of an era as the UK's flag carrier moves closer to the "no-frills" model of its low-cost rivals," he said. "With free inflight meals now the exception rather than the rule, travellers will be asking themselves what they stand to gain by booking their next flight with BA over one of the low-cost carriers – and whether they should simply "BYO" when it comes to inflight food."

Here's a full list of the airlines surveyed, from the cheapest to the most expensive (based on the cost of sandwich, crisps, glass of wine and a hot drink):

Eurowings - £11.80

Jet2 - £11.95

Thomas Cook - £12.00

Flybe - £12.30

Air Berlin - £12.35

British Airways - £12.55

Thomson - £12.80

Monarch - £13.10

Aer Lingus - £13.20

Easyjet - £13.30

Norwegian - £13.50

Ryanair - £13.60