Rachael Davis
When you’re hurtling through the sky in a metal tube, the fact you can be served drinks at all is nothing short of a miracle.
But despite the modern marvel of air travel and the luxury of getting served beverages while you fly, it’s all too easy for the magic to get eclipsed by the cost.
You’d expect to pay a premium for just about everything from the in-flight trolley, but the extent to which things get marked up can be pretty mind-bending.
Thanks to a comparative study examining the price of alcoholic drinks across easyjet, Ryanair and Jet2 against what you’d pay in supermarkets, we now have the data to back the sense we’re getting ripped off whilst up in the clouds.
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The data, fresh from Kadi Luggage, has found that prices can, in some cases, jump by 289% against equivalent supermarket options.
A serving of wine on an easyjet flight costs up to £6.60, while beers are charged at up to £5.60.
Ryanair, meanwhile, charges as much as £6.84 for wine. Neither of those prices fare well against international carriers, with Spain’s Iberia Express charging as much as £2 less per beverage. Jet2 was found to be the most affordable when it comes to in-flight booze, but there’s still a hefty markup.
Jet2’s beer prices top out at £5.60, while wine and spirit prices reach £6. Ryanair followed it for affordability, with £5.56 for beer, £6.84 for wine and £5.99 for spirits, while easyjet came out as the most expensive with £5.60 beers, £6.90 wines, and £6.60 charged on spirits.
"UK carriers are enforcing stricter alcohol policies, yet are not offering much value to passengers in return," said Harry Saunders, CEO of Kadi Luggage.
"We expect to pay more at altitude, but these prices are eye-watering, especially for everyday brands you can get for a third of the price on the ground. And when comparing globally to leading European airlines, Brits really are overpaying for a basic drink at 30,000 feet."
Some European airlines massively outdo easyjet, Ryanair and Jet2 on drinks prices. Iberia Express for example, offers wines at £5.56, beers for £3.85 and spirits for £5.13.
It could be worse, though. flyDubai’s prices are even more eye-watering than the aforementioned markup offenders, with beers priced at £8.03 and wines and spirits topping out at £8.77. Yikes!
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems airlines aren’t keen on the comparison with supermarkets.
"Comparing supermarket prices with onboard airline prices is not comparing like with like,” said an easyjet spokesperson.
“Major supermarkets have huge economies of scale, lower cost prices and much lower supply chain costs than airlines which have to provide specialised loading in an airline environment.
“Our products offer value for money when compared to similar outlets and in particular to airport cafes and this study doesn’t reflect the average price paid, given multiple meal deal and sharing deals on offer versus other airlines. We always ensure we have an attractive range at competitive prices.”