Airlines to charge for food, seats and other facilities to up ancillary income

Emirates is now charging a seat assignment fee for its lowest price fares. Come Jan 11, British Airways will start charging for snacks and drinks for its European flights on economy class, complimentary now, on short-haul flights defined as five hours or less. Locally, AirAsia Bhd has seen a steady increase in ancillary income year-on-year, and with technological advancement, it wants to push revenue per passenger from RM46 now to RM60 next year, an RM14 rise. By 2020, European plane maker Airbus expects ancillary revenues to hit US$130bil.

EMIRATES, the world’s largest airline by international passenger traffic in 2015 which saw a 75% drop in profit for the six months to September this year, is now charging a seat assignment fee for its lowest price fares.

Come Jan 11, British Airways will start charging for snacks and drinks for its European flights on economy class, complimentary now, on short-haul flights defined as five hours or less.