Delta cuts free drinks and snacks on over 450 daily flights

Your short Delta flight may soon come without the familiar snack cart. The airline has eliminated complimentary snacks and beverages on flights under 350 miles for passengers flying Delta Main and Delta Comfort. The change affects more than 450 flights per day.

350 miles or bust

Delta previously had three levels of service. Very short flights under 250 miles received no complimentary service. Flights between 251 and 499 miles received a limited selection of snacks and drinks, while longer routes got the full treatment.

Now, Delta has simplified things into two categories. Trips under 350 miles don’t get any complimentary snacks or drinks in Delta Main and Delta Comfort. However, trips 350 miles or more will receive full complimentary snack and beverage service. Delta First passengers will continue receiving full service regardless of flight distance. 

A roughly 300-mile flight from Atlanta to Jacksonville, for example, previously qualified for limited service but now gets nothing. Meanwhile, the approximately 400-mile trip from Atlanta to Orlando has moved from limited service to the full snack-and-drink experience.

Sorry, Los Angeles-to-San Francisco travelers

Perhaps the most surprising example is the popular Los Angeles-to-San Francisco route. At roughly 337 miles, it falls just short of Delta's new 350-mile cutoff. That means passengers in Delta Main and Comfort get no complimentary snacks or beverages.

Yes, you can fly one of the country's busiest air corridors and still be just 13 miles away from free peanuts.

Atlanta to Charlotte is also below the threshold at roughly 226 miles. Meanwhile, New York LaGuardia to Boston is only about 184 miles, but nothing really changes there since it was already too short to receive complimentary service.

Delta has explained that the new policy is designed to create a more consistent experience across its network. Flight attendants will still be available on flights without beverage service, according to the airline.

Delta goes beyond its biggest rivals on this

Delta's new 350-mile threshold is stricter than the short-haul service policies of several major U.S. airlines. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines offer complimentary snacks and beverages on flights over 250 miles. United Airlines, on its end, maintains a service cutoff at 300 miles.

That means a passenger flying approximately 340 miles could receive a free drink and snack on another major airline but get nothing in Delta Main or Comfort.

You can still buy food and drinks

Before you start packing an emergency suitcase full of granola bars, Delta is not eliminating food and drinks completely. Passengers on affected flights can still purchase snacks and beverages onboard, although you should expect to pay way more than the average for it.

And travelers with certain Delta SkyMiles credit cards can receive a 20% statement-credit rebate on eligible in-flight food and drink purchases.

There is also the slightly more luxurious workaround: getting upgraded to Delta First, where full service remains available regardless of how short the flight is. Of course, upgrading your seat to get a complimentary drink is a very efficient way to spend significantly more money to save a few dollars. Math has never stopped us before.

Sources: TheStreet, Fox Business