![]() | The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(August 2016) |
In commercial aviation, buy on board (BoB) is a system in which in-flight food or beverages are not included in the ticket price but are purchased on board or ordered in advance as an optional extra during or after the booking process. Some airlines, including almost all low-cost carriers and a handful of flag carriers, have buy-on-board food and beverages as part of their ancillary revenue generation.
As the airline market in the United States became deregulated, airlines began to compete by price. Airline ticket prices began to decrease, and airlines began to charge extra for services that had been included in the airfare. [1]
Starting in 2003, many United States air carriers began eliminating free meal services in economy classes on North American flights and replacing them with buy on board services. [2] [3] In the 2000s US Airways (now part of American Airlines) briefly charged for soft drinks but then reversed course. By 2009, many US carriers had established buy on board as part of an à la carte pricing movement. [4] Around that year, US carriers began using celebrity-named and brand name products to make their buy on board products generate more revenue. [5] Continental Airlines, the last large United States carrier to offer free meals on all domestic flights, [6] announced in March 2010 that it would begin a buy on board program in fall 2010 and end many of its free meal programs on domestic flights. [7] Jeff Green of Businessweek described the end of Continental's program as an "end of an era." [8]
In the United States, passengers increasingly began to bring their own foods on board to avoid paying for buy on board. [9]
As of 2016, Hawaiian Airlines remains the last U.S. legacy airline to offer free meals on board, but all of its flights are to/from Hawaii. [10] Southwest Airlines is the only mainland U.S. airline without a buy-on-board program as of 2016.
Today, all three major U.S. airlines now offer free snacks in economy on board their flights, in addition to their buy-on-board menus. [11]
In Europe, the general increase in the number of tourists that fly, and deregulation which enabled low price carriers, has caused stiffer price competition. Low cost carriers, such as Ryanair, which charges for all food or drink, have forced traditional airlines to lower their costs. As of 2025 only 3 out of the 21 most popular airlines in Europe offered complimentary inflight food and drink. Air France, ITA Airways, KLM, and Lot Polish Airlines all continued to offer free snacks and beverages on their short-haul flights. [12]
United Airlines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. United operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and all six inhabited continents primarily out of its seven hubs, with Chicago–O'Hare having the largest number of daily flights and Denver carrying the most passengers in 2023. Regional service is operated by independent carriers under the brand name United Express.
Delta Air Lines is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the United States's oldest operating airline and the seventh-oldest operating worldwide. Delta, along with its regional subsidiaries and contractors operating under the brand name Delta Connection, operate over 5,400 flights daily and serve 325 destinations in 52 countries on six continents. Delta is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. As of the end of 2023, it had 100,000 employees.
Continental Airlines was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers.
Midwest Airlines was an airline in the United States headquartered in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, that operated from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport between 1984 and 2010. For a short time, it also operated as a brand of Republic Airways Holdings.
Northwest Airlines was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 until it merged with Delta Air Lines in 2010. The merger made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines–US Airways merger in 2013.
Horizon Air is an American regional airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group and it is paid by fellow group member Alaska Airlines to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by Alaska Airlines. Planes operated by Horizon are co-branded as Alaska HORIZON in order to differentiate Horizon's planes from those operated by Alaska's other regional airline partner, SkyWest Airlines.
Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the sixth-largest airline in North America when measured by scheduled passengers carried, as of 2023. Alaska, together with its regional partners Horizon Air and SkyWest Airlines operates a route network primarily focused on connecting cities along the West Coast of the United States to over 100 destinations in Alaska, Hawaii, the contiguous United States, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico.
US Airways was a major airline in the United States. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it was renamed Allegheny Airlines and operated under that name for a quarter-century. In October 1979, after the passage of the Airline Deregulation Act, Allegheny Airlines changed its name to USAir. A decade later it had acquired Piedmont Airlines and Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), and was one of the U.S.'s seven transcontinental legacy carriers. In 1997, it rebranded as US Airways.
Thomas Cook Airlines Limited was a British charter and scheduled airline headquartered in Manchester, England. It was founded in 2007 from the merger of Thomas Cook Group and MyTravel Group, and was part of the Thomas Cook Group Airlines. It served leisure destinations worldwide from its main bases at Manchester Airport and Gatwick Airport on a scheduled and charter basis. It also operated services from eight other bases around the United Kingdom. Thomas Cook Group and all UK entities including Thomas Cook Airlines entered compulsory liquidation on 23 September 2019.
Jet Airways (India) Limited, trading as Jet Airways, was an Indian airline based in Delhi, with a training and developmental centre in Mumbai. Incorporated in April 1993 as a limited liability company, the airline began operations as an air taxi operator in 1993. It began full-fledged operations in 1995 with international flights added in 2004. The airline went public in 2005 and in 2007, when it acquired Air Sahara. The airline was expected to re-commence its flight operations by the end of 2024, which would have made it the first Indian airline to be revived after ceasing operations. On 7th November, 2024, the liquidation of the airline was ordered.
JetLite was a low-cost subsidiary of Jet Airways. It was formerly known as Air Sahara until the buyout by Jet Airways which rebranded the airline as JetLite. On 17 April 2019, JetLite grounded all of its flights and ceased all operations, in tandem with its parent company, Jet Airways.
Valuair was a Singapore-based low-cost carrier. It was launched on 5 May 2004, initially offering services to Bangkok and Hong Kong, before expanding to Indonesia, Mainland China and other cities in Thailand. It differentiated itself from other low-cost carriers by offering frills such as a baggage allowance of 20 kg, in-flight food, and a large seat pitch. Acquired on 24 July 2005 by Jetstar Asia, an Australian airline, the Valuair brand was retained for Jetstar Asia's scheduled services to major cities in Indonesia until 26 October 2014.
Tiger Airways Singapore Pte Ltd, operating as Tigerair, was a low-cost airline headquartered in Singapore. It operated services to regional destinations in Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, Taiwan, China and India from its main base at Singapore Changi Airport. It was founded as an independent airline in 2003, and was listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange under the Tiger Airways Holdings name in 2010. In October 2014, parent company Tiger Airways Holdings became a subsidiary of the SIA Group, who took a 56% ownership stake.
Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names that vary by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between economy class and first class, but many airlines now offer business class as the highest level of service, having eliminated first class seating. Business class is distinguished from other travel classes by the quality of seating, food, drinks, ground service and other amenities. In commercial aviation, full business class is usually denoted 'J' or 'C' with schedule flexibility, but can be many other letters depending on circumstances.
Economy class, also called third class, coach class, steerage, or to distinguish it from the slightly more expensive premium economy class, standard economy class or budget economy class, is the lowest travel class of seating in air travel, rail travel, and sometimes ferry or maritime travel. Historically, this travel class has been called tourist class or third class on ocean liners.
Grand Junction Regional Airport is three miles (4.8 km) northeast of Grand Junction, in Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Owned by the Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority, it is the largest airport in western Colorado and third largest in the state, behind Denver International Airport and Colorado Springs Airport.
An airport lounge is a facility operated at many airports. Airport lounges offer, for selected passengers, comforts beyond those afforded in the airport terminal, such as more comfortable seating, quieter environments, and better access to customer service representatives. Other accommodations may include private meeting rooms, telephones, wireless internet access and other business services, along with provisions to enhance passenger comfort, such as free drinks, snacks, magazines, and showers.
An airline meal, airline food, or in-flight meal is a meal served to passengers on board a commercial airliner. These meals are prepared by specialist airline catering services and are normally served to passengers using an airline service trolley.
Premium economy class, also known by brand names which vary by company, is a travel class offered on many airlines. It is usually positioned between standard economy class and business class in terms of price, comfort, and available amenities. On December 12, 1992, EVA Air introduced the Economy Deluxe Class on the inaugural flight of its first trans-Pacific route (TPE-LAX), becoming the first airline to offer this class of service. In some countries, this class has emerged as a response from governments and companies requiring economy class for travel done by staff, while still getting some benefits like airport priority.
Ancillary revenue is revenue that is derived from goods or services other than a company's primary product offering. Examples include concessions at sporting events, baggage handling or seat selection revenue received by airlines, restaurant revenue received by hotel owners, and car-wash services sold by gas stations. Ancillary revenue may exceed primary revenues, leading to changes in business models.