- Ryanair charges more up to 66% more for soft drinks
- Ryanair and EasyJet menus pricier than competitors, charging up to 60% more for chocolate
- Different sized containers mean airlines can get away with charging more for less
- EasyJet and Air Baltic beer twice the price of Eurowings
None of us is keen to fork out for snacks and drinks on budget airlines, but since we are forced to dispose of liquids before going through security, we are often left with no choice.
Travel platform fromAtoB compared the current prices for drinks and snacks among the main European low-cost airlines, to see which are the worst offenders.
The biggest difference can be seen in soft drink prices. While a can of Coke costs between €2.50 and €3, portion sizes vary, meaning that with Ryanair it’s €10 a litre, compared with €6 per litre on TUIfly.
German airlines offer the cheapest beer
As is fitting for a country known for its beer, flights to and from Germany offer the best value, with a 330ml can costing just €3 with Eurowings and TUIfly. EasyJet makes passengers dig a little deeper into their pockets, charging twice as much, while a beer on a Ryanair flight will set passengers back €5.50.
Food for thought
The cost of a sandwich also varies significantly. The East European carrier WizzAir offers the cheapest options for just €4, while Eurowings passengers can expect to pay €5 for a chicken roll. Both Norwegian and Spanish airline Vueling charge €6.50 for a club sandwich.
TUIfly: best value overall
Almost all airlines offer a combined menu that often includes a sandwich, drink and snack. A Wizzair meal deal costs between €6 and €8.50, while a meal alone with Norwegian costs €8.
TUIfly offers the best overall value for money, with all items on the menu totalling €35.84, compared the Norwegian menu which totals €52.09, and Easyjet at €50.
The full data can be seen hereunder.
| Airline | Water (per litre) | Soft drink (per litre) | Chocolate | Sandwich | Beer | Total menu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EasyJet | € 5.00 | € 7.58 | € 4.00 | € 6.00 | € 6.00 | € 50.01 |
| Ryanair | € 6.00 | € 10.00 | € 4.00 | € 5.50 | € 5.50 | € 49.90 |
| WizzAir | € 5.00 | € 7.58 | € 3.00 | € 4.00 | € 4.50 | € 43.22 |
| Eurowings | € 6.00 | € 10.00 | € 2.50 | € 5.00 | € 3.00 | € 41.34 |
| TUIfly | € 5.00 | € 6.00 | € 3.00 | € 4.50 | € 3.00 | € 35.84 |
| Air Baltic | € 7.58 | € 9.09 | € 3.33 | € 5.00 | € 6.00 | € 46.25 |
| Norwegian | € 6.00 | € 9.09 | € 2.50 | € 6.50 | € 5.50 | € 52.09 |
Status: June 2019
Berlin, 14 June 2019
