A major US airline has eliminated hot meals for economy class passengers flying to Europe.
JetBlue has quietly eliminated hot meals on its transatlantic flights, except for its business and first class customers.
The move comes as the popular airline tries to cut costs after reporting 82 percent less profit than the same period last year.
The airline’s transatlantic menus, which are posted online, now say: “All dishes are served cold.”
There are now only two main meal options for Americans crossing: pesto or mushroom and lentil pasta salad if coming from the West, and a bowl of grain chicken or ginger-garlic tofu for those traveling from the East.
JetBlue has quietly eliminated hot meals for economy class passengers on its transatlantic flights
It’s the latest cost-cutting move by the low-cost airline, which also reduced the number of flight attendants on transatlantic flights earlier this year, the Live and Let’s Fly blog reported.
JetBlue’s Mint business class travelers will continue to have hot food options, such as pizza and grilled chicken.
“After a trial this summer on our seasonal flights to Dublin and Edinburgh, we are expanding a new core menu to our six daily transatlantic flights this winter,” the company said in a statement.
‘The menu, created in collaboration with DIG, lives up to the standard we set for high-quality meals.
“This change is part of our effort to ensure we can continue to provide a great experience with JetBlue’s competitive fares on these routes.”
Other low-cost competitors have also had to make changes as they face reduced profits.
Southwest Airlines, for example, eliminated its free open seating policy earlier this year.
JetBlue is looking to cut costs after a dramatic drop in profits from the same period last year.
Spirit Airlines also followed suit, looking to make more money from seating options and introduced a premium seating service.
This comes as the struggling airline aims to boost revenue amid pressure from larger rivals who are increasingly cashing in on premium offerings.
JetBlue is still in the black, having reported a profit of $25 million in the second quarter of the year.
However, this was an 82 percent drop from the same period last year.