Craving coffee or a Biscoff cookie at 35,000 feet? If you\u2019re on a short Delta Air Lines flight, you might soon be out of luck.<\/p>\n
As of May 19, the airline is ending its free snack and beverage service in the economy cabin on flights of less than 350 miles.<\/p>\n
About 9 percent of Delta\u2019s up-to-5,500 daily flights will not have service, according to an airline spokesperson. This could affect routes like Los Angeles to San Francisco, which is just under 340 miles. The airline already does not provide beverages or snacks aboard flights of less than 250 miles, a group that includes many short hops between cities in the Northeast.<\/p>\n
The change is intended to \u201ccreate a more consistent experience across our network,\u201d the Delta spokesperson said, adding, \u201cEven on the small number of flights without beverage service, our crew will continue to be visible, available and focused on caring for our customers, like they do on every flight.\u201d<\/p>\n
The airline will add full beverage and snack service for the Delta Comfort and Delta Main cabins on flights of 350 or more miles. The airline said this meant a larger total number of flights would ultimately have beverage and snack service.<\/p>\n
Delta\u2019s decision to discontinue snacks and drinks on brief flights sets it apart from other major domestic carriers. American Airlines<\/a> offers complimentary snacks and nonalcoholic drinks to all travelers on flights over 250 miles, while United Airlines<\/a> provides free nonalcoholic drinks on all flights and complimentary snacks on flights over 300 miles. Southwest Airlines<\/a> has free nonalcoholic drinks and snacks on select flights over 251 miles.<\/p>\n \u201cEven budget airlines sell food and beverages on their short flights,\u201d said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst for Atmosphere Research<\/a>. \u201cDelta likes to claim that it\u2019s a \u2018premium\u2019 airline, but cutting out cabin service doesn\u2019t support that.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram<\/a> and sign up for our Travel Dispatch newsletter<\/a> to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n