EasyJet passengers can end up paying up to 289% more for in-flight booze
Passengers jetting out to holiday destinations face a significant mark-up on drinks onboard planes.
The airport pint/pints before flying is now as ingrained a part of British culture as donating a tin of beans for Harvest Festival or regular portions of chicken tikka masala. Drinking on the plane, however, is a more complex pursuit. Often the portions are small, the drinks trolley infrequent, and the prices high.
New data from Kadi Luggage show the prices you're likely to fork out when flying with budget airlines, including easyJet, Ryanair, and Jet2, and the markups facing customers. According to the study, in some cases prices can soar up to 289% above supermarket rates.
On easyJet, wine costs up to £6.60, and beer £5.60, while Ryanair charges £6.84 for wine. Meanwhile although Jet2 ranks as the most affordable UK airline for in-flight drinks, it still trails far behind international competitors, with prices significantly higher than those offered by Iberia Express and Transavia France.
By contrast, top-scoring airlines like Spain's Iberia Express charge nearly £2 less per drink, offering beer for just £3.85.
"UK carriers are enforcing stricter alcohol policies, yet are not offering much value to passengers in return," says Harry Saunders, CEO of Kadi Luggage. "We expect to pay more at altitude, but these prices are eye-watering, especially for everyday brands you can get for a third of the price on the ground. And when comparing globally to leading European airlines, Brits really are overpaying for a basic drink at 30,000 feet."
READ MORE: UKHSA has issued an important warning for anyone with holidays booked in July
UK and Irish airlines consistently fall short on value for money, with European counterparts offering better-priced drinks across all categories.
Overall, the cheapest airline was Iberia Express, which offered beer for £3.85, wine for £5.56, and spirits for £5.13. At the other end of the scale was flyDubai, where beer will set you back £8.03, wine the same price and spirits £8.77.
Jet2 is the cheapest UK or Irish airline that was ranked, serving up £5.60 beer, £6 wine and £6 spirits. Ryanair was next up thanks to its £5.56 beer, £6.84 wine and £5.99 spirits. This compared favourably to easyJet, where beer cost £5.60, wine £6.90 and spirits £6.60.
The study looked at the price mark-ups customers face. They included:
A 289% mark-up on easyJet for a 330ml bottle of Morretti, which costs £1.53 in the supermarket and £5.95 onboard.
A 264% mark-up on Ryanair for the same beer, that costs £5.56 on the Irish budget airline.
A 193% mark-up on Jet2 for a BrewDog Punk IPA, that cost £1.91 in a supermarket and £5.65 on the plane.
Supermarket prices are according to sainsburys.co.uk at the beginning of July. The study analysed online in-flight menu prices for each airline, retrieving prices for beer, wine and spirits. All prices were converted to GBP.
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