No more free food: India's 'cheap' airfares force airlines to change

Jet Airways' decision to make passengers pay for meals signals that full-service airlines will struggle in India in the near future

One of India’s first international airlines, Jet Airways, has been forced into a corner with an impending income tax probe, mounting bank debts and reports of bleeding passengers on one of its aircraft. Now, the airline has decided that its passengers who book the cheapest economy class tickets won’t get complimentary meals on its flights starting September 28. A Jet Airways representative confirmed that the decision to make passengers pay for their meals is dictated more by international norms than by the behaviour of its domestic competitors.

The airline has as many as five separate categories in its economy