Delta cutting back on snacks and beverage service on shorter flights

Delta Air Lines says it’s making changes to food and beverage service on its flights, starting later this month.

The airline, which handles more than 70 percent of passengers flying to and from the Twin Cities, says it will no longer offer snacks and beverages to most passengers on flights of less than 350 miles, starting on May 19. That affects about 9 percent of Delta flights, including Delta Connection.

An exception to that will be first-class passengers, who will continue to get food and drinks on all flights.

Delta said it’s also adding full snack and beverage service for all passengers on some flights of more than 350 miles that didn’t previously have it.

The airline said the goal of the changes is “to create a more consistent experience across our network.”

“Even 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,” the airline said in a statement.

Last month Delta announced that it was raising its fees for checked baggage — one of several airlines to do so, in the wake of higher jet fuel prices stemming from the war in the Middle East.

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