British Airways has taken a lesson in cost-cutting from its low-cost rivals by ditching meal services on short-haul flights. The loss-making airline will stop serving sandwich meals to its passengers in the UK and Europe from Monday in a move that will save it £22 million a year.

BA’s shorthaul flights will shift to the bring-your-own service championed by no-frills carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet leaving some to quetion whether passengers will continue to pay its higher prices.

Simon Evans, chief executive of the Air Transport Users Council, said: “The difference between BA and the no-frills carriers is getting less and there is a risk passengers will begin to question why they should pay the extra to fly with BA. If that is what BA has to do to survive, fair enough, but it would be a shame for consumers to lose choice.”

BA lost £401 million last year and Willie Walsh, the chief executive, has said that the airline is fighting for survival after a sharp decline in passenger numbers. He is attempting to strip costs and one of the casualties will be the humble cheese sandwich, a staple of BA’s meal service in Europe.

The sandwich ban will affect economy passengers on flights of less than two and a half hours. Passengers will instead be offered snacks such as pretzels, although the complimentary bar service will remain. “There would have been a riot if they’d got rid of the free drinks,” a comany insider admitted.

Breakfast will also remain and business-class passengers will continue to receive a full meal service. However, even BA’s premium passengers, who pay thousands of pounds to fly with the airline, will notice a change. The second meal service on long-haul flights, which is usually breakfast for passengers heading east and afternoon tea for those going west, will be replaced with a galley buffet. BA said that one in three of these meals was left untouched and had to be dumped.

A BA spokesman said: “When you fly with British Airways, the in-flight catering is top-class and, unlike some airlines, it is free. It is not unusual to make small changes to avoid waste where it makes sense and it meets customers’ changing tastes.”

BA wants to reduce costs in other areas and has cut its workforce by 2,500 to about 41,000. It is negotiating with unions to axe a further 3,400 staff and wants to change the pay and allowances of cabin crew and ground staff.

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