Airlines bringing again in-flight freebies – together with an economic system pint
Passengers can expect more bang for their buck when flying abroad, as airlines are now offering more in-flight freebies including a free pint for economy passengers
Airlines across the world are starting to introduce several in-flight freebies – including one offering an alcoholic beverage to economy passengers. Gone are the days of free socks and drinks in most airlines, but this could be returning for a few lucky customers.
Earlier this month, Air Canada announced it will be rolling out free alcohol on flights in economy class to attract more fliers. The Montreal-based carrier is now the only traditional North American airline offering complimentary beer and wine in economy on all routes.
Despite it sounding too good to be true, the airline are offering complimentary beer, wine, and exclusive Canadian-made snacks for all customers on flights, including routes to Mexico and the Caribbean.
But they’re not the only ones, Dutch airline KLM, Europe’s oldest carrier, are following in the same footsteps. The company are now serving a welcome drink to all economy passengers at the beginning of their flight, The Telegraph reported.
Passengers will be given the option of wine or orange juice.
American Airlines also said it will now run a second trolley service in the economy cabin on domestic flights over 1,500 miles, meaning passengers will now get a second free drink.
Not wanting to be left out, Virgin Atlantic have got some freebies of their own. It will become the UK’s first airline to offer free, ‘streaming-quality’ Wi-Fi across its entire fleet – completely unlimited.
Southwest Airlines has jumped on the entertainment wagon. Rhys Jones, from frequent flier travel website Head For Points, said: “In the US, the full-service carrier United now partners with Spotify”.
This means passengers can enjoy a podcast or audiobook – all included in the price of their plane ticket.
Emirates already let passengers watch Premier League football games during their long-haul flights along with other select sporting events.
However, while these offerings are tempting, it was previously revealed by the BBC that plane tickets saw a significant monthly surge of 30.2% between June and July 2025 in the UK, a record increase largely driven by the timing of school holidays and strong demand.
Year-over-year, the annual increase in air fares was 15.5% in July 2025, a sharp rise from earlier in the year.
This price hike is contributing significantly to overall inflation, with factors like high demand, stretched airline capacity, and delayed aircraft deliveries playing a role.
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