Economy in Economy Class

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   Russia's leading airline, Aeroflot, is showing how it cares about it's passengers' health. From the 16th of January, those who are travelling by 'Aeroflot' economy class will not be able to have alcoholic drinks on board free of charge. According to the official press release, such a decision was made in order to prevent increase in tariffs in the current climate of dramatic rises in the price of fuel - whilst also allowing the airline to provide healthier meals at the same time.
   Not only experts but passegers themselves are inclined to agree with the decision. The results of the research made by experts have revealed that the majority of people flying economy class prefer ticket rates not to change, and also like a wider choice of and meals on board.
   In future, Aeroflot passengers will be provided with a choice of starters, a fish or meat main dish - and a range of soft drinks. However, there is still a possibility of paying for extra items such as alcoholic drinks. Aeroflot Press Service reports that such a policy was adopted by many European and American carriers including SAS, Austrian, Swissair, Delta, Malev.
   Other Russian airlines are divided in opinion regarding Aeroflot's initiative. Olga Bikova, PR manager of AirUnion said: 'We have never provided our passengers with alcoholic drinks on board. We support this initiative - the most important thing is to prevent increase in prices'. But Transaero does not plan to follow Aeroflot's lead. Sergey Bikhal, the company's PR Manager, explained: 'All companies have their own policy to optimize the economy of flights. There are many ways of cost saving - not only by cutting services for passengers'.