Wanna Beer? Cough Up Another Buck

It now costs an extra dollar to buy a Budweiser on United Airlines. The country's second-largest carrier, operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, on April 1 increased the price of beer served in economy class on domestic flights to $5 from $4, according to an internal United memo, whose contents were confirmed by the airline.

What's Cookin', Doc?

United this month also restored hot breakfast offerings, including omelets and egg sandwiches, on its transcontinental flights. The carrier, which also offers fruit plates, in January replaced the hot meals with sandwiches to help it meet the terms of its bankruptcy financing.

The beer price increase "will help the company remain responsive to customers and to the marketplace, while meeting its financial needs," the memo said.

Meanwhile, the return of hot breakfasts follows "a few additional changes to breakfast services on shorter flights that allow us to enhance (transcontinental) breakfasts without increasing our overall costs," said Teri Fujiwara, manager, Onboard Service Menu Design, in the memo.

The breakfast additions do not affect United's premium transcontinental flights, which were not included in the January cutbacks.

United, based in Elk Grove Village (IL), and a unit of UAL Corp., sought Chapter 11 protection from creditors in December.

FMI: www.ual.com