While most of the world still think that Great Britain runs on tea, more and more of us are becoming coffee converts. Many us even imbibe the bean as a way to help us cope with those early morning low-cost carrier departure times. With this and International Coffee Day (1 October) in mind, we’ve researched the cost of a mid-flight caffeine refuel compared to a cup of joe on the ground. We found that cup-for-cup, flyers can be paying an incredible markup of more than 4,000% for the equivalent coffee bought at the supermarket.* Read on for all the jitter-inducing details.
A cup of (instant) Kenco Café Latte on a Thomas Cook flight is only £2.80, but the supermarket price is just £2.50 for a pack of eight sachets – or 31p per sachet. This means that you pay a markup of 803% for this in-flight coffee experience. Flybe serves the same product for a slightly more reasonable £2.50 – but this still represents a markup of 706%, when compared to what it’d cost you to have on the couch at home.
Jet2 offers its passengers Starbucks VIA instant coffee at £2.60 a cup. That’s not bad for a mid-flight wake-me-up, but it’s definitely worth noting that if you crave the same blend at home you can order a packet containing 12 sachets for just £4.95 – or 41p each – making the markup 534% per brew.
When you do the weekly shop and throw a 100g (52 serving) tin of Lavazza instant coffee into your trolley, it only costs £3, or 6p per cup. That same blend may taste a bit bitter when you realise that Ryanair charges a 4,150% markup (£2.55* per cup) .
We found that EasyJet actually offers the cheapest coffee overall at £2.30 for a cup of Illy instant. Even then the comparative cost of the same brand at the supermarket (£4 for 100g – approx. 50 servings) packs a punch making the smallest markup 2,775%. Even knowing all of this, no-one can deny the power of the in-flight brew and most of us won’t bat an eyelid next time we order a coffee on board, but as the writer, Gabriel Ba once said “It doesn’t matter where you’re from – or how you feel… There’s always peace in a strong cup of coffee.”
*Airline prices are correct as of 16 September, based on in-flight menus on the airlines’ websites. Ryanair prices were supplied in Euros. Conversion rates are correct as of 16 September 2016. Supermarket prices were based on the best prices found on the Tesco, Waitrose and Starbucks websites. Prices are based on cost per serving.
