Qantas denies economy passengers will have to pay for drinks and food

Qantas has emphatically denied a report that it will be charging economy passengers for meals, drinks, and baggage. The airline was responding to a story carried by Australian Business Traveler related to a survey sent out this week to its Qantas Advisory Panel an invitation-only group of frequent flyers. According to ABT “members are being asked for their thoughts on "pay as you use Qantas flights between Australia and New Zealand", indicating the busy and highly competitive trans-Tasman routes as a likely launch pad for what has often been a contentious model when adopted by other airlines.” WATCH: Emirates A380 creates a snowy blast  However. a Qantas spokesman told AirlineRatings.com there are absolutely no plans to introduce such a fare system. "We often ask questions to get a sense of what the market thinks but that doesn’t mean we intend to do something," a Qantas spokesman said. "Specifically, on this question, we have no intention on unbundling our fares. Given we’re in the middle of rolling out free wifi, we are clearly committed to being a full service airline." Interestingly, however, Air New Zealand has successfully introduced the scheme on its trans-Tasman flights to Australia and as far afield as Perth. However, Qantas has long prided itself on a one-fare policy and Australians are very much welded onto to that model. Unlike Air New Zealand, Qantas has its low fare champion in Jetstar to offer low priced options without food, drinks or baggage.