American Airlines brings back free snacks

Snacks are back on American Airlines flights.

The Fort Worth-based carrier announced on Monday that complimentary pretzels and cookies will be available on its transcontinental flights this month. All domestic flights will have snacks by April.

For flights departing before 9:45 a.m., American will offer Biscoff cookies. For flights departing after that time, customers can choose between the cookies or pretzels.

American is also bringing back free meal service on its flights from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport to Hawaii starting in May.

“We are giving our customer more choices to enhance their personal flying experience by offering new service and new entertainment options in all cabins,” said American’s vice president of global marketing, Fernand Fernandez.

The free snacks are part of several new in-flight initiatives at American. Last week, the carrier unveiled new Cole Haan-designed amenity kits for first- and business-class passengers. The new kits will feature products by 3LAB Skincare, C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries and Clark’s Botanicals.

American also expanded its free in-flight entertainment on domestic flights with passengers able to access 40 movies, 60 television shows and 300 music albums on aircraft with in-seat entertainment systems.

United Airlines also reintroduced free snacks to its economy cabin on Monday. Stroopwafels, Dutch-made toasted waffle treats, are available on flights before 9:45 a.m. Flights later in the day will have “Asian-style snack mixes of rice crackers, sesame sticks and wasabi peas or a zesty ranch mix of mini pretzel sticks, Cajun corn sticks and ranch soy nuts,” the airline said.

Delta Air Lines never eliminated its free snack offerings in economy class, and Southwest Airlines continues to provide honey-roasted or lightly salted peanuts in its cabins.

“These are token investments in the passenger experience that will not cost airlines a lot of money but are small ways to make passengers a little bit happier,” Henry Harteveldt, the founder of travel consultancy Atmosphere Research Group, told The Associated Press. “American and United realized: We don't let other airlines have an advantage on price, why let them have one on pretzels.”

This story was originally published February 1, 2016 at 2:48 PM with the headline "American Airlines brings back free snacks."