On Monday, March 15, 2010, Continental Airlines announced it would discontinue offering free meals in economy class on most of its U.S., Canadian and certain Latin American routes.

The airline will continue to offer complimentary food in the economy cabin on all intercontinental and certain other international routes, and on long-haul domestic routes over six hours.

Jim Compton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Continental stated "Our traditional free-food model has served us well for many years, but we need to change to reflect today's market and customer preferences."

Instead, Continental will be offering "a variety of high quality, healthy food choices for purchase in economy class," according to a statement released Monday.

Menu choices and pricing are currently in development and will be announced prior to implementation. Continental stated that they will offer food and snack selections that are appropriate for the length of the flight and the time of day. Traditional non-alcoholic beverages and accompanying snacks like pretzels will continue to be complimentary on every Continental flight.

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