(Photo: VCG)

China's Tianjin Airlines announced on Friday that they will no longer provide free in-flight meals in the economic class for domestic flights starting October 28 amid a series of changes to its in-flight services.

The airline company, based in north China's coastal municipality of Tianjin, said they would launch differentiated services for domestic flights to provide passengers with multiple choices and customized services.

Passengers can still order in-flight meals on the airline company's official website, on WeChat, China's popular instant messaging platform, or on board, according to the announcement.

The new regulations also stipulate that passengers who buy economic class tickets at 60 percent discount or lower will have to pay for extra checked baggage.

The new measures have triggered heated debate on social media as many Chinese travelers expressed mixed feelings about saying goodbye to the “unpalatable” yet sometimes necessary in-flight meals. Some even joked that they would have to bring instant noodles on board.

In fact, Tianjin Airlines is not the only Chinese airline company to have canceled free in-flight meals. Many other budget airlines, including Lucky Air, Spring Airlines, China United Airlines, and West Air had already done so several years ago.

Tianjin Airlines' decision has some worrying that the era of free food and drinks on budget flights may be over.

Li Xiaojin, institute director in Civil Aviation University of China, told National Business Daily that it is unlikely for airline companies that mainly run long-haul routes, such as Air China and China Southern Airlines, to cancel free in-flight meals, because passengers are more focused on the quality of the services. However, as Tianjin Airlines mainly operates short-haul routes, passengers may tend to pursue lower prices.

Most of the airlines overseas do not provide passengers with free in-flight meals during short-haul flights, while most of the Chinese airlines still do.

Only eight of the 22 most popular airlines in Europe are still serving passengers complimentary snacks or beverages, reported the Telegraph.

American Airlines and Delta Airlines, two of the largest airline companies in the world, do not offer free in-flight meals for passengers. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines, a US-based budget airline company, only serves free snacks and beverages onboard while charging for alcoholic beverages.