United Airlines to Serve Free Snacks in Economy Class

United Airlines on Wednesday said it will offer free snacks on all flights starting February 2016, a departure for an industry that has moved toward charging for extra services.

The move follows customer feedback that Oscar Munoz, chief executive of parent United Continental Holdings Inc, solicited when he took the top job at the second-largest U.S. airline in September. Munoz currently is on medical leave following an October heart attack.

It was not immediately clear what the free food - a caramel-filled waffle on early-morning flights and savory snack mixes later in the day on North American service - would cost United.

Other U.S. carriers such as JetBlue Airways Corp currently offer free snacks on all flights. United now only serves free food on international flights.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Marguerita Choy)