Pick up a bargain late deal with Thomson and you'll find yourself paying £5 for in-flight meals as well as having a reduced baggage allowance of 15kg - 5kg less than normal.

The tour operator said it was applying the measures this summer to discourage late bookings and make it clear that those it does sell are no-frills deals. The move follows Thomson's announcement earlier this month that it was cutting back on large discounts.

'We are trying to encourage people to buy brochured holidays,' said a spokeswoman. 'If you are sitting next to someone on the plane who has paid half the price you paid but everything is included, it makes it a little bit fairer if they have paid for their meals.' The meal prices will be automatically factored into the cost of the holiday, although holidaymakers have the option to take their own sandwiches. Charges will only apply on short-haul flights.

Thomson already charges late bookers transfer fees for travel between airports and resorts.