First it was the free meals. Then the pillows.

And now, looking to cut costs further, one airline is experimenting with dropping the last little luxury those sitting in coach have to look forward to: complimentary soda and pretzels.

American Eagle said Thursday it will charge $ 1 each for a can of soda and a bag of cashews on flights into and out of Los Angeles next month.

"It's a test to see whether customers value the dollar to buy a can of soda or a can of juice," said spokesman David Jackson. Flight attendants will still serve free coffee or water.

Passenger reaction will determine whether sales are expanded beyond the California experiment, Jackson said.

American Eagle, like American Airlines, is a subsidiary of AMR Corp. Both serve O'Hare International Airport.

American Airlines gained notoriety earlier this year when it removed pillows from aircraft, a move that saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in cleaning costs. Although American was the butt of jokes on Leno and Letterman, several other airlines quietly followed suit after the furor died down.

American Eagle will also experiment with selling a blanket and pillow set for $ 5 that passengers can keep. Air Canada recently announced a similar move.