BA Reportedly Reconsidering Free Food for Economy Travelers
Jackie Reddy May 17, 2016
In an effort to compete with budget carriers, British Airways may soon be getting rid of complimentary in-flight meals for Y-class short-haul passengers.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, but for British Airways’ (BA) economy passengers, a complimentary breakfast and dinner could soon also be off the menu as the carrier considers nixing food for short-haul travelers.
The idea is that the removal of a complimentary meal service would enable the carrier to compete more effectively with its budget rivals. Rather than having a meal automatically included in their fares, hungry short-haul passengers would be able to pay an additional fee for better quality food.
It’s something that Alex Cruz, BA’s new chief executive and the former head of budget Spanish carrier Vueling, is reportedly considering.
BA told the Guardian that reports of any changes to meal plans at this point were “pure speculation”. However, other airlines owned by International Airlines Group (IAG), including Vueling, Iberia, and Aer Lingus, have already begun to charge travelers for food.
BA looks to be following the route set by many budget carriers and according to one industry analyst, passengers are already accustomed to purchasing food prior to boarding. While business class still offers good value for money, the same, he explained, could not be said of economy class.
Airline consultant John Strickland told the paper, “In business class, passengers are still getting a very nice product offer. But it’s inconsistent in economy. People are used to going onboard loaded with food from shops at the moment because they don’t know what to expect on BA.”
While any possible meal changes have not yet been confirmed, a BA spokesperson told the outlet that, “We are constantly reviewing every element of the experience our customers receive, including the in-flight catering, to ensure we’re delivering what they want. Everything we do is with our customers in mind.”
IAG chief executive Willie Walsh conceded that passenger attitudes to in-flight meals are changing.
“There appears to be consumer acceptance of that … if you want a meal … you’re going to have to pay for it,” he said.
But, Walsh added, “We’ll see what happens.”
[Photo: BA’s Flying Fish and Chip Supper, Nick Morrish/British Airways]
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That image is a long haul product, not a shorthaul product. Short haul economy is a snack (it should be said a decent meaningful snack) with the exception of Band 4. Again, FlyerTalk should really do better than this when it comes to accurate aviation reporting.
“In business class, passengers are still getting a very nice product offer." On BA, is this so-called 'airline consultant' kidding us? It's awful, outrageously horrid what they offer, even on slightly longer 2-3 hour flights. Even AA or their very own Iberia are better in terms what they offer but look at Qantas- they're offering way more than BE even on short 1 hour hops. Ha- even BA's own South African subsidiary is offering much better food in Business than BA does itself here in Europe!
"And if they remove the “free” (i.e. paid for in the ticket price) food, presumably the ticket prices will reduce accordingly? Yeah, right." Yeah right lol
Why don't they just call themselves a LCC and cut everything to make itself a LCC? Then compete in the LCC space. Why try to compete in the LCC space as a full service mainline carrier? It's like Mercedes cutting all the things that differentiates it from a Hyundai to compete with Hyundai.
And if they remove the "free" (i.e. paid for in the ticket price) food, presumably the ticket prices will reduce accordingly? Yeah, right.