Originally Posted by
CD747
I wonder if BA should consider changing how the in-demand items are distributed.
In other words - quite often I choose something on the menu, but I don't really mind what I order and would happily have had anything. As I have comparatively high status with BA, it's unlikely I'll be asked to change (if the crew aren't doing first come first serve!), even though I wouldn't mind. Meanwhile someone else might be being. forced into a meal they can't stand as a result of my
decision.
A couple of (dumb?) ideas:
1) Go to the high status passengers first and ask them if they're sure they'd like <In Demand Dish X>. A proportion might not be that fussed, and it saves disappointing a customer.
2) Change the way ordering works, from selecting one item to selecting multiple items and receiving one of your selection.
Why make things complicated when they can be simple? Status prioritisation is an important benefit but whenever I do not really mind, I just tell the crew that I'd be fine with x or y (or with anything) so that they should feel free to let someone else have priority.
I think it's safe to say that most people have clear preferences so it is probably best to let people pro-actively surrender that choice if they do not care rather than give people feel that they are being pressured into choosing something else or making them worry whilst currently, people get their top choice in most cases and the crew can get back to them to ask for their second preference in the unlikely case the first in unavailable.