New Club World Service 2017 - catering and bedding – experiences and reactions
Version 2 final – Apart from some minor typo corrections, I'll leave it as it is, it's quite a long post to parse for updates.
This thread covers experiences and reactions to the new catering and bedding options introduced on long haul Club World service, starting with London Heathrow to and from New York John F Kennedy airports. The new catering is a development of an existing partnership with Do&Co, and the bedding from a new relationship with the White Company. The new catering will be rolled out to all longhaul Club World services in stages from early 2018 onwards.
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Links
Previous threads on FT:
Media centre story:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...1-sep-jfk.html
Previous speculation:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...s-lhr-jfk.html
Investing4U event:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...-5-2017-a.html
Note: This thread is primarily focused on the new CW Do&Co catering and (in due course) the new bedding and amenity bag for Club World – experiences and reactions. The wider issue of the new Club World seating and other CW product topics are beyond the scope of this thread, but feel free to comment on these in existing or new threads.
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Inaugural day – 1 September 2017, BA175
Scheduled LHR T5 at 09:40, arrive 12:25 JFK T7.
Actual departure 09:49, arrive 12:11
Aircraft 747-436 G-CIVZ – (86J / Super J)
On hearing that 1 September 2017 was to be the launch day for the new Club World catering service, I rearranged an existing trip to Washington DC so that I could be on the second flight of the day to New York. After many years of frequent Club World travels I was more than a little intrigued to see how the new partnership with Do&Co. British Airways offered me access to Jon, one of the project team who developed this implementation, so I was able to find out more about this new concept.
Boarding.
Boarding was from B37, with a 09:40 scheduled departure. I left CCR just after 09:00, walked down the passageway to the B terminal, and arrived about 09:15. Boarding looked to me to be about three quarters completed and I joined the Priority Boarding queue – there were just a few people in front of me and so I was in my Upper Deck seat within a minute or two. I was in 64A, Theoretical Seating had kept 64B (and 64J) empty, which is about as good as it gets.
There wasn’t much clue about the new service at this point, other than some Do&Co staff running around at the gate. However sharp eyed readers will notice the water bottle provided with the first drink – the first and very welcome change in the service, on day services the water bottle is normally supplied after the main meal. The water bottle will be particularly helpful on warm days if there is runway congestion. Unfortunately the bedding and amenity kit isn’t ready yet, that is expected mid October.
Menu distribution
Not long after take off the new menus were distributed, and here is the first big change – we’ve gone from a booklet to a folded card. It’s quite a high spec document in terms of card and print quality, and is quite eye catching too. There is a panel for each section of the catering, including the second meal. The cabin crew explained in more detail than before the different meal options, such as the use of the trolley for starters, which would particularly help a regular CW user unfamiliar with the service changes.
Drinks and nuts
Here the new service become very apparent: the new glassware is first rate and served on a tray with a separate bowl of mixed nuts, so very different from the Out of Africa packets. The cut glass is the water / soft drinks glass is very eye catching, and the smooth glass in the second picture is the wine glass. Both are branded on their base. Serving on a small tray handed to the customer reduces the number of hand passes.
Main course selection
The main course selection is taken off the menu description.
Tray with breads
Another big change, clearly showing the Do&Co influence. The side tray makes another appearance during the second meal. The bread is three-in-one, with different varieties within one roll.
Starters trolley
The starters are selected as a trolley comes through. The soup isn’t shown on the trolley, it is kept in the galley to keep it warm. It is OK to have a salad and another starters, indeed the ethos is largely about “have what you want” rather than “select one item only”. I had the butternut soup and the salad. The salad is much, much better than the previous token offer, and has two sauces, balsamic and French. Don’t stint on the French sauce, it is excellent! My soup was rich and velvety, and but for the need to keep space, I would have asked for seconds.
Main courses
Main courses are served by hand from the galley, based on the earlier selection. I went for the Dover Sole, though I must admit the beef looked and smelt rather good! The fish was nevertheless good, with a small piece of lemon butter melting in the lentils. The mash was also excellent. Do&Co has very strict timings on beef cooking, rather lower than those to which BA staff may be accustomed! The wine carrier made its appearance here, one white and one red wine. It can carry three bottles but they're starting with just two for the time being.
Desserts
This follows the pattern of the starters with a free selection from the trolley. I went for the Appel Strudel, based on the wonderful cinnamon smell wafting over the cabin. For once, I really could not accept a cheese plate, there simply wasn’t room.
Tea/coffee
Note the new mug here, served on the tray.
Second meal – sandwiches or tapas.
Served 90 minutes from landing. I’m not sure I’d call it tapas, it was basically a rare Yorkshire beef salad. Tasty and certainly an alternative to the sandwiches – which have also had a design uplift. Eating all of this was quite a fea(s)t. Admittedly the leisurely lunch and fast flight meant there was only a 90 minute gap between meals. I think it would be a better idea to put this on a trolley, along with the scones, to make it easier to see what the options are. And I can't believe everyone will want to eat all of this after a heavy lunch.
Club Kitchen
No change, though the quantity of existing items has been increased. Not sure it will be that popular on short routes!
Timings
I would not take this as anything definitive, the crew had been trained in the new service but inevitably it would be a bit slow on day 1. Because the aircraft was scheduled to leave at 09:40 I doubt many other passengers noticed, however.
09:00 - boarding started (approx.) gate B37, I leave CCR a few minutes after this.
09:15 – I got to the gate about three quarters through the boarding process.
09:40 – scheduled departure time
09:46 – “Boarding completed” (I think this delay was due to the extra swab tests at the gate on some passengers, I wasn’t included in this).
09: 49 – Pushback
10:12 – Take off from 27R, BA.com predicting an arrival at 12:24, the moving map 12:10
10:17 – CSD greeting
10:22 – seat belts off (they didn’t come on again until New York
10:24 – Hot towels
10:33 – Menus handed out
10:42 – Drinks and nuts
10:56 – Request for main course selection
11:32 – Tray with breads, hand delivered from galley.
11:55 – Starter trolley arrives, and the starter with it
12:08 – Starter trolley completes upper deck run
12:18 – Main course served, hand delivered from galley
12:48 - Main course dish removed
13:06 – Dessert trolley appears
13:19 – Meal service completed and tray removed, drinks offered.
14:00 – Drinks offered
15:05 – Snack basket pass (Club Kitchen items)
15:42 – Second meal served over Québec, served from galley (no trolley)
16:10 – Second meal tray removed
16:19 – “40 minutes to landing”
16:39 – “20 minutes to landing”
17:07 – landed in JFK, 12:07 Eastern
12:11 – at gate
12:16 – leave aircraft (door 1L)
12:24 – through CBP and out to landside.
Conclusions
I will write up something a bit longer on this later. But my first impression is that this is a huge transformation in the catering offering in Club World. A transformation in quality, quantity and presentation. The crew were genuinely delighted to serve it, and totally determined to make sure passenger made the most of this new service.
Thank you to the crew on BA175 for helping me with this, particularly the two ladies on the Upper Deck, also Jon and Louise from British Airways in Waterside.
Disclaimer: I paid for this revenue fare, it wasn’t a freebie. I did gratefully accept the offer of assistance from BA with photo logistics and a background briefing. The views here are my own.