Originally Posted by
Flier74
Unfortunately BA can not commence the second meal service 4 hrs before landing for a couple of reasons, one would be EASA Crew rest requirements and only 50% of the Crew would be on Duty so they simply can not offer the second service at this time, secondly a lot of Customer may not be too happy to be woken up 4 hrs out and then have abnptjer 2-2:30 hrs to go to the destination, I can not speak for JAL and ANA as I don’t know their local rest regulations and their crewing levels, middle eastern carriers also have considerably shorter flight times from the ME so may not be so restricted with crew rest requirements hence can offer a dine on demand in Business.
Besides the volcano eruption which may have put a spanner in the woods going eastwards from HND to LHR, otherwise it is just weather related across the pacific which would severely restrict diversion Airports, I use that term loosely, as they would be mainly airfields which would pose a challenge in itself to either continue from or divert to and if one or two suitable airports are out of the equation, then the western route it is.
I’ve flown Asiana a number of times from ICN to LHR (around 14hrs30) and they serve a main meal after take-off (lunch-time in Seoul) and then another in the middle of the flight (dinner time in Seoul) and then nothing from then until landing in LHR.
I’ve found this works much better because you are getting fed at the right time for your body clock and then left alone to sleep for the remainder of the flight when you naturally want to sleep (assuming your body clock is on Seoul time).
I’ve also flown KLM on various long flights from the Far East to Amsterdam and found that they serve a hot meal after take-off and just before landing, but they also serve a mid-flight snack with hot options. Whilst I prefer Asiana’s service schematic I find the hot snack KLM serve mid-flight better than nothing.
From what I remember of BA flying from HND to LHR, there was a meal after take-off and another before landing with nothing in-between.