hayward68

I belong to another website on which a member has posted the following:

"They've done it again. Just talking to my husband who flew back to London today from Oslo on BA, on a ticket bought this morning - business class - all that was available. When it came time to serve lunch the purser came up to him to tell him there was no meal for him as he had only gone on the passenger list that morning, and that was it - not even so much as a bread roll was offered.
I know they're broke but surely the idea is to give a service that might make people want to fly with them again - or am I still living in the dark ages?"

What!! How can that happen? Has it happened to anyone else?

john_r06

This is quite common, gentleman in CE on JER_LGW was in same boat yesterday.

Am sure one of the BA staff on here will confirm but if flight is booked close to the departure of the plane itself from the UK then no meal is loaded.

hayward68

My friends laugh when I've got lots of food in my carryon, seems I should keep on with this practice.

David-A

Try being a vegetarian, I don't know why the spares can't be vegie by default (or even one of the options).

Lobengula

I would assume that this can happen if the ticket is bought very close to departure time. It happened to me a while ago when I was moved to a SK flight because of late arrival into LHR. BA agent told me that the SK flight might not have a meal because of the short notice. I was lucky though and got my meal

sunrisegirl

Aircraft are generally catered to the figures booked for that flight, or perhaps an extra meal in CE and ET just in case of last minute bookings.

At LGW there's provision to call on Alpha catering to bring a top up meal for somebody who books late, I would imagine the same thing exists at LHR too.

As many flights often carry catering for the return from the UK, then unfortunately it's possible there wasn't time to get a meal loaded for late bookings.

Nothing to do with "I know they're broke".

JamieT

This often happens with late BMI business bookings as well, at least on domestics - for example I've been advised there's no hot breakfast available for me on several occasions this year when I've changed flights at a late stage. It's not exclusive to BA.

OPebble

Because short haul European flights returning to London have the meals for the return flight loaded at LHR on the outbound flight, it is not at all surprising and indeed common.

In the "good old days" they used to carry a spare meal or two, but in these straightened times of waste not want not, I understand that that practice has ceased. If your husband booked his flight back to the UK, say, about 2 hours before the flight to Oslo left LHR, then I am afraid that is one of the enhanced benefits of the modern flying world.

BAAZ

Yes, has happened to me very often. Always when flying from outstations back to London, for the reasons above; if flying from London BA can load an extra meal at fairly short notice.

It's the same for other carriers (happened to me on LH once).

IAMORGAN

Ok, I haven't looked at the Ts & Cs of carriage in enough detail, but: if you book a business class flight, a publicised benefit of the product is
"Healthy, fresh complimentary meals and refreshments". Surely this is breach of contract. BA might argue that these are mere advertising puffs and the contract is merely for conveyance in a "cabin" from point to point, but surely if BA is publicising catering on the same page to where you are being sold the product, and again on manage my booking section once you have booked, one could assume that part of the contract is to get some cabin service.

LTN Phobia

If that is binding, surely they cannot serve that dreadful 'alleged scrambled egg made with some strange, powdered 'egg-coloured substance'?

YClass

Happend on MAD-LCY to 4 passengers. Purser very apologetic and I heard her complaining to ground staff. Didn't happen to me even though I shifted onto the flight 1.5hrs before, the 4 passengers must have been moved onto the flight very close to departure. I guess best is to file a complaint to BA and they will likely provide some comp - a meal is one of the only benefits of CE at the moment! And with full-flex J, last minute pax additions should be expected.

Schultzois

If this is a matter of policy - and from the few comments here from those who should know operational matters that play into this, it sounds like it is policy - then it should also be BA reservations policy to zero-out J/C/D/R/I inventory for sale at whatever the time that catering is no longer offered. By all means, keep selling Y and below, since I don't think there's much expectation any more there, but don't sell a product that you already know you're not going to be able deliver!

That would certainly be consistent with the frequent line I've heard that even if you're already on a fare (paid outright, miles, or MFU) and you've accepted a downgrade in order to get on the flight you want, typically they will not put you back into Club at the airport, even if seating is available, because "catering would not be available."

It's not too hard to figure out on each route when there's no longer an opportunity to cater the aircraft for last-minute passengers, and simply close the cabin then.

Sixth Freedom

Unfortunately BA also say

Sixth Freedom

I agree that the status quo is, regrettably, unfair to vegetarians. However the alternative would be unfair to people like me who do not eat vegetarian food. BA must judge the vegetarians potentially losing out as the lesser of two evils.