WilcoRoger

I don't know enough about the British flying public, but I can't see anything on this picture I would like to eat in a lounge - or elsewhere. Zero nutritional value, industrial cakes and sandwiches, rich in E-code additives.

The presentation just makes it worse - our canteen downstairs does a much, much better job.

They had something very similar at the TXL lounge recently and in my desparation I just headed for the upstairs restaurant to have some real food.

Littlegirl

Well Sofia is also a Band 4 but not sure of the catering on this route ( M/F route) so did not want to include it!

I do understand what you are saying and Stockholm and Oslo are better examples for you to use.

magyaar

I have to play devil's advocate on the afternoon tea point here. Most of us on FT are business travellers, so the lounge is typically somewhere to either wait and relax/work whilst in transit or grab a quick bite before a flight. 'Afternoon tea' is no more appropriate to most of us in an airport lounge that it would be at home or work.

My wife isn't a frequent flyer, so when she travels with me then going into the lounge is a 'treat' and part of the overall travel experience, and in general I think BA do this very well. And I can tell you she'd love afternoon tea, especially washed down with a glass of something bubbly.

So I think I don't think afternoon tea should be demonised, but of course as a business traveller in the main, I do really miss the buffets and can't really see why there isn't room for both.

dc2447

I think you are on the E's already

You could be a superhero, sandwich man, can identify food additives from iphone photos on vbulletin

David-A

Nobody is saying they can't ALSO offer afternoon tea, the problem is not having a proper offering when people turn up.

I assume your wife always manages to eat her normal meals at normal times when she is travelling?

She is lucky, many of us have our days distorted when we are travelling.

Prospero

This tendering practice appears increasingly systemic in the UK. Not that I'd suggest this has happened with BA's relationship with BS but what I am seeing as commonplace are service providers forced into a position of bidding below cost because if they didn't they'd lose the contract. This is done so often nowadays with full knowledge and blasé acceptance that the standards expected cannot possibly be delivered despite their tenders ticking all the compliancy boxes. Bidders will even calculate elaborate cost/risk management scenarios during the pre-tender process for later use in red faced post-contract renegotiations so that they can recoup the inevitable loses.

Again, I must stress what I wrote above by no means suggests any similarities between BA/BS and I'll admit I may be projecting here some of what I see in my Monday to Friday, 9-6 activities.

Nicci, thanks for passing the message along and it is encouraging to see BA engaging in brand recovery. Personally, I would have preferred to have read something more substantive relating to the catering offer.

dc2447

You are indeed sir, you are indeed.

ade99

I am a low blue exec club member. I have actively gone out of my way to fly BA as much as possible as when travelling for leisure it's nice to have a nice place to rest before a flight where I can get some good quality food and get to my destination in a comfy seat with on board service.

A lot of my flights are to Southern Europe. My last trip was to Rome. On board we had afternoon tea, sandwich, scone and piece of cake. The onboard service had been cut down, I remember previously for longer afternoon tea flight you would get a warm snack (quiche) as well as the current offering.

I chose to have late lunch in the lounge on my way to Rome and the afternoon tea on the plane landing in Rome around 8pm. By the time I was in the hotel and in room it was close to 10pm. Luckily I had a more substantial lunch and the afternoon tea to keep me going through to the following day.

So now if I want an afternoon flight so that I don't have to rush up and get around to Heathrow the only food in the lounge is the afternoon tea service . which by the looks of pictures is just the same as on the plane but you can choose as many finger sandwiches as you like!

So if I can't find a flight with you that leaves before 3pm then I can either look forward to two lots of afternoon tea, or an option which is much more likely now: use EasyJet, pay for speedy boarding, extra legroom seat, marks and spencer salad and pay for lounge.

It's such a shame I seriously think that this is a mistake. Please reconsider. Surely this may increase your waste and actually not save you money. At 3pm all the left over food is chucked away, along comes the 'afternoon tea' then left overs chucked away and new food cooked to start at 6pm. Food waste and increased workload to change food settings surely is going to have a cost associated with it?

sigma421

Thanks for the update Nicci. Unfortunately this bit strikes me as BA interpreting the answer to a question in its own special way. If you ask someone if they want these things the answer will surely be 'yes' (who wouldn't). That is not the same as them saying 'please take the hot buffet away while you're at it'.

WilcoRoger

Special glasses, you know

WilcoRoger

I really, really had to look up again the name of the new contractor

nordic

I wonder if BA has listened to the same people who have demanded extended breakfast onboard. Maybe extended breakfast would be equally popular in the lounge. Evening flights to Helsinki start just after 6 p.m. and the flights arrive after 11 pm. So for Y class it will be afternoon tea at lounge and a sandwich onboard. On C class the onboard catering will continue to be great. Or maybe the small Cathay lounge will be crowded.

But still, my anger is diluted with the fact that Nicci is there communicating with us.

sts603

Much to do about the afternoon right now but what has become of breakfast and the F and Club lounges respectively?

father_ted

I can only imagine what leaps of logic were done with the survey/focus group data to justify the removal of afternoon hot food.

It astounds me that the volume of negative feedback on this particular issue is insufficient for BA to realise that they have made a mistake. Someone has no doubt done the sums and calculated that the cost savings are greater than the projected reduction in sales associated with the cut-down product.

nh1980

Thank you BAEC for responding. However, it beggars belief that your survey in any way drew some conclusion that unappealing bowls of slop at specific times is to the benefit of your most valued customers flying with you and in many cases hopefully using London and your airline as a hub rather than direct with someone else-is a decent meal too much to ask? Appreciate it is being looked at but this response leaves me a little cold, sorry.