DME food service "enhancement"; no more hot meals
May 1, 2014, 3:39 pm
#32
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 958
bmi used to offer hot meals on flights to TFS, DLM, LCA etc to all 144 passengers on both sectors of A319's. Yet BA use the 'no space' on these aircraft too.
DME at the moment is an embarrassment! They could of even used mini trays & hot meal like the Scottish domestics but there's 'no space'. Won't make space more like! So for now in ET it's...
DME at the moment is an embarrassment! They could of even used mini trays & hot meal like the Scottish domestics but there's 'no space'. Won't make space more like! So for now in ET it's...
Last edited by TCX69; May 2, 2014 at 1:56 am Reason: A319 added
May 1, 2014, 4:31 pm
#34
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, ex-BD Gold, SPG Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 2,040
I too had this experience on BA237 LHR-DME on Tuesday. I had a snack in the FLounge, so I was hardly going hungry, I was a bit surprised. That said, I generally decline the hot meal, so the KitKat was a step up and from the usual Y pudding and the sandwich was about what I would expect from M&S or Pret--meaning that, if one is hungry, it will do (actually, had it been sans mayonaise, the bread was not bad). They did still have London Pride, however.
The more surprising fact I discovered is that MMB stated that I was flying in "EuroTraveller", not "World Traveller." Thus, not only is BA offering three different CW hard products, they are offering two different Y hard products (that said, I'm not sure what the difference is between WT and ET, other than food & beverage offerings). I did however still get the usual LH TPs.
The more surprising fact I discovered is that MMB stated that I was flying in "EuroTraveller", not "World Traveller." Thus, not only is BA offering three different CW hard products, they are offering two different Y hard products (that said, I'm not sure what the difference is between WT and ET, other than food & beverage offerings). I did however still get the usual LH TPs.
May 1, 2014, 4:36 pm
#35
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Lewes
Programs: HiltonH. Gold Starwood Gold BA BLUES! Mucci.
Posts: 4,833
If this was an Euro traveller service it would be B4 catering, the same as Athens, Istanbul, Cyprus etc, which on LHR flights would be a choice of hot meal, starter and pud.
This sandwich offering on such an expensive route is ill considered.
This sandwich offering on such an expensive route is ill considered.
May 1, 2014, 5:10 pm
#36
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 847
The cabins on the midhaul (ex bmi)321s are called Club World and World Traveller.
Apart from the DME, there is also a reduced Band 4 catering on certain flights, i.e. TIP, LPA, JMK,JTR,ALG and possibly other destinations , where no "safe" or reliable catering company can be sourced at the outstation.
At DME BA terminated the contract when it went to the 747/767 mix and now the 321 operates they can not just get a catering company for one daily flight at a reasonable cost.
I can only imagine the Cabin Crew must be very frustrated too offering such sub standard product. I believer they were told, that the Customers receive a letter at the Gate explaining the situation, but then again it is a bit late for that then, isn't it?
Apart from the DME, there is also a reduced Band 4 catering on certain flights, i.e. TIP, LPA, JMK,JTR,ALG and possibly other destinations , where no "safe" or reliable catering company can be sourced at the outstation.
At DME BA terminated the contract when it went to the 747/767 mix and now the 321 operates they can not just get a catering company for one daily flight at a reasonable cost.
I can only imagine the Cabin Crew must be very frustrated too offering such sub standard product. I believer they were told, that the Customers receive a letter at the Gate explaining the situation, but then again it is a bit late for that then, isn't it?
May 2, 2014, 1:13 am
#37
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, ex-BD Gold, SPG Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 2,040
MMB quite clearly said I was ticketed in ET. My outbound DME-LHR was on the 767, and ticketed in WT. I was quite surprised to see this, for as we know since March 2012 this has been a LH route.
May 2, 2014, 1:33 am
#38
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,857
I think you should put in a vociferous complaint into Customer Service about this. As a Gold you would possibly not get an entirely boilerplate reply, but it would register in any stats that they keep of this situation. The offering to DME is quite similar to the previous domestic offering from LHR to MAN and NCL just a few years ago. If nothing else, BA should be giving out food vouchers to WT travellers, or providing doggy bags as they did during the Gate Gourmet (sic) strike.
May 2, 2014, 1:49 am
#39
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Phuket Thailand
Programs: HH Diamond, BA Gold, IHG Gold, Oman Gold
Posts: 1,038
An interesting thought. There was another thread looking for people to do survey on certain airline and catering on certain flights, all seem to be Band 4 out of LHR, especially Russia etc. I wonder if they are putting these changes in, do the survey and then use this to prove one way or another if people actually care....just my train of thought 
May 2, 2014, 2:04 am
#40
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Mucci de la Cuisine Aérienne du Réseau Courte Durée de British Airways
Posts: 4,704
I am hoping that once these midhaul 321s have been containerised that they may be able to round cater like the 767s can. So fingers crossed as this is not a good product for our customers to be served on this flight.
May 2, 2014, 2:08 am
#41
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Provincie Antwerpen, Vlaanderen, België
Programs: MUCCI Gold
Posts: 2,512
An interesting thought. There was another thread looking for people to do survey on certain airline and catering on certain flights, all seem to be Band 4 out of LHR, especially Russia etc. I wonder if they are putting these changes in, do the survey and then use this to prove one way or another if people actually care....just my train of thought
All appropriate to the time of day, of course.
Lo and behold when the rather pants offering pictured above is served up, they can say "well that's what you told us is what you wanted."
May 2, 2014, 4:35 am
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: UK
Programs: Mucci, BA, AF
Posts: 10,130
I think all midhaul A321s being used on DME & TLV are containerised.
May 2, 2014, 5:05 am
#44
Join Date: Dec 2012
Programs: GGLfL
Posts: 1,129
This is very strange as this is a Worldwide route now.
I am hoping that once these midhaul 321s have been containerised that they may be able to round cater like the 767s can. So fingers crossed as this is not a good product for our customers to be served on this flight.
I am hoping that once these midhaul 321s have been containerised that they may be able to round cater like the 767s can. So fingers crossed as this is not a good product for our customers to be served on this flight.
My upcoming 234/235 flights are described as Club World, so it's strange to get flights marketed as Club World / Euro Traveller.
May 2, 2014, 5:05 am
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,546
To be honest, I think that BA's management uses a rather self-serving phrasing when they put it that way. The descriptive phrasing would be that BA are not willing to pay for hot meals considering the costs that they are being proposed for 1 daily flight on this route. Several airlines have a single daily flight from DME (or even less) and get full catering. This includes airlines such as BA's OW partner RJ who do not fly every day. So if this is not 'reasonable' for BA while it is to others, I'm afraid that it says more about BA's than it does about DME.