NirE

Hi,

I usually fly "World Traveler Plus", and reserve a vegetarian meal.
I heard that in some airlines, you'll never be offered an upgrade to business if you have a special meal reserved, because then they'll miss one regular meal in economy.

Does anyone know if that's the case in BA also?
If so- that raises a very interesting question before each flight- should i give up food for the chance to be upgraded.. Not an easy one!

Thanks!

dc2447

Yes and No

Can I help you

Yes this is normally the case.

SukiB

Yes, apparently, if you are upgraded to Club, they are not allowed to give you an economy meal.

I rarely take up the meal in WT or ET, since it's usually not that good. So as a vegetarian, I just stick to the standard meal and just have the bits I can eat, otherwise there is usually at least something veggie on offer.

On WT, I usually have a backup Pret posh cheese and pickle baguette

corporate-wage-slave

Welcome to Flyertalk NirE, welcome to the British Airways board, it's great to see you here. Please feel free to participate fully in this community, we try to be welcoming to newcomers. And I hope you have a good flight.

It is the case that ordering special meals will greatly constrain your chances for a free upgrade, though not a paid one. However if you don't have status with BA your chances of that upgrade are not high anyway.

I have heard of cases where they have upgraded someone to CW but indicated they will get their original rather than CW meal, which seems fair enough; but I gather that is unusual and probably going to happen at the smaller out-stations where word of mouth can over-ride Standard Operating Procedure.

In CW there is always one vegetarian dish available - and if you are genuinely a vegetarian you best indicate that as soon as the menus come out - whereas in WTP the menu is far more restricted. Which doesn't make life any easier for you, so unless you are prepared to take food with you just in case, then personally I'd stick to your special meal and WTP: at least you know what you are going to get.

orbitmic

+1. Yes, special meals make you non-upgradeable, but no, I think it would be completely silly to give up food you can eat for the infinitesimal chance of an upgrade. A vast majority of flights do not get any op up, and of those which do, it is only a handful of passengers who get lucky meaning that your individual chances are still very low. Not ordering a special meal in search of an upgrade would be like betting that South Korea will win the World Cup and getting 11/10 odds for it.

windowontheAside

I know many people here have other experiences, but my upgrade record from WT+ is woeful - even on packed flights. So I wouldn't forgo food for (what is in my case) a very small chance of upgrade. But others report much more luck, so I guess it's a lottery.

_nate

I haven't flown in WTP since they introduced the CW menu, but does the CW menu generally include a vegetarian main anyway? Or is it that the vegetarian options usually present in CW are not considered main courses?

Can I help you

CW normally has a vegetarian option but if the OP decides to take their vegetarian meal request out of their WT plus booking they are most likely to not be upgraded and have nothing suitable to eat.

London_traveller

This is interesting. Reason I say that is because in WTP, passengers get a CW main course. Therefore, in this particular circumstance - a WTP to CW upgrade - I don't understand why meal choice plays a part as the passenger can still get their special meal in the higher cabin?

Or is it the case that special meals in WTP are not classified CW, i.e. they're WT-equivalent?

angatol

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corporate-wage-slave

Because they will have already docked the WTP meal loading by one normal meal, upgraded someone else from WT, who then gets pasta. End of civilisation as we know it.

angatol

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corporate-wage-slave

Yes, so the meal follows, but where is the replacement WTP meal for whoever ended up in that seat? Sunbury is the answer, incidentally.

angatol

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