Jan 11, 2017, 7:42 am
Last edit by: KARFA
This thread focuses on experiences and reactions for the implementation of buy on board for shorthaul, mainly led by impressions taken from flying on board British Airways' shorthaul services.
An information thread exists for your questions, particularly if they are on factual matters, here:
Buy on board: Information guide for BA shorthaul economy services
If you have an opinion about the concept of Buy on Board, the right thread is:
Buy on board: Implemented on BA short haul - opinions on the concept
Photos of current BoB menu (September 2018) post #125 in information thread
An information thread exists for your questions, particularly if they are on factual matters, here:
Buy on board: Information guide for BA shorthaul economy services
If you have an opinion about the concept of Buy on Board, the right thread is:
Buy on board: Implemented on BA short haul - opinions on the concept
Photos of current BoB menu (September 2018) post #125 in information thread
Buy on board: Experiences and reactions from BA's shorthaul economy service
Jan 30, 2017, 11:47 am
#976
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver, M&M, HHonors Gold
Posts: 1,223
My friend told me how he was shocked to discover that there are no free drinks any more. Chose BA over Lufthansa, paid more (company expense) expecting to have a couple of drinks on a way back home and was very disappointed. From now on, he won't bother with BA. So small things can change a lot for corpo travel.
Jan 30, 2017, 11:55 am
#977
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: London, UK and Southern France
Posts: 18,364
IMO, it is unrealistic to expect cliff-edge effect with changes such as BoB. It seems to me that these things are more slow-burn and produce their effects over time as the brand image fades rather than instantly.
Jan 30, 2017, 1:49 pm
#978
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,196
LGW-AMS last Friday.
They reached row 20 before having to shut up shop for landing (friend of mine was in row 19!). Apparently a few annoyed customers (a) at having to pay and (b) not getting to the back of the plane.
Of course not enough 'comment' forms available. Apparently only limited numbers are stocked on each flight as per management decree. The mentioned something about the Ipad but I couldn't hear clearly what they actually said but sounded like 'they don't want us to use it to record BOB issues' but I could be totally mistaken
The 2 CC in CE were polity scathing about the way it had been introduced with management just expecting it to all work smoothly.
Of course with the new arrangement the 2 CC in CE couldn't do anything to help speed up the service so they had it easy dealing with 6 of us in CE.
They reached row 20 before having to shut up shop for landing (friend of mine was in row 19!). Apparently a few annoyed customers (a) at having to pay and (b) not getting to the back of the plane.
Of course not enough 'comment' forms available. Apparently only limited numbers are stocked on each flight as per management decree. The mentioned something about the Ipad but I couldn't hear clearly what they actually said but sounded like 'they don't want us to use it to record BOB issues' but I could be totally mistaken
The 2 CC in CE were polity scathing about the way it had been introduced with management just expecting it to all work smoothly.
Of course with the new arrangement the 2 CC in CE couldn't do anything to help speed up the service so they had it easy dealing with 6 of us in CE.
Jan 30, 2017, 1:52 pm
#979
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,145
Jan 30, 2017, 2:14 pm
#980
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: Executive Club: Gold - Flying Blue: Gold
Posts: 1,382
My friend told me how he was shocked to discover that there are no free drinks any more. Chose BA over Lufthansa, paid more (company expense) expecting to have a couple of drinks on a way back home and was very disappointed. From now on, he won't bother with BA. So small things can change a lot for corpo travel.
Jan 30, 2017, 2:22 pm
#981
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Leeds ,Yorks UK
Programs: KLM Flying Blue Platinum for Life.. BA Gold , oh and some other shiny bits of plastic ...
Posts: 4,238
A lot of people in this forum think that it is going to be ok with the BoB, that the food was crap anyway and that the market is going into that direction. They fail to realise that passengers ex EU have other choices especially the frequent corporate customers. We value quality even if we can expense our food. As I said before, I tried tge BA BoB and I found the experience of flight attendants waiving the M&S menu extremely annoying. It felt cheap and desperate. In the other hand, AA welcomed me with a soft drink and pretzels and as a BA Gold, I got a wind and a sandwich. They came to my row and thanked me for being a loyal One World Emerald. It seems BA doesn't care about its customers not even its elite ones. They were my favourite airline until they started cost cutting. Now they can bark as much as they want about M&S, I am going to spend my company's money on other serious and welcoming airlines.
Jan 30, 2017, 2:32 pm
#982
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: ±38,000 feet
Programs: LH HON, BA GGL, AF Plat, EK Plat
Posts: 6,428
Those are the ones that BA will realise they are losing next year, and will take a decade to get them back! It's much easier to lose a customer then acquire one.
Jan 30, 2017, 5:28 pm
#984
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK. BAEC AAdvantage
Programs: Mucci Des Oeufs Brouilles et des Canards
Posts: 3,671
You forget that Greeks and Turks are quite passionate about food! You wouldn't believe the conversations I've had with people from those countries about how important food is on a journey. Having flown Agean I can see it getting a number of people choosing that airline knowing that they are going to get something tasty and comforting during the flight.
Jan 30, 2017, 6:10 pm
#985
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Marriott Platinum. Aspiring flyer with both feet on the ground.
Posts: 318
Quick note on an LHR-ATH-LHR hop. Outbound journey had a cheerful announcement about BOB, with how the food that you love is now just a card swipe away. That card swipe seemed to take about 15 minutes per person, as more than half an hour after the trolley started from the first row it had yet to move more than an inch towards the back of the plane.
Card machines wouldn't work, attendants were taking turns in helping each other out. Customers were being asked for their PINs twice. Most of the food choices were unavailable.
Inbound leg, not so cheerful announcement. Cabin crew apologised from the beginning about BOB and the problems associated with it, yet invited everyone to give it a go and bear with them while they work the issues out.
The same painfully long payment processing ensured.
As we were landing, the crew said that the machines all gave up the ghost towards the end. They tried to fix them, but they failed. They also didn't have enough of anything in terms of food. They once again apologised and said that they have been feeding all this stuff back to management.
This has been painful to experience. Such an incredible shame. The same crew that was saying 'enjoy it while it lasts' to passengers just before BOB was introduced, are now facing double the work while serving less passengers. There is nothing BA can do to salvage this, other than bring back the old service.
Card machines wouldn't work, attendants were taking turns in helping each other out. Customers were being asked for their PINs twice. Most of the food choices were unavailable.
Inbound leg, not so cheerful announcement. Cabin crew apologised from the beginning about BOB and the problems associated with it, yet invited everyone to give it a go and bear with them while they work the issues out.
The same painfully long payment processing ensured.
As we were landing, the crew said that the machines all gave up the ghost towards the end. They tried to fix them, but they failed. They also didn't have enough of anything in terms of food. They once again apologised and said that they have been feeding all this stuff back to management.
This has been painful to experience. Such an incredible shame. The same crew that was saying 'enjoy it while it lasts' to passengers just before BOB was introduced, are now facing double the work while serving less passengers. There is nothing BA can do to salvage this, other than bring back the old service.
Jan 30, 2017, 6:26 pm
#986
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: LON BCN SYD
Programs: BA, OZ, A3, VA, VS, DL, QF, former BD and others
Posts: 1,074
I've seen it run out on the last few sectors too. Had a new BOB crew on last flight though, who tried saying "we've been told it was what the passengers want". A whole planeload told then why not.
On another sector the tap water was in tea pots so that it could be served on the trolley. Not sure if this is a service standard but kudos to the crew, made it much quicker (though I hope the tea pots get a good wash).
Bring on board beats buy on board and I am seeing more and more pax bring their own now.
On another sector the tap water was in tea pots so that it could be served on the trolley. Not sure if this is a service standard but kudos to the crew, made it much quicker (though I hope the tea pots get a good wash).
Bring on board beats buy on board and I am seeing more and more pax bring their own now.
Jan 30, 2017, 6:50 pm
#987
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Singapore
Programs: BA Gold. KrisFlyer Gold
Posts: 732
I've seen it run out on the last few sectors too. Had a new BOB crew on last flight though, who tried saying "we've been told it was what the passengers want". A whole planeload told then why not.
On another sector the tap water was in tea pots so that it could be served on the trolley. Not sure if this is a service standard but kudos to the crew, made it much quicker (though I hope the tea pots get a good wash).
Bring on board beats buy on board and I am seeing more and more pax bring their own now.
On another sector the tap water was in tea pots so that it could be served on the trolley. Not sure if this is a service standard but kudos to the crew, made it much quicker (though I hope the tea pots get a good wash).
Bring on board beats buy on board and I am seeing more and more pax bring their own now.
Goodness, that must have been embarrassing for everyone involved.
Jan 31, 2017, 12:55 am
#990
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Krakow
Programs: BAEC Silver, Miles and More(FTL), IHG(Platinum), Accor, HHonors(Diamond), SPG, Hertz Five Star
Posts: 5,919
Possibly a marketing masterstroke at work here. Light stock everything and then after a month proclaim what a huge success it has been and that you are having to double the quantity of everything on board. rather than overstock, end up with the same waste that you introduced it to reduce. if overstock you have the opposite problem when you reduce stocking and everyone then starts saying "told you it would be a disaster"
in reality it could just be that things run out because it has proven been more popular than people expected, especially based on the general negativity and skepticism on here.
in reality it could just be that things run out because it has proven been more popular than people expected, especially based on the general negativity and skepticism on here.