BA 'Long-Haul Hunger' - The Times
Feb 23, 2017, 1:17 am
#1
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BA 'Long-Haul Hunger' - The Times
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pa...0ff3996f224a92
News of BA's enhancements have even reached the Times. In today's issue regular columnist Janice Turner writes that she spent an 11 hour economy flight '[I]ravenous'[/I] concluding that [I'this penny-pinching will finish its status as a blue chip brand'.[/U][/U][/I]
News of BA's enhancements have even reached the Times. In today's issue regular columnist Janice Turner writes that she spent an 11 hour economy flight '[I]ravenous'[/I] concluding that [I'this penny-pinching will finish its status as a blue chip brand'.[/U][/U][/I]
Feb 23, 2017, 1:43 am
#3
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For those without a subscription, here is the piece. It is rather accurate:
(Mods note for copyright purposes, this is only an extract from the wider Notebook article.)
Originally Posted by The Times
Long-haul hunger
We flew to Mexico City on British Airways and there is always a thrill boarding a long-haul flight that the holiday starts right here with movies, drinks and treats. But I spent the 11-hour flight ravenous.
In economy, BA has stripped away all of the journey’s little pleasures: nibbles with your drink, cheese and biscuits with a meal, afternoon snacks left on a tray in the galley. Plus portion sizes are now doll-like. Eight long hours after lunch, I timidly asked the stewardess when to expect dinner. “Dinner?” cried this on-board Mrs Bumble. “We don’t serve dinner any more!” Eventually, a small, doughy slab of pizza was handed out.
At least on Ryanair or easyJet you know to stock up on provisions. Whereas BA shiftily hopes we won’t notice its parsimony. But we will. (Especially those travelling with hungry, fractious children.) This penny-pinching will finish its status as a blue-chip brand.
We flew to Mexico City on British Airways and there is always a thrill boarding a long-haul flight that the holiday starts right here with movies, drinks and treats. But I spent the 11-hour flight ravenous.
In economy, BA has stripped away all of the journey’s little pleasures: nibbles with your drink, cheese and biscuits with a meal, afternoon snacks left on a tray in the galley. Plus portion sizes are now doll-like. Eight long hours after lunch, I timidly asked the stewardess when to expect dinner. “Dinner?” cried this on-board Mrs Bumble. “We don’t serve dinner any more!” Eventually, a small, doughy slab of pizza was handed out.
At least on Ryanair or easyJet you know to stock up on provisions. Whereas BA shiftily hopes we won’t notice its parsimony. But we will. (Especially those travelling with hungry, fractious children.) This penny-pinching will finish its status as a blue-chip brand.
Feb 23, 2017, 1:44 am
#4
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It is oft said that most of the cost cutting will only be noticed by the members of planet FT, I think the people are noticing and the bad publicity is going to affect BA.
Feb 23, 2017, 1:53 am
#5
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I think it already has. I also spend my money on other carriers where practicable but I have noticed a thinning out of punters recently at a time of year when aircraft should be nicely filling up.
Feb 23, 2017, 2:03 am
#6
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"Whereas BA shiftily hopes we won’t notice its parsimony." - that hits the nail right on its head for me. Continuing to charge premium prices for an increasingly LCC experience will be BA's undoing in the long-run. I see parallels with the cost-cutting measures employed by SAS between 2011-2013 that inevitable led to much customer and staff dissatisfaction, eventually leading to SAS doing away with its image as a legacy premium carrier and becoming a slightly more premium version of Norwegian.
Feb 23, 2017, 2:15 am
#7
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Agreed. I know that the standard response is to say that most people choose a carrier on price alone. Now that might be true for many economy travellers, but the last transatlantic I did I paid hundreds of pounds more for a WTP seat and was still hungry when I stepped off the plane.
Feb 23, 2017, 2:48 am
#8
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It's not just BA - although it might be an IAG thing. I flew IB long haul recently. We did get a lunch, although small, and after another 9 hours in flight we were quite hungry, so i went up to the galley to ask if we were going to get anymore food. We did, eventually, but it was very little. We also stepped off that plan hungry - and that was in business class.
Went straight from the airport to a restaurant for a "Pollo a la brasa"
Went straight from the airport to a restaurant for a "Pollo a la brasa"
Feb 23, 2017, 2:59 am
#9
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It's all well and good writing articles in The Times about this, but there's only one thing BA/IAG will understand and that's voting with your feet. Right now, not enough of that is happening for them to get the point, that being said the point Worcester made is a very valid one - most of the enhancements have only really been noticed here but the most recent Y ones are national news. The DM in particular have been spitting feathers on a weekly basis.
Feb 23, 2017, 3:03 am
#10
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Agreed. I know that the standard response is to say that most people choose a carrier on price alone. Now that might be true for many economy travellers, but the last transatlantic I did I paid hundreds of pounds more for a WTP seat and was still hungry when I stepped off the plane.
If it is simply a case of purchase being made on price only then BA is doomed to loose due to the legacy costs. I can not for the life of me think of any business which wants to commoditise it's products.
Do Apple management sit in meetings tossing around ideas how they can make their product low cost, and able to complete on price with Huawei phones? Or Marks & Spencer wondering how to make their stores more like Lidl or Aldi?
Feb 23, 2017, 3:19 am
#12
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Feb 23, 2017, 3:25 am
#13
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Compare BA to Tesco and you see where they are. Market share being eaten at the top end by the ME3, market share being eaten at the bottom end by the LCCs and having to choose a direction to compete in.
Tesco tried to be everything to everyone and it's cost them.
Feb 23, 2017, 3:35 am
#14
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Interesting experience in the Qantas lounge at Hong Kong. Flying J from HGK-SYD we were surprised by the proactive lounge staff topping up drinks, doing the rounds with little hot and cold treats, packed buffet with excellent choices, a thoroughly nice lounge experience.
Cue Tuesday returning HGK-LHR on BA we arrived in the lounge early and received the same
amazing Qantas service. Once a delayed QF flight departed the buffet shrank, the rounds of treats disappeared and the number of staff appeared to
shrink. It was pretty obvious BA pay Qantas less than required to maintain the level of Qantas lounge service.
Cue Tuesday returning HGK-LHR on BA we arrived in the lounge early and received the same
amazing Qantas service. Once a delayed QF flight departed the buffet shrank, the rounds of treats disappeared and the number of staff appeared to
shrink. It was pretty obvious BA pay Qantas less than required to maintain the level of Qantas lounge service.
Feb 23, 2017, 3:37 am
#15
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I think the biggest coup for Norwegian was for BA to try and compete with them, basically, I'd choose them over BA on the long haul flights now. I mean, why choose someone penny pinching across the board, versus someone known to be penny pinching, and cheaper, or if premium, getting plentiful food, drink and leg space?
Up to recent times, I'd have never considered Norwegian...
Up to recent times, I'd have never considered Norwegian...