Jagboi

I can't imagine how long the service would take for BoB. 300 card transactions to process in Y? Would the food be cold by the time they make it from one end of the cabin to the other? Or will it just be cold sandwiches anyway?

With security the way it is, it's difficult to bring food from home, and airport choices are often limited and not particularly healthy.

Stoemp

You are forgetting the Carnation in the lavatory and the stale prawn amuse bouche.

South London Bon Viveur

Awful if this materialises. Brand damage will be felt for decades, and once the third runway is built then BA may actually have some competition. I feel more press hammerings coming.

varkey

Unfortunately, and unlike a short haul, this would result in more than just a handful of people packing a sandwich. I can just imagine all the smells as people take lids of their tupperware.

bmibaby737

Can't quite understand why BA Can't get it into there heads why people pay a premium to fly with them so expect all the extras e.g food free seat selection etc. Whats the point of founding level when BA will just become them anyway? I think eventually cruz will be removed as CEO in about 2 years when things start to go seriously downhill as profits fall and more and more FF don't bother. Shame that there JV with AA doesn't get broken up as they'd soon get there arse into gear.

MarkFlies

I'd imagine the BA PR people aren't happy tonight.

The last few days has been about BA spending more and making improvements (in premium cabins). 'How great are we?'

Now all people are talking about is lower service.

Oops...

SonTech

So a newspaper reports something a company MAY do without any actual proof and everyone believes it to be true? Maybe the Times should actually show the proof not what a few writers think COULD happen.
The paper knows everyone seems to have it in for BA recently, whether deserved or not, and seems to be using it to gain some publicity and it seems to be working... This is just another case of fake news and it's worse as it been reported by a major newspaper...

As to BA'so reply of course they wouldn't say it will never happen as they will keep all their options open like any business would and should.

And as a comparison how many train or bus tickets include food regardless of length? I've never heard of any, well not in the UK anyway.

Crampedin13A

Here is one example and I'm no expert on UK trains I just travel on the West Coast main line

https://www.virgintrains.co.uk/experience/first-class

williamn78

I recently completed tow longish Air Canada flights between Canada and the USA, both were around 5 and a half hours. BOB of course and both at mealtimes. Shocked that there was so little stock on board. Most items had run out on both flights, on the return flight even though I was little more than half way down the plane. If you're going to do BOB, do it properly.

Grando

How is it fake news to report that BA's CEO suggested that his airline might some day go BOB on longhaul flights?

I expect that BOB will come to longhaul eventually whether BA or someone else is the first "full service" carrier to go that way. People want cheap seats.

elitetraveler

Well, I think when you list to AC on the videos and read all the reports since he did separate interviews, there are a couple take aways --

- They are still trying to get BOB right in terms of logistics - so I can't imagine that they would launch BOB on long-haul and face the logistical problems they have had on short-haul.

- They understand that some of the cuts such amuse bouche and flowers, while based on surveys, and 'that's not why people fly us' created a negative perception that outweighed the 'every penny we save is a good penny' approach AC was espousing. Hopefully, they have learned as Bob Crandall did, you take the olive out of the salad, not the martini.

- AC understands the difference in what people pay in Y and believes there needs to be a differentiated problem, but he described it as an "industry challenge." However, one can assume they are cognizant of it and want to give the $1,100 passenger and BAEC top tier Y customer differentiated experiences.

- They may have learned - add first, do the PR first, and then snip after, however, it was surprising that right after they spent considerable money tried to but the fire out, AC would light it back by bringing up BOB in Y.

I think it's clear they don't have ambitions to have a F like the Middle Eastern airlines - he seems to think the 787 is a good standard in hard product and size.

Crampedin13A

Well hopefully no airline looks at what AC does and holds it up as a standard of excellence. Although they were truly the leaders in FFP "enhancements". AC as in Air Canada;>)

brewdog11

By "competitive challenge," you mean "a new way to screw over the customer by delivering less whilst charging the same price," right? That's all I see here.

BA does not charge any less for fares intra-Europe, yet we're seeing a drastic decline in onboard service.

I'd be willing to bet the farm that most of BA's business comes from business-type travelers who do not fly on LCCs. You know, the people who prefer a meal and a generous baggage allowance so they don't have to wear 10 layers of clothing to save on checked baggage? Not a good idea to alienate your customer base.

There are other oneworld carriers available. If BA is going to go the nickel-and-dime route, I'll just start switching in the Gulf.

ginger50

WT is advertised by BA as:


I will be curious to see how they change their tune with BoB on WT.... presumably with bylines such as "no frills"

Eek! this could get so messy.

eigenvector

BOB is standard on all carriers for flights within North America, some of which reach to more than 6 hours (BOS-LAX being the standard example). It's been that way for around 15 years now. But yes, totally inadequate stocking of items is an Air Canada phenomenon. Good luck getting anything hot if you are not sitting in the first two or three rows.