Chris_G

Just tried the new entrance to the F lounge at LHR...and hell yes, what an improvement...!! Finally a benefit worth 1500 tier points.

At least security procedures are performed in a slightly more private and congenial setting with no more trekking down and up escalators as part of a tour of T5's shopping that getting to the lounge previously involved...

But then reality hits...the catering on the Club Europe cabin to Basel was truly awful. Why am I chucking my Avios at this...??

Two nasty finger sandwiches and a piece of rye bread with an unidentified substance smeared on top. OK I'll live with it because what I'm really after is the scone, jam and clotted cream. No...!! It's been replaced with a spongy something or other masquerading as a scone...

One step too far BA...as I used to love shovelling the cream and jam on top of the scone and then attempt to stuff the resulting edifice into my cakehole without it self destructing into my lap...!!

Bottom line...face facts and just travel in Economy around Europe...Chris

Fitch

Chris,

Welcome to the "wouldn't spend a penny on CE if it was on fire" club We are legion

BA or bust

Agree 100%. CE is just not a premium service anymore, it is worse than a lot of other airline's Y service.

Doc Savage

It continues to amaze me that European airlines get away with charging substantially more for "business" class seats that are in reality economy seats.

cornishsimon

I dread to think why this enhancement has done to the profit margins at Roddas

cs

psollitt

And at Island Bakery

subject2load

With all due respect Chris G ...... how have you managed to get as far as Gold and yet only just established that (once onboard, at least) there really is nothing* 'premium' about travelling CE .....

(*other than the cash / Avios cost of course.....)

ILikePancakes

I was contemplating that exact thought recently. What are the down the line impacts of a company such as BA changing their catering arrangement. I wonder what was the impact of BOB on Island Bakeries

cornishsimon

Quite !!!!

I can only imagine how much impact this has had for example on Roddas, I know that clotted cream is still on longhaul and I think some longer shorthaul routes but even so, that's heck of a drop in production for a company. However how much they actually make per pot sold to BA I wouldn't want to guess, but suspect it's very little. The big impact will be on jobs

Luckily for Roddas, Cornwall is currently very popular so I suspect they are doing well.



cs

Premier Owl

The only added value of Club Europe

1. if you are seated in row 1

2. If you can get locker space above your seat to ensure a quick exit (check crew bags and then remove crew bags)

3. For (2) above, you need to be able to board first. Problem is that priority is now given to passengers with hand baggage only fares, who offer to five up one of their bags at the gate to be checked in...

ILikePancakes

And (4) you're chasing status

FrancisA

I personally think CE represents fantastic value for money (in my case, my money not my employer's). However, I have always been critical of afternoon tea, believing a more substantial alternative should be offered. If you enjoy or enjoyed the scones, you are in a very small minority.

As for the rest of the CE product, the comparison needs to be with real competitors, not those operating in markets where few ever purchase the product and your protectionist government will allow you to go bankrupt so you don't need to change your failed business model.

corporate-wage-slave

I go along with this. Moreover the new CE offering on each route, each band, is now well identified in the relevant FT thread, so maybe it's a case of being tactical about when and where you go in CE versus ET. Ideally BA will soon follow the money. I hope the OP fed their comments into the SCCM's iPad, there is a team monitoring this feed (as well as FT, or so I've been told).

simons1

Maybe, maybe not.

Roddas have other customers beyond BA. I enjoyed a nice cream scone on Emirates today.

subject2load

Well, there are some fantastic deals to be had at times, that's for sure.

I've been looking at my options for getting to a wedding I may wish to attend in Austria in early June. On my particular dates, a return in ET to Vienna is pricing up at £311.
BUT ...... for just £488 more, as the BA website helpfully suggests, I can upgrade to Club Europe - a positive bargain at only £799 for a 2 hour sector, for one pax. And food included