New BA Club World catering concept [general discussion]
Feb 10, 2018, 8:42 am
#211
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Spitalfields, London
Programs: BA Gold, KFC 'The Colonel's Club' Palladium tier, Mucci des Visions Célestes du Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Posts: 2,327
OK, I can't hold in my reaction any longer.
... BA?! After #BAinvestment4U, £400M investment in CW, then a further £200M, a 'transformational catering experience', 'restaurant style dining' blah blah blah, a 5 month wait for this to be rolled out beyond one route, what do we have? A new set of plates and glasses!
The oft-used 'lipstick on a pig' seems well deserved here.
... BA?! After #BAinvestment4U, £400M investment in CW, then a further £200M, a 'transformational catering experience', 'restaurant style dining' blah blah blah, a 5 month wait for this to be rolled out beyond one route, what do we have? A new set of plates and glasses!
The oft-used 'lipstick on a pig' seems well deserved here.
Feb 10, 2018, 8:56 am
#212
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,107
I will be reviewing the overnight BA106 DXB-LHR offer next week. It has always been an odd catering service given the late departure time (2.25am) and early arrival time (6.25am) but they still manage a late night single tray snack service and a full hot breakfast. I always board and sleep till 20 minutes to landing, but in the interest of research...
Feb 10, 2018, 9:10 am
#213
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,546
Feb 10, 2018, 9:34 am
#215
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,930
So here is the spin and what I feel is the truth.
Now that we have seen what GG are supplying we can see that it’s the same food arranged differently on new china.
Do&Co will only be supplying the food for the LHR JFK route plus from a few outstations and this will be of a much higher quality, this wasn’t what we were told during training and speaking as crew I feel let down.
BA would say that there is more food and more choice, let’s see?
Starters are currently loaded to 100% and this will stay the same.
Salads are currently loaded to 100% and this is being reduced to 20% but will get 20% soup, BAs spin is that means that starters are being increased from 100% to 140% where actually it’s being decreased from 200%.
Main course salads have been removed and replaced but extra hot meals, no increase and still at 120%.
I have not been able to work out if we have more desserts and cheese but I’m guessing that we have.
So there you have it, less food, nicer china, better bedding and service delivery routines that doesn’t work.
Do&Co will only be supplying the food for the LHR JFK route plus from a few outstations and this will be of a much higher quality, this wasn’t what we were told during training and speaking as crew I feel let down.
BA would say that there is more food and more choice, let’s see?
Starters are currently loaded to 100% and this will stay the same.
Salads are currently loaded to 100% and this is being reduced to 20% but will get 20% soup, BAs spin is that means that starters are being increased from 100% to 140% where actually it’s being decreased from 200%.
Main course salads have been removed and replaced but extra hot meals, no increase and still at 120%.
I have not been able to work out if we have more desserts and cheese but I’m guessing that we have.
So there you have it, less food, nicer china, better bedding and service delivery routines that doesn’t work.
Feb 10, 2018, 10:37 am
#217
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Spitalfields, London
Programs: BA Gold, KFC 'The Colonel's Club' Palladium tier, Mucci des Visions Célestes du Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Posts: 2,327
I would now currently estimate that we are at least 5 years from Club World food standing a chance of being competitive, if it ever happens. I just don’t think that BA has truly got the appetite for such a shake-up.
Feb 10, 2018, 10:45 am
#218
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,107
I base this on how the whole project has been managed and how much of this will need to be changed.
We have a very active “Emperors New Clothes” mentality with BA with many staff in areas of control behond their ability.
We have a very active “Emperors New Clothes” mentality with BA with many staff in areas of control behond their ability.
Feb 10, 2018, 11:15 am
#219
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 264
I am always shocked when my friends who have worked for BA for a long, long time (since the 1990s) explain to me who their new bosses are: always under the age of 35 (often under 30) with NO experience on the ground or in the air whatsoever. I believe that the person in charge of many crucial aspects of service at T5 is from Purchasing, which was his first and only job - straight out of university, 5 years ago.
That's the real issue with cost cutting - not food, not BOB, but with inexperienced staff who are in WAY over their heads. You simply can't mask that.
Feb 10, 2018, 11:45 am
#220
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 614
I am always shocked when my friends who have worked for BA for a long, long time (since the 1990s) explain to me who their new bosses are: always under the age of 35 (often under 30) with NO experience on the ground or in the air whatsoever. I believe that the person in charge of many crucial aspects of service at T5 is from Purchasing, which was his first and only job - straight out of university, 5 years ago.
That's the real issue with cost cutting - not food, not BOB, but with inexperienced staff who are in WAY over their heads. You simply can't mask that.
Feb 10, 2018, 12:22 pm
#223
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Surrey
Programs: BAEC - Gold
Posts: 885
So the new food / is the old food? On a new plate?
Very clever marketing to make such a big deal of the relaunch (one one route) and then to continue to serve the same food on new plates. With extra cheese and biscuits.
Very clever marketing to make such a big deal of the relaunch (one one route) and then to continue to serve the same food on new plates. With extra cheese and biscuits.
Feb 10, 2018, 1:25 pm
#224
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
The inability to roll out a bit of new bedding had the alarm bells ringing and you have confirmed the rest.
Shame as the different threads on here with people talking about how wonderful it all is had raised expectations a bit.
Feb 10, 2018, 1:40 pm
#225
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,107
It could still be wonderful, with new seats around the corner we now need Do&Co catering worldwide.
The good things are the new service equipment and bedding, we just need some experienced people to design deliverable routines and then let us BA cabin crew do what they do best which is to serve with a smile, humour and compassion.
The good things are the new service equipment and bedding, we just need some experienced people to design deliverable routines and then let us BA cabin crew do what they do best which is to serve with a smile, humour and compassion.