New BA Club World catering concept [general discussion]
Feb 10, 2018, 2:02 pm
#226
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Feb 10, 2018, 2:04 pm
#227
Join Date: Dec 2014
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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.
Disappointing, if unsurprising. BA will continue to try and live off the spin of the "launch", the main recourse customers have is to kick them in the NPS when getting the same old food (or possibly even less choice, as you have indicated upthread), on new plates. Now that Alex's bonus is linked to NPS, anyone who is unhappy knows what to do...
Feb 11, 2018, 9:05 am
#228
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It's not entirely come as a surprise that all routes aren't catered directly by Do&Co because they simply don't have the down-route network to cover all of the remote BA stations. Indeed, some routes are GG ex-UK and a different caterer on the return. I had wondered what the plan might be when this was deployed to other routes.
As I'd had an op-up on the 239 LHR-BOS last week, I could see from the pre-order selections that despite the route being catered by GG in all cabins, the main courses in J (chicken, cod, veg stew) were totally different from those in W (steak or chicken curry) - whereas before they would usually be the same dishes. So it doesn't look exactly like the "same old food", does it?
Are we looking at a situation where Do&Co are designing the food, catering it on routes where they have the ability both ends such as JFK, and handing the specifications to the other caterers such as GG for other routes? Possibly even sending Do&Co chefs to down-route kitchens to demonstrate what is required?
All flight kitchens handling cook-from-scratch work - as opposed to logistics only - employ experienced head and section chefs and line cooks, and are all capable of doing good things, given the right recipes, time, budget and ingredients.
As I'd had an op-up on the 239 LHR-BOS last week, I could see from the pre-order selections that despite the route being catered by GG in all cabins, the main courses in J (chicken, cod, veg stew) were totally different from those in W (steak or chicken curry) - whereas before they would usually be the same dishes. So it doesn't look exactly like the "same old food", does it?
Are we looking at a situation where Do&Co are designing the food, catering it on routes where they have the ability both ends such as JFK, and handing the specifications to the other caterers such as GG for other routes? Possibly even sending Do&Co chefs to down-route kitchens to demonstrate what is required?
All flight kitchens handling cook-from-scratch work - as opposed to logistics only - employ experienced head and section chefs and line cooks, and are all capable of doing good things, given the right recipes, time, budget and ingredients.
Feb 11, 2018, 2:36 pm
#229
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Thanks for the feedback, if this turns out to be what is offered in the future, it will be very disappointing. The JFK food offering gave some hope, and whilst the new bedding and service is a very welcome improvement the food will be a letdown when compared to JFK product.
So, right now I’m going to defend BA.,while some can’t have the new toys promised by a PR jolly on 787, it is surely sensible for BA to hold back, rethink and then work out what they can roll out what works.
it will be interesting to see whether JFK gets revised back to this quicker service standard.
So, one step back and a sensible rethink before moving forward with something that just doesn’t work in its original form.
Anyway, next up the BAEC devaluation announcement next month, and lounge access moving to the Qantas model.
Feb 11, 2018, 3:15 pm
#230
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Feb 11, 2018, 3:26 pm
#231
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Feb 11, 2018, 5:09 pm
#232
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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 11, 2018, 5:40 pm
#233
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Feb 11, 2018, 6:54 pm
#235
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Unfortunately not. Do&Co caters OS and TK from home but on inbound flight, they have plenty of other caterers on various routes. Now of course, there is incidentsally absolutely no reason why Do&Co could not cater all flights from LHR regardless of inbound possibilities if they can upscale their LHR operations to do so (and I'm sure that if BA gave them the contract for all J meals for a number of years, they would adapt as required).
Feb 11, 2018, 7:57 pm
#236
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Unfortunately not. Do&Co caters OS and TK from home but on inbound flight, they have plenty of other caterers on various routes. Now of course, there is incidentsally absolutely no reason why Do&Co could not cater all flights from LHR regardless of inbound possibilities if they can upscale their LHR operations to do so (and I'm sure that if BA gave them the contract for all J meals for a number of years, they would adapt as required).
Feb 11, 2018, 9:06 pm
#237
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Unfortunately not. Do&Co caters OS and TK from home but on inbound flight, they have plenty of other caterers on various routes. Now of course, there is incidentsally absolutely no reason why Do&Co could not cater all flights from LHR regardless of inbound possibilities if they can upscale their LHR operations to do so (and I'm sure that if BA gave them the contract for all J meals for a number of years, they would adapt as required).
Feb 11, 2018, 9:23 pm
#238
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) Whilst the new BA JFK J service is not quite as great as the OS and TK version, it is still vastly improved on other BA J meals and I had really hoped that BA would be true to their word and generalise it before long. That's why I'm so disappointed by what CIHY reported of the latest developments.The whole hesitation and backtracking just gives an unpleasant impression that BA management thinks of quality improvement as something that they might only consider begrudgingly if they absolutely must. A bit as though in view of a lot of negative feedback someone had said that the airline must react, then when someone come up with a plan, someone else comes back and says "are you sure we reeeeeeeally need to do all that? Should we try to improve a little bit less and see if we can get away with it?" That's not too convincing...
Feb 12, 2018, 1:09 am
#239
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The whole hesitation and backtracking just gives an unpleasant impression that BA management thinks of quality improvement as something that they might only consider begrudgingly if they absolutely must. A bit as though in view of a lot of negative feedback someone had said that the airline must react, then when someone come up with a plan, someone else comes back and says "are you sure we reeeeeeeally need to do all that? Should we try to improve a little bit less and see if we can get away with it?" That's not too convincing...
