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New Club World Service 2017 - catering and bedding – experiences and reactions

Old Jan 19, 2018, 5:19 pm
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Last edit by: makin'miles
New Club World Service 2017

Effective July 6, 2018, new bedding products expected to be on all Club World flights, worldwide (including LHR, LGW and LCY services).

New catering and bedding

Routes on which the new catering and bedding are in operation.
Launched October 2017
London Heathrow - New York JFK
Launched February 2018 (all from London Heathrow LHR):
Boston (BOS), Baltimore (BWI), Dubai (DXB), Newark (EWR), Philadelphia (PHL), Washington (IAD), Hong Kong (HKG)
Launched March 2018 (LHR)
San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), San José (SJC), San Diego (SAN). Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), Seychelles (SEZ from 25 March)
Launched 4 April 2018 (LHR)
Houston (IAH), Miami (MIA), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), New Orleans (MSY).
Launched 1 May 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched on DEN, ATL, SEA, YVR)
Denver (DEN), Atlanta (ATL), Austin (AUS), Nassau-Grand Cayman (NAS-GCM), Seattle (SEA), Vancouver (YVR), Calgary (YYC), Nashville (BNA)
Launched 17 May 2018 (LHR) - (Catering previously launched on ORD, YUL, YYZ)
Toronto (YYZ), Montréal (YUL), Chicago (ORD)
Launched 1 July 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched on CPT, JNB, SIN, SIN-SYD)
Cape Town (CPT), Johannesburg (JNB), Singapore (SIN), Singapore-Sydney (SIN-SYD)
Launched 1 August 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Abu Dhabi (AUH), Bahrain (BAH)
Launched 1 September 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Delhi (DEL), Kuwait (KWI), Muscat (MCT)
Launched 1 October 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Buenos Aires (EZE), Jeddah (JED), Mexico City (MEX), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Riyadh (RUH), Santiago (SCL), Sao Paulo (GRU), Tokyo Haneda (HND), Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Launched 28 October 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Abuja (ABV), Accra (ACC), Bangkok (BKK), Bangalore (BLR), Beijing (PEK), Chennai (MAA), Hyderabad (HYD), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Lagos (LOS), Mumbai (BOM), Nairobi (NBO), Shanghai (PVG)

Launched 2018
London City (LCY) - New York (JFK)

Bedding only routes (as of 31 May 2018)
Bedding now launched on all LHR services
AMM, BEY, CAI, DME, DOH, ICN, IKA, LAD, TLV (IKA and LAD routes subsequently terminated; catering on remaining LHR routes expected to launch in December 2018).

LGW routes: White Company products expected to be on all LGW flights effective 06 July 2018, at which time all Club World routes worldwide will feature the new bedding product (see post 1367). Reports that new bedding loaded on LGW-JFK in late June (see post 1349).
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New Club World Service 2017 - catering and bedding – experiences and reactions

Old Sep 7, 2017, 12:28 am
  #211  
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
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Good work Miss D. I will report back next week. Unless I upgrade to grab the points. But I suspect not.
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 3:28 am
  #212  
 
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I'm looking forward to testing this out when I fly to JFK in October. Sounds as though its all positives compared to today's offering.
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 4:11 am
  #213  
 
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Originally Posted by Gomac
I couldn't agree more, I am just hoping I get used to is, or that they have a change of heart if enough people feed back (although looking on here most people seem happy with the new glasses)

Either that or I will take a stemmed glass from GF
I'm one who much prefers stemless glasses and even now have them at home.

Its obviously just the current trend so may swing back but obviously makes sense on a practical level too, esp when storage and stability is at a real premium on an aircraft!
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 4:18 am
  #214  
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My champagne flutes have stems so long that I struggle to fit them in the dishwasher.

I realize that this is probably a first world problem.
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 4:26 am
  #215  
 
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Originally Posted by Calchas
My champagne flutes have stems so long that I struggle to fit them in the dishwasher.

I realize that this is probably a first world problem.
it is indeed but that is FT all over
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 4:27 am
  #216  
 
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Originally Posted by Calchas
My champagne flutes have stems so long that I struggle to fit them in the dishwasher.

I realize that this is probably a first world problem.
At least they are dishwasher safe.
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 4:39 am
  #217  
 
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We have three sets. Some standard long stemmed ones that are a bit delicate and definitely don't go in the dishwasher, some flat ones like you would see in old movies (ie the ones you can stack and pour the champers in from the top in a fountain) and some v modern looking ones with no stems, just a thick base. I almost always go for the robust modern ones.

Definitely a 1st world problem though.
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 9:42 am
  #218  
 
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Originally Posted by Cap'n Benj
I'm one who much prefers stemless glasses and even now have them at home.

Its obviously just the current trend so may swing back but obviously makes sense on a practical level too, esp when storage and stability is at a real premium on an aircraft!
It was a bit of a trend or 'thing' a few years ago. Good to see BA keeping up
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 9:47 am
  #219  
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Originally Posted by Calchas
My champagne flutes have stems so long that I struggle to fit them in the dishwasher.

Buy yourself the latest Miele!
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 9:53 am
  #220  
 
Join Date: May 2017
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Originally Posted by London_traveller
It was a bit of a trend or 'thing' a few years ago. Good to see BA keeping up
I was served champagne in a jam jar the other day *shakes head*

Without wishing to go overboard, a flute (with a relatively sharp bottom) is clearly the best vessel for sparkling wine if you want to preserve temperature and fizz. Tumblers and old-fashioned "coupe" glasses can take a hike (Coupes were necessary when bottled champagne had yeast sediment in it, but that hasn't been the case for about a century now.)
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Old Sep 9, 2017, 9:46 am
  #221  
 
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Flew on the BA179 last night and had my first experience of the new service. Overall I'd say an improvement and I expect over time as the crew get more into the grove and feedback is gathered it will continue to improve.

Most of the small negatives from yesterday evening's flight could be very easily improved as the timings tighten and hopefully the menu issue (see below) was a one off thing!

I was in 62A which I snag whenever possible as I particularly like the privacy of the window seats and the ability to access the aisle directly. One of my long running bugbears is the etiquette over the divider and how different crew handle it.

While this doesn't directly relate to the new service it is exacerbated by it - the window seat occupant needs to peer across their neighbor in a way that wasn't necessary before for a prolonged interaction with the crew as the starters are discussed. On yesterday's flight the crew put the divider down for every interaction, and most of the time didn't then put it back up. I've found previously in 62A or K the crew tend to serve from the exit area whereas the new service makes this less practical.

I'd like to see the crew given guidance that if the divider is up and they put it down, that they should also put it back up when their interaction with the passenger is complete. If they know they're going to be back in 30 seconds and want to leave it down that's fine, but how am I to know if they'll be back in 30 seconds or 10 minutes. With the rumored direct aisle access seats in the pipeline this whole thing will eventually be a non-issue.

The service itself was definitely slower than usual. Once in full flow this wasn't really a problem, but there seemed to be quite a wait between them bringing the trays around with the bread and cutlery before they came and served the starters. Felt like 10-15 minutes, although to be fair I didn't time it. The result was that the bread was cold by the time the starters were served - I noticed the occupant of 63A had eaten theirs long before the starters appeared.

Definitely the biggest improvements are the presentation of the starters and how fresh and appetising they all looked so I do get why they're keen to showcase them on the trolley - the presentation really popped. I had the burrata and felt the plate was simple but very refreshing. I'm just not sure for me the positives of the trolley presenation outweigh the new timing issue - given the additional wait I feel like I'd have preferred to have the starter brought out from the galley already on the tray from the get go.

Speaking of the menus - there weren't enough loaded, so every seat pair had to share a menu. That perhaps took a bit of the glean off of things and was another reason the divider spent more time down than is my preference

The nuts being served in a bowl rather than in the package definitely makes things feel a bit more classy.

I missed the default plating of the side salad. Appreciate I could have had a second item from the starter menu and will probably do this next time round.

Whilst the new bread was better than what was previously served I also missed the option to have an extra helping.

The main course was pretty good although didn't seem as well thought out as the starters so it's clear where the effort has been invested - I had the beef gnocchi dish and found it cooked surprisingly well - the beef had a pleasingly warm pink center. I read somewhere above about concerns about the items not being cooked separately so was positiveily surprised to find the asparagus still had a bit of a bite.

The apple strudel I had for dessert was unfortunately barely above ambient temperature and the pastry very limp. Most likely a timing issue but next time I'll definitely have one of the deserts thats intentionally rather than accidentally cold!

I enjoyed the tapas (although not sure I'd really call it tapas?) but there was no offer of sandwiches or scones.

I do wish they'd offer better coffee! I'd actually trade the new starters and service for something espresso based.

Unlike many above I don't have an issue with the club kitchen being a bit "down market" - it's a bit of a guilty pleasure and I usually grab a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar mid-flight to snack on while watching a film. I'm not sure I'd be quite so fussed about an extra desert or something plated.

Last edited by PeterNem; Sep 9, 2017 at 11:51 am
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Old Sep 9, 2017, 11:27 am
  #222  
 
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@PeterNem - thanks for a well-constructed - and mainly positive - review.

As you say, the service will perhaps be tweaked & refined over time so that teething troubles can (hopefully) be ironed out.

Like you, i too have a particular dislike of the divider - or more specifically, the careless way the whole scenario/etiquette is handled by some crew members.
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Old Sep 9, 2017, 11:46 am
  #223  
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Yes, I also need to add my thanks for that constructive review PeterNem. I'll make sure it gets added to the feedback to the BA team, lots of interesting insights there.

I certainly agree with you on the coffee, I've no doubt Do&Co could improve on that greatly! Espresso is an interesting one to be flagged up here, I remember seeing some internal document on passenger choices on one of the USA airlines (I presume it was AA) and actually it's not that popular compared to the other coffee options out there. The average Anglo-American business traveller is somewhere on a triangle of filter-drip / instant / Keurig-style coffee on the whole - American coffee is rarely of knock-out strength, to say the least. Now I don't think I've ever heard much love for BA coffee, so a Do&Co blend drip filter may be the compromise and a vast improvement. However globally Do&Co have a business relationship with Nespresso.
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Old Sep 9, 2017, 11:57 am
  #224  
 
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That's fair - I'd be more than happy with a better drip/filter coffee.

One other omission I forgot to mention but did clock was removal of the hotel chocolate pralines. It'd be nice to see a nod towards "replacing" that, either with chocolates served from a box as in First offered with tea/coffee, or a slightly higher end chocolate selection in the club kitchen (appreciate I'm now contradicting what I said above ).
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Old Sep 9, 2017, 1:05 pm
  #225  
 
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Looks like the coffee definitely needs to be 'uptweaked' (is that even a word ?) MrD said his was 'dire' - I did have a sip and it was barely coffee flavoured. The tea remains good and the only hot beverage I like to drink on a plane.
I forgot to mention that we had a snack basket pass in between lunch and afternoon tea
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