CE Catering
Nov 7, 2017, 11:26 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: EDI, and often LHR, DOH and PVG, OPO or AMS - or just about anywhere else...
Programs: BA Silver (soft-drop now I moved all longhauls away), KLM Gold, Emirates Gold, and others
Posts: 83
CE Catering
I booked a domestic CE flight from Edinburgh to Gatwick yesterday at 2:30pm. When we boarded at 6, the purser came over and whispered "I'm sorry, due to the late booking we don't have catering for you"
late booking? 16hrs in advance is late!? I'm baffled... Is this normal?
late booking? 16hrs in advance is late!? I'm baffled... Is this normal?
Nov 7, 2017, 11:35 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,200
Yes anything booked without 24 hours of departure is a late booking and yes it’s normal that a late booking may not get a meal unless other passengers decline.
Nov 8, 2017, 12:33 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: EDI, and often LHR, DOH and PVG, OPO or AMS - or just about anywhere else...
Programs: BA Silver (soft-drop now I moved all longhauls away), KLM Gold, Emirates Gold, and others
Posts: 83
On arrival
Landed, only got an orange juice for the flight. Why can't they even offer something from the M+S menu? Apparently they're not allowed to give "non-BA" food away to cover missing catering. I didn't even eat in the lounge as I figured I'd eat on the plane.
I feel stupid. EasyJet's flight was far cheaper at almost the same time but I figured I'd give this a go. I must be delusional.
It is the very last time for me on BA. I gave up long haul business flights with them a few years ago, and now they can't even get a domestic right.
Surely in the running for a skytrax wooden spoon...
I feel stupid. EasyJet's flight was far cheaper at almost the same time but I figured I'd give this a go. I must be delusional.
It is the very last time for me on BA. I gave up long haul business flights with them a few years ago, and now they can't even get a domestic right.
Surely in the running for a skytrax wooden spoon...
Nov 8, 2017, 12:36 am
#7
Join Date: May 2006
Location: GVA
Programs: BA Gold, LH FTL, KL/AF Ivory
Posts: 1,878
This is frankly pathetic. It's happened to me when I've been offloaded and rebooked and it's disgraceful.
If they can't rustle up a meal with 2 hours notice, they could at least also offload my meal and make it follow me! It presumably gets binned if I'm not on the plane.
If they can't rustle up a meal with 2 hours notice, they could at least also offload my meal and make it follow me! It presumably gets binned if I'm not on the plane.
Nov 8, 2017, 12:36 am
#8
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Brexile in ADB
Programs: BA, TK, HHonours, Le Club, Best Western Rewards
Posts: 7,067
Late booking not being catered for are simply just a fact of life and not only an issue for BA. That said there are any number of ways that BA could if they wished to they could mitigate that. Chief among those would be to pay from the high last minute ticket price, for a few things from the ET trolley, maybe by an automatic credit of Avios.
The fact they can't be bothered possibly goes to explain the steep decline in the brand reputation.
The fact they can't be bothered possibly goes to explain the steep decline in the brand reputation.
Nov 8, 2017, 12:39 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: EDI, and often LHR, DOH and PVG, OPO or AMS - or just about anywhere else...
Programs: BA Silver (soft-drop now I moved all longhauls away), KLM Gold, Emirates Gold, and others
Posts: 83
This is frankly pathetic. It's happened to me when I've been offloaded and rebooked and it's disgraceful.
If they can't rustle up a meal with 2 hours notice, they could at least also offload my meal and make it follow me! It presumably gets binned if I'm not on the plane.
If they can't rustle up a meal with 2 hours notice, they could at least also offload my meal and make it follow me! It presumably gets binned if I'm not on the plane.
At at least if they consider "within 24hrs" to be too short for catering, they shouldn't sell CE tickets with catering. I'm livid. I had to sit hungry whilst everyone had breakfast around me.
Nov 8, 2017, 12:42 am
#10
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Perth WA/ UK
Programs: BA Gold, Priority Club Gold, Accor Silver, Virgin Australia Gold
Posts: 1,750
Yep it's pathetic...and maybe a lesson learned. For such sectors...and generally I now find Gatwick BA ops so poor I ignore...changed days when the 737 was the backbone. Use EZY for such flights in future....
Nov 8, 2017, 12:53 am
#11
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Wedged somewhere between BTS and VIE ✈
Programs: Star Alliance Gold (A3 Gold), Oneworld Emerald (BA Gold), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,338
If BA don't have meals to serve passengers then they shouldn't be selling the seats, regardless of where the plane is. They know damn well that passengers can book right up until the last moment and should be loading enough meals to serve. Honestly, these guys behave like crooks.
Nov 8, 2017, 12:53 am
#12
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,818
Because of the catering all coming from LGW and the overnight stop at EDI then this was somewhat on the cards, and would have been a risk at similar night stop locations, unfortunately. This has been going on for at least 10 years to my certain knowledge for LGW sectors, though there was catering at places like LCA and PFO until more recently.
Nov 8, 2017, 12:56 am
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: EDI, and often LHR, DOH and PVG, OPO or AMS - or just about anywhere else...
Programs: BA Silver (soft-drop now I moved all longhauls away), KLM Gold, Emirates Gold, and others
Posts: 83
Hopefully it won't happen again, but what you should do is pay for some M&S food with Avios and claim the Avios back from BA later. I know of someone who has been successful on this.
Because of the catering all coming from LGW and the overnight stop at EDI then this was somewhat on the cards, and would have been a risk at similar night stop locations, unfortunately. This has been going on for at least 10 years to my certain knowledge for LGW sectors, though there was catering at places like LCA and PFO until more recently.
Because of the catering all coming from LGW and the overnight stop at EDI then this was somewhat on the cards, and would have been a risk at similar night stop locations, unfortunately. This has been going on for at least 10 years to my certain knowledge for LGW sectors, though there was catering at places like LCA and PFO until more recently.
Nov 8, 2017, 1:09 am
#14
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,818
However I would nevertheless complain via the Customer Relations channel for recompense as well.
Nov 8, 2017, 1:13 am
#15
Join Date: Nov 2011
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,222
It doesn't take long for this to develop into a seething rage with BA lol.