Ace71

Yes some passengers are greedy, some passengers have big appetites, some passengers would say the meal portions are small and some passengers would say the food on offer is not for them.
I wonder if they ever run out of F&B at IAG board meetings or think any cost cutting has gone too far?

subject2load

I admire your positive spin !

If only things had been that simple for the OP ........

steadman

Absolutely. The trouble being at the moment is the last thing the OP would have wanted to hear is that passengers going off to New York are having a great nosh-up and the drinks trolleys are fully loaded.

Baflyer1

I think one of the problems is that most people will have had breakfast at their hotel before heading for the airport. Last time I took this flight breakfast was served very soon after take off and a lot of people declined it as they had only just eaten...then a couple of hours later they found themselves hungry.

I did notice a lot of people in J were attacking the Club Kitchen like they had never seen a chocolate bar since before the war, and took handfuls for their families.

But there was no problem with drinks if you rang your call bell.

On some long flights from LHR they serve two hot means and a mid-flight cold tray and a drink. Maybe BA should be looking at offering this service on the MRU daylight flight.
...or at least suggest to passengers to take something from the breakfast service...a croissant or some fruit, and save it for later when they might become peckish?

South London Bon Viveur

Sounds like awful service. Never flown CW to or from LGW and have no desire to.

crazyanglaisy

Replacing the Club Kitchen with a mid-flight snack menu would be a step to real improvement in the Club World experience. I've never found anything more available other than Cadbury's chocolate, popcorn, and some apples - and that's often less than a couple of hours into the flight. Admittedly, I only travel in Club World infrequently. I'd be interested to know whether stock levels for snack foods and drinks differ between overnight and day flights in premium cabins, particularly around the club kitchen offering. It would be bizarre if tailoring of stock in this way was not taken into account.

bafan

Yes, quite. I really don’t understand this arbitrary distinction between business CW routes and leisure CW routes (which are somehow seen as second class). Passengers have a right to expect the service on all CW to be the same...

drvannostren

This is my thinking. ESPECIALLY if the crew knows/thinks the flight is under catered. Why not hold the 2nd meal until even later than usual, rather than rush through it leaving the end of the flight so bare?

On the plus side, I read you had spirits and tonic water left? Works for me , I'll G & T my way through the next 6 hours PLEASE AND THANKS!

My first time flying BA was just yesterday, in Y, LHR-YYC and while I was pretty happy with the service I did wonder one thing though. I don't fly long haul that often and I've never really noted it before, except having just flown yesterday then reading this story it made me think. LHR-YYC is all day time, lunch was served fairly soon after take off, then a little sandwich box was given out towards the end of the 8:30 trip. But for the middle...5-6 hours I'd say, I THINK the crew dimmed all the windows. I noticed one person had the window clear for a while before the food (which bothered me cuz my TV was all glare, had to jam the safety card in as a blocker) then she was asked to darken it. I just assume since it's daytime at departure and at destination they darken the cabin just to avoid being pestered for service the entire flight. Is that the case? Or is there a bigger/better reason for it? I actually kinda like it, frankly I sleep on all flights for the most part, at least a portion of the flight, helps me pass the time, so having it be dark is easier, but after reading the OP post and having the crew do the disappearing act, it made me think.

:D!

This is true of quite a number of flights, whatever the time of day and length.

I would expect the majority of passengers in a J cabin to eat something in the lounge and therefore not be desperate for food until 4-5 hours after takeoff.

I did MCT-LHR in WTP recently and with a 0900 departure, I had a reasonable breakfast in the lounge and the main reason why I did eat the breakfast served at 1000 (MCT time) was that I knew nothing would be forthcoming at lunchtime except for popcorn and crisps (and they didn't even have enough for everyone).

DorsetKnob

I have & aside from some tatty 777s, I've not noticed the difference in service over LHR. Indeed in CE out of LGW I'd say overall the service has been better.

smokie36

The next time you see someone in the lounge stuffing a few bags of crisps into their carry on reflect upon this thread.

They may be as considerate as myself in ensuring those in CW who didn't have time to visit the lounge are not competing with me at the Club Kitchen.

cosmo74

The Club Kitchen is embarrassing. Compared to AA it's a complete joke - they set up what is essentially a buffet, with a range of appetising looking sandwiches and wraps, cheeses, desserts and other snacks. I noticed on my most recent flight that people were up and down making good use of this but there was still plenty of food available. Even on the night flight, they still had plenty of snacks on offer. Whoever is in charge of Club Kitchen should be made to take one of these flights, then a CW one, and then try to justify their pathetic offering.

bisonrav

The one thing an airline can do at relatively low cost that makes an airline stand out is good catering. It's one of the perceived value adds, that comes through in many threads here.

I remember being delighted because Virgin gave me a choc ice in the second half of a transatlantic flight - cost to them would be pennies, but it kept me jumping through loops for business bookings (in economy) to fly Virgin for quite a lengthy period. I guess someone has the overall catering budget and stocking levels as KPIs and they're shaving whatever they can off that. Very short-sighted. You could stick double the average cost of the food onto a CW ticket and virtually no one would complain (if the food was good).

henry999

Funnily enough, this is a highly-contentious topic. Time to kill? Make yourself a bowl of popcorn and search for 'window shades, open or closed?'

Wong Jnr

What I don't like about AAs offering is that it's set up like a cheap buffet as you have plates with half opened clingfilm on them and disarranged food. Not exactly appetising or hygienic looking, and I can't even imagine how many people have put their "potentially" grubby fingers on what's there. Perhaps I should always try to be first to the buffet! That said AA is always well stocked.
CWs food, if you get there in time, is at least individually wrapped which I prefer.
Long gone are the days when club kitchen was first introduced and there was such a large and plentiful selection... sitting in 64A and having a full selection of food right in front of you was bliss