777VIIO

There is a specific service standard on the MRU daylight flights which is unique to this flight whereby breakfast is served, the first lot of crew take in flight rest before coming back for lunch service. Following the lunch service, the 2nd lot of crew take their in flight rest.

I know there has been much feedback about the lack of food available from the CK but whether anything will change is anyones guess!

Buzzz

Even a "normal" flight on BA seems to have spartan service when compared to the legacy carriers. On an ordinary 12-hour BA flight in Club, there would be a flurry of offerings after take-off (drink service, meal) and then everything seems to shut down completely until two hours before arrival. I've flown long-haul in Business recently on Qatar as well as Cathay Pacific, and was struck by the fact that the FAs never do seem to retreat to the galley for the Big Long Repose. There was rarely a time that somebody wasn't surveilling the cabin for a traveller in need, and the bountiful carts made multitudes of trips up and down the aisles throughout the journey. Even on my recent LAX-LHR leg on American, it was remarkable how often I was checked on throughout the flight and asked if I would like something. The strategy on BA seems to be to put the blinds down, shut off the lights, and leave everybody alone.

sxc

Mid-flight meals have been an "issue" on CX flights for a few years. However it is printed on the menu when the meal will be served. What is annoying is when the crew take it upon themselves to alter the meal time to a mid-flight meal (when the menu says otherwise) because they are too lazy to serve on-demand snacks to the passengers.

LTN Phobia

Still better than 0.25 meal (not a typo and it is divided into 2 x 0.125 meals) that QF serve in J on some proper long haul routes (inc TYO which is nearly 9 hours) covering dinner time.

I do hope BA does not learn that kind of thoroughly ridiculous practice.

SWISSBOBBY

Interesting meals choices on this flight.

I remember taking a few trips to Miami on the early morning flight 09:30 ish departure and the meals were lunch and then a light meal before landing.

I inquired of the crew when lunch would be served as I had just had a large hotel breakfast about 2:30 before the flight left, the reply was they were going to do a couple of very leisurely drinks rounds before lunch...
Actually eat lunch at about 11:30 (UK time) so about 2 hours into the flight, which felt about right.
Then a light meal before landing about 2 hours out from landing.

9:05 departure and to be served breakfast on long haul seems really daft to me.

corporate-wage-slave

I'm not really in the loop on the LGW's catering arrangements but I do know that for LHR there is continuous discussion on this one, going back a decade. Not everyone gets to the lounge in time - so (and particularly in the days when the bacon rolls finished at 09:30) the morning departures have two sorts of passengers - those who did somehow get breakfast before departure, and are starving, and those who got something along the way. So if you lived in the M25 region, left home at 5 am and didn't get organised or get time for breakfast, these are the people who really appreciated a full fry up straight away. Whereas the other passenger group would be both unhappy with that as an offering but equally would happily leave meal service for a couple of hours and have lunch. Over the years the longhauls departing before 10:00 hrs have oscillated between breakfast, brunch and lunch, with one of the LHR-JFK services recently transitioned from brunch to lunch.

Personally I think the new Do&Co menus will resolve this next year, since they seem to have understood human nature a bit better.

DorsetKnob

I'm not altogether sure what the problem is with the crew "disappearing" between services. I don't see the issue. I prefer the lack of disturbance by them not trundling up & down. If I want something I have a pair of legs & on a long flight prefer to stretch them. I've received nothing but courteous service if I stick my head in the galley & ask for a top up. The wines & champagne are normally in the fridge in easy reach anyway so just serve myself.

Upper deck on a 747 though does seem to be different. On my old regular morning run from Kuwait, they kept my glass constantly filled without needing to move!

cosmo74

Not so easy when you're in a J window seat and have to manoeuvre yourself out of your seat if it's reclined and then clamber over someone to get out and track down the FA.

DorsetKnob

There's always a bell to ding!

bafan

And plenty of stories of the Bell being dinged and then ignored.

I always get up and go to the galley, myself. But then I usually prefer an aisle seat, anyway, to aboid the climb over.

bisonrav

Good news on the catering front - things are finally looking up. See this link.

ttama

Several years ago I flew BA Premium Economy to SFO, and my friend flew the same route on the same day in the same class with Virgin. She got lots of food, including ice cream during the movie, but very little alcohol; this didn't suit her because she likes her drink. I got very little food with no nice extra touches, but was constantly asked if I wanted another drink; this didn't suit me because I need to keep my blood sugar levels up but I'm not bothered if I drink or not. It struck me back then that the BA crew were compensating for the lack of food in the only way they could by offering us alcohol - it was something they had control over. I'm not sure if that's the case any more, or if alcohol is now more strictly rationed? Anyway, BA was always stingy when it came to food, and now it's got even worse.

Greenpen

So BA is all about booze? From the range of posts covering aeroplanes and lounges this seems correct as while food is slated booze generally is praised. As I drink to get drunk anything in the air is fine by me although I do (naturally) prefer expensive to cheap. ​​​​​​ You know, Salon over Castenau or whatever!

Buzzz

I guess it's all about tastes and perceptions. Having the staff come to me rather than my having to go to the staff (or ringing for the staff) has always seemed to me to be a superior and more attentive way of serving customers. I dare to say that most passengers would prefer to be attended to rather than having to fend for themselves.

dddc

I was pleasantly surprised to see that printed on the menus when I started travelling on CX. In my case its the 9am-ish HKG departure to LHR, so a 13 hour ish flight. In my case I'd connected from BNE, so a breakfast served probably about 5 hours prior. Plus I'd visit the Premium Plaza for my fill of noodles and stuff - yet I'd still manage to eat the Y meal served on the morning flight. For the majority of people flying who probably came from HKG, serving the 2nd meal 5 hours before landing makes a bit of sense as body clock wise its a very late lunch, early dinner. For UK time, it's almost a late breakfast.

On the flights I did, I noticed as that time approached, a large number of people were ordering the snack noodles and the crew were happy to oblige, so I guess it was about right for the meal to served at that time. When I got off the plane I found that I was ok to grab a tea and bun at Heathrow at 3pm ish before starting the journey home and then have dinner at 7ish.

I found CX had plenty of snacks available in the galleys in between although popular items went fast. I did notice a change on my last one where they had swapped out the big cracker biscuits for crisps and all those went quick. I preferred the crackers. Occasionally there were apples there which seemed to be left to last!

The difference between this and the OP is that this flight crosses 8 time zones (+more is you think about the original starting destination) and the OPs crosses 4, so mixed up desires for meal times!