KARFA

apologies if i wasn't clear. i was replying to your comment that "Afternoon tea is also advertised as being part of he CCR offering". however as noted you can ask them to provide it, and actually you can ask for quite a few off-menu items which they will endeavour to provide to you. whilst i don't often ask for items from GF as i usually happy with the items on the menus, i do know quite a few regulars who do that and it has been mentioned on this thread a few times over the years.

i did try separate the issue of the standard of what was served from what was officially offered in the ccr, but perhaps i didn't express myself as well as i should have. just to be clear, is it acceptable stale food was served to you a year ago? no and i hope nothing i have said has suggested it should be. i have't experienced that myself but i agree i wouldn't be pleased if it had happened to me.

on a wider issue of what the lounge offers, you are right we do have a difference of opinion. to be fair i just expressed mine once in reply to your posts that i thought the new furniture was quite nice and i thought the changes to layout of the terrace were an improvement, i haven't wanted to argue with you or say you are wrong, just to politely and in a friendly way express my opinion as you have expressed yours. it would be quite boring if we all had the same opinions i am happy to agree to disagree. it is interesting to note that when the new furniture came initially and a few photos were posted there were quite a lot of comments about how terrible it was, but since folks have had a chance to see it there was fairly quickly some softening of that criticism.

i am not sure whether i am a modern traveler or not, but certainly the CCR meets my needs when i use it. i think rossmacd's post yesterday is relatively close to my point of view too, so i won't repeat it. i have enjoyed both the food & drink and also the service over the last few years since i have had a ccr card. in terms of service failures there are very few i can remember, but i am not suggesting if you have experienced a service failure it should be acceptable.

btw i am looking forward to rossmacd's report next Monday, am almost tempted to try asking myself on Sunday afternoon too

lol, i was thinking of adding something to my post along those lines. it's been an interesting discussion which i have mostly read rather that actively posted and engaged in, and i am happy to step back from it. i am not sure i have much more to say on it anyway

golfmad

Really? I'd missed that nugget of info somewhere. Why have we even been discussing this in 2018?

madfish

rossmacd

This was exactly the point I was trying to make, especially when you compare the size of the BA F network and the density of F seats per aircraft (and more customers if you add in the number of CCR cardholders), providing gourmet restaurant facilities in the CCRs is just not practicable for the numbers of customers it has to satisfy.

So it basically looks like we are in agreement

AnaTravel

Karfa, I appreciate that some people like the food in the CCR. I was there last there quite recently and the food simply does not appeal to me. My husband feels the same way. Every year it seems to slip a notch or two down. From speaking to other passengers, they would like imaginative salads and lighter dishes on the restaurant menu. A poster above made a good point about the availability of fish choices. I'm not suggesting depriving anyone of Sunday roasts or multiple courses.

One thing I do like (on a more positive note) is that the CCR is comfortable and not too large. I am not suggesting other airline's flagship lounges are perfect. Al Safwa's food is as mediocre as British Airways CCR, in my view. Although in flight, Qatar offers better quality. To sum up, I'd like lighter offerings and snacks to be available in the CCR and in-flight. If they could drop the frozen supermarket vegetarian sausages, that would be nice too. The toasted scones - save those for the rush of FT forum requests to follow

corporate-wage-slave

Indeed that has now happened, this afternoon is the first day of the professional pianist being deployed (which took a bit of doing since of course no-one told the lounge agents anything about this). I have heard it being used by CCR passengers before today, mind. Only just audible in the Board Room.

KARFA

There was someone playing when I was in yesterday afternoon. No idea it is was a passenger or professional, he did seem to be pretty good though.

corporate-wage-slave

Further enquiries suggests he was here yesterday too, there is just one pianist lined up for this (hope he doesn't have the same hassle getting in every day!), they had a young lady in a few weeks ago, but I think they have settled on this particular artist for the time being. He comes courtesy of an agency assigned for this task.

nufnuf77

DoctorCopper

rossmacd

Why would Franco Manca want to be part of the BA CCR offering?

nufnuf77

Filthy Monkey

Glasses of water...?

aks120

Vasco Pridat

Pianist for me on the 21st afternoon .
And I enjoyed the peppers and luved all the filling. Haha