Inadequate F Catering Levels
#31
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 10,158
The time I had to laugh the most was when I was told in First that enough soup had been loaded for everybody, but they accidentally poured too much for everyone else so there wasn’t any left for me. Can’t blame the crew, that’s an obvious system failing.
I’ve learned to pack my own backup food in all cabins now.
I’ve learned to pack my own backup food in all cabins now.
Not acceptable of course but it's a very funny little story
#32
Join Date: Sep 2013
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#33
Suspended
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The crew proactively apologised and said 4 of one type had been loaded and one of each for the others. Ditto with dessert and not enough cheese for all passengers. Again, the same scenario with breakfast.
Is this normal?
Is this normal?
Imagine a passenger wants to upgrade to C or F -> BA can always tell him (and not lying) that a seat is available, but catering is not available.
#34
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: East Anglia UK
Programs: BA-S UA LH-Sen KLM/AF-Plat.
Posts: 1,627
So yes, "low compared to other carriers" is probably correct and nothing to do with "but on the other hand BA are cheaper, take your choice, meals or money.." which could be an argument if they were.
#35
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: Some
Posts: 5,263
BA doesn't give free upgrades so I'm not sure how this 'protects cabin revenues' - if they don't want to sell an upgrade they can just price it at an extortionate price instead. However, BA's entire business model is built around encouraging passengers to trade up, that's why they have probably the highest proportion of longhaul J seats of any carrier and the world's second largest F-equipped fleet. Surely one of the worst ways to ensure someone pays to upgrade again is for them to not get any catering!
#36
Join Date: May 2005
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Well, the comparison would be 'save time and avoid the hassle of connecting at CDG' or 'go for the experience and have full choice of meals but waste time.' A direct flight will always be more expensive as that's what passengers value.
#37
Join Date: Sep 2013
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Posts: 6,399
So a J class passenger rocks up at check-in with the impulsive thought of splashing out on an upgrade to F, ready & willing to pay the cash difference required. But your theory is that BA’s decision to save itself around fifty quid by under-catering is made with the express intention to be able to ‘honestly’ deny such a request..... ?
Losing out on additional revenue - potentially running into thousands of pounds - doesn’t strike me as much of a cabin revenue ‘protection racket’.
#38
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
Why, one wonders, is it that those using AF should be offered a ‘full choice of meals’ (as you put it) whilst those using BA are not ??
(Actually, it’s a rhetorical question ).
#39
Join Date: May 2009
Location: London
Programs: BAEC GGL & CCR
Posts: 59
My understanding from cabin crew posts over the years is that the service standard is supposed to be, to take all orders from the F and J cabin. If there is then a shortfall in choice(s) when all orders are collated from the respective cabins, they are prioritised by status with the lowest ranking passenger in that cabin getting the "sorry, but we've run out of x, would you like y or z?". I have received suitable avios twice for that approach not being followed in F and prioritisation instead being done by seat row.
Maybe everyone else was a Prem that day
#40
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Cambridge, UK
Programs: Mucci, BA GGL/CCR
Posts: 761
Sounds like a very unpleasant experience.
yes I thought so too until that day. Maybe the crew were having a bad day. The one taking the orders wasn’t exactly showing much enthusiasm. The other was only slightly better. There were a few people by the sounds of it who didn’t get first choice of starter or main. But I didn’t get a choice of either. Plus the toenail clippings on the seat it was far from my best ever BA experience. I complained to the CSD or whatever they are called these days and some token AVIOS ere posted.
Maybe everyone else was a Prem that day
yes I thought so too until that day. Maybe the crew were having a bad day. The one taking the orders wasn’t exactly showing much enthusiasm. The other was only slightly better. There were a few people by the sounds of it who didn’t get first choice of starter or main. But I didn’t get a choice of either. Plus the toenail clippings on the seat it was far from my best ever BA experience. I complained to the CSD or whatever they are called these days and some token AVIOS ere posted.
Maybe everyone else was a Prem that day
#41
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: London
Programs: BAEC | qantas | IHG | Hilton Honors | Priority Pass | Nandos
Posts: 869
I can see that any airline would want to minimise waste, but it must be a balancing act between loading too much/not enough food (or LPGS!). How far out do airlines have to order the meals from their suppliers? Can late bookings/changes have a major effect? We generally hear on here when things go wrong - there must be many more flights when the plans work out?
#42
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL
Posts: 844
That rather assumes you are starting out in LON.
#44
Join Date: May 2006
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Of course that's the law of small numbers and probability. But surely BA have the wit or intelligence to recognise that and increase the absolute catering levels as for any one given customer the chance of having their meal preference should not vary with cabin occupancy?
Mind you, it is run by a low grade CEO who thinks we all want to purchase Percy Pigs...
Mind you, it is run by a low grade CEO who thinks we all want to purchase Percy Pigs...
#45
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: YYC
Programs: BA bronze, Aeroplan peon
Posts: 4,746
I have had meals that had a production date sticker on them that was 6 months prior to the flight, so obviously produced in bulk and frozen. Should be fairly easy to order as many as needed on the day of flight, just pull them from the freezer.