Inadequate F Catering Levels
May 21, 2019, 2:57 pm
#47
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: London
Programs: BAEC | qantas | IHG | Hilton Honors | Priority Pass | Nandos
Posts: 869
Sorry, but this could be a stupid question, but where do the catering carts/trolleys get filled? At the supplier or at the airport? This could affect the time to react to different loads.
May 21, 2019, 2:59 pm
#48
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: London
Programs: BAEC | qantas | IHG | Hilton Honors | Priority Pass | Nandos
Posts: 869
May 21, 2019, 3:21 pm
#49
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: In the sticks
Programs: VS FC Gold, BA EC Gold, Amex Centurion, EK Gold, ex-G-ATVK driver
Posts: 1,832
FWIW I was the only pax in F on a BA flight a year or so ago and they had the entire menu, there were no no shows as I’d been regularly eying the cabin on EF. I know I shouldn’t be, but I was surprised. Crew were a bit upset with my dessert choice because they’d been eying it up for themselves!
May 21, 2019, 5:12 pm
#50
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA LTGold; LH Senator; HHGold; Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 1,370
It's a shame that environment and food waste are not part of the forum consciousness.
May 21, 2019, 5:40 pm
#51
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK. BAEC AAdvantage
Programs: Mucci Des Oeufs Brouilles et des Canards
Posts: 3,671
Interesting to read this just days after I caught (probably a repeat) on Dubai Airport and it showed two J class passengers wanting an upgrade to F, but being held back by the gate controller until she could find out if they could load 1 of everything on the menu for each of them. Not a random number of items based on an algorithm that is never right, but 1 of everything for each 1st class passenger. It may be wasteful if the rest don't get eaten, but if you're paying to travel First, you'd expect your first choice is the only choice you have to make.
May 21, 2019, 5:45 pm
#52
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,928
May 21, 2019, 5:55 pm
#53
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: YYC
Programs: BA bronze, Aeroplan peon
Posts: 4,746
No, because the meals not chosen by passengers can be used as crew meals. From any logical perspective F is wasteful by definition, look at how much more floor space per passenger it consumes compared to Y. The relative fuel burn per passenger is way higher in F than any other class.
May 21, 2019, 6:01 pm
#54
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,928
No, because the meals not chosen by passengers can be used as crew meals. From any logical perspective F is wasteful by definition, look at how much more floor space per passenger it consumes compared to Y. The relative fuel burn per passenger is way higher in F than any other class.
May 21, 2019, 6:13 pm
#55
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Singapore
Programs: BA Gold. KrisFlyer Gold
Posts: 732
Quite recently, I flew SQ Suites from HK to Singapore and was the only passenger in the cabin. They had loaded 2 of every single item on the very extensive menu and I was encouraged to eat as much as I could manage. When I expressed concern that the rest of the food would go to waste, they reassured me that the cabin crew would enjoy what was left - but not until I had made my initial unlimited number of choices.
These anecdotes suggest that BA is cutting too many corners when it comes to catering in First, and the lower proportions of choices loaded on smaller cabins, or when bigger cabins are less full, is clear proof of it.
These anecdotes suggest that BA is cutting too many corners when it comes to catering in First, and the lower proportions of choices loaded on smaller cabins, or when bigger cabins are less full, is clear proof of it.
May 21, 2019, 6:30 pm
#56
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, IC Spire Ambassador
Posts: 5,228
Just to be clear, on BA if you are the only F passenger, they will load 1 of everything. The issues come up when there are a small number of passengers - I believe F is somewhat overcatered but if there are 5 pax and 4 main course choices you could have 1 of each loaded plus 1 extra of something and still end up disappointing 3 passengers. In a cabin of 14 that is less likely to happen. Clearly, you can’t load 14 x 4 (56 main courses) for 14 people ‘just in case’!
May 21, 2019, 10:19 pm
#57
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,691
And what about a straight comparison between F class air passengers who are based in London, and those based in Paris ?? The cities are around 40 mins apart.
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 ??
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 ??
I don't know whether AF actually offers a full choice of meals. People complain about not getting their first choice on the AF forum as well, so perhaps AF does not carry one of everything for each F passenger.
As to who should be offered what when flying on a particular airline - that is not a question to me. I simply pointed out that in when comparing flying LON-IAD and LON-CDG-IAD, the difference is much more than just about meals.
I personally believe that loading one of everything is hugely wasteful, so a balance needs to be found, and I am happy to accept that I may not get my first choice sometimes. Those who believe that it should never happen either in F or in J won't be happy with that approach of course, which seems to have been adopted by the majority of airlines. It is obviously a non-issue on the large scale, so either BA is good at guessing what to load and not getting one's first choice does not happen that often or passengers for the most part do not care and are easy about not getting their first choice.
And the post I commented on was about getting from London to Washington, DC, either directly or through a connection. There was no assumption there.
Last edited by Andriyko; May 21, 2019 at 10:32 pm
May 22, 2019, 12:37 am
#58
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 5,380
On most full flights would mean they would need to find space in the galley for 14 x canapes, 14 x starter 1, 14 x starter 2, 14 x starter 3, 14 x starter 4, 14 x main 1, 14 x main 2, 14 x main 3, 14 x main 4, 14 x dessert 1, 14 x dessert 2, 14 x cheese, and repeat accordingly for 2nd meal. This would be a ridiculous extreme, and as Tobias-UK said, what a waste of food.
May 22, 2019, 12:49 am
#59
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,225
On most full flights would mean they would need to find space in the galley for 14 x canapes, 14 x starter 1, 14 x starter 2, 14 x starter 3, 14 x starter 4, 14 x main 1, 14 x main 2, 14 x main 3, 14 x main 4, 14 x dessert 1, 14 x dessert 2, 14 x cheese, and repeat accordingly for 2nd meal. This would be a ridiculous extreme, and as Tobias-UK said, what a waste of food.
May 22, 2019, 12:51 am
#60
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oxon, UK
Programs: Mucci des canapes, Skywards Gold, BAEC, IC Plat Amb, LH FTV
Posts: 1,952
On most full flights would mean they would need to find space in the galley for 14 x canapes, 14 x starter 1, 14 x starter 2, 14 x starter 3, 14 x starter 4, 14 x main 1, 14 x main 2, 14 x main 3, 14 x main 4, 14 x dessert 1, 14 x dessert 2, 14 x cheese, and repeat accordingly for 2nd meal. This would be a ridiculous extreme, and as Tobias-UK said, what a waste of food.