Inadequate F Catering Levels
May 22, 2019, 1:00 am
#61
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: London
Programs: BAEC bouncing from Blue to Gold to Blue VSFC Red CXGreen Club Accor Platinum Hilton Silver.
Posts: 914
Back in the old days of BA being in the Central Terminal Area of Heathrow way before T5 they used to have a forward kitchen by Stand B23 T1 and that gave them the flexibility to load extra meals for all classes at short notice. So even late booked flights or upgrades could be catered. No doubt that was cut when T5 was brought online.
John
John
May 22, 2019, 6:47 am
#62
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: All the usual suspects
Posts: 342
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.
I accept there are nuances here and excessive waste is not desirable, but it cant be beyond the wit of man to enable first class pax to have the meal of their choice and any spare capacity being used productively -maybe going to crew. Any lack of choice as a result of this should be reflected further back down the plane.
May 22, 2019, 7:04 am
#63
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
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I accept there are nuances here and excessive waste is not desirable, but it cant be beyond the wit of man to enable first class pax to have the meal of their choice and any spare capacity being used productively -maybe going to crew. Any lack of choice as a result of this should be reflected further back down the plane.
I accept there are nuances here and excessive waste is not desirable, but it cant be beyond the wit of man to enable first class pax to have the meal of their choice and any spare capacity being used productively -maybe going to crew. Any lack of choice as a result of this should be reflected further back down the plane.
Well said, both.
When the focus on daily cost-control becomes more important for executive management than the delivery of a consistently reliable experience in expensive premium cabins, the result is inevitably predictable.
It’s the same reason why the CW larder can be such a sad sight just a few hours into some longer sectors.
May 22, 2019, 7:18 am
#64
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,211
Have to say this is nothing new. It happened to us years ago and not only on BA either.
Hopefully when the F cabins become smaller it will be easier to manage. I suspect the fare price will rise so it'll have to improve.
Hopefully when the F cabins become smaller it will be easier to manage. I suspect the fare price will rise so it'll have to improve.
May 22, 2019, 7:33 am
#66
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
And therein lies the problem.
But as much as you (presumably) feed back your thoughts / ‘coalface’ experience by one means or another, the burning question remains as to whether the purse strings will ever be loosened sufficiently to make it happen ; and thus keep all high-spending F-paying pax happy - whilst simultaneously removing the need for you to apologise on behalf of your employer.
May 22, 2019, 7:46 am
#67
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
Much of this is avoidable by having some cross-over for more popular mains with CW. Thus, F might have more choices and the service paced differently, but the typically popular items would be available in both cabins. F orders would be taken first, thus assuring that any deficiencies befall only a CW passenger.
It must surely be possible to do a better statistical sampling. If 1-2 of the choices amount to 60% of the selection, over-catering those by 1-2 ought not to be a strain and those certainly could be crew or additional meals.
It must surely be possible to do a better statistical sampling. If 1-2 of the choices amount to 60% of the selection, over-catering those by 1-2 ought not to be a strain and those certainly could be crew or additional meals.
May 22, 2019, 7:48 am
#68
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: north of heathrow
Posts: 1,109
It does frustrate me, and I’m sure many other crew, when we hear how much the company will spend ‘upgrading’ the F service, but the biggest difference, in my opinion, would be increasing the numbers of every element of the menu. We have new crockery, new teapots, new cutlery, different size cutlery for the starters and main courses. How much better would your F experience be if we hadn’t changed any of those things, but gave you a much better chance of obtaining your first choice of meal? It feels that anything WE say falls on deaf ears. I think that we as crew rely on YOUR feedback to the company, as well as our own of course.
May 22, 2019, 8:00 am
#69
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: Some
Posts: 5,252
Much of this is avoidable by having some cross-over for more popular mains with CW. Thus, F might have more choices and the service paced differently, but the typically popular items would be available in both cabins. F orders would be taken first, thus assuring that any deficiencies befall only a CW passenger.
It must surely be possible to do a better statistical sampling. If 1-2 of the choices amount to 60% of the selection, over-catering those by 1-2 ought not to be a strain and those certainly could be crew or additional meals.
It must surely be possible to do a better statistical sampling. If 1-2 of the choices amount to 60% of the selection, over-catering those by 1-2 ought not to be a strain and those certainly could be crew or additional meals.
May 22, 2019, 8:06 am
#71
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,616
And what happens when everyone in F starts ordering the 'F only' mains given they are more attractive/individually plated and have had a higher budget spent on them? You now have even less of these to go around! I love the idea that the problem here is BA are spending too much on F passenger meals and should offer cheaper meals from CW instead.
May 22, 2019, 8:23 am
#73
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: Some
Posts: 5,252
QR, JL and others also do something similar, but in that case it's slightly different than Often1's suggestion in execution. I'm not sure how it works on EK, but on QR the F-only items *are* usually loaded to 100% each so that if everyone chooses the same one it's available. Then of course the items shared with J can be given to F in priority. If that's what BA move to then fine, but fully loading each F-only item will possibly end up costing more rather than less.
May 22, 2019, 8:26 am
#74
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Programs: MUCCI du gingembre cinquant, CAMRA
Posts: 1,275
It seems to me that this would explain why some pax bring their own meals into first! 
May 22, 2019, 8:50 am
#75
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I’m not sure high up the ladder you have to go to get the NO person within BA, but whoever it is pays no attention to what us crew or customers think they are only interested in profit.