AverageHighFlyer

That's helpful to know. Personally, I've never before used the call bell - to me it just feels a bit wrong, sort of like snapping one's fingers at a waiter in a restaurant, so I'm happy to hear that is not how it is perceived by crew. Usually I'm in row 1 or 2 and will just pop into the galley on the rare occasion that I want a top-up and am unable to flag down a passing crew member, but if the curtain is drawn, it's useful to know about the call button.

mikeyfly

That's what the call button is for - and promoted by our very own CIHY

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/31603100-post37.html

allturnleft

I was interested to see the service aspect on the a350 training flight to MAD

It was very much drink with meal served at the same time and a chance for one more interaction at tray collection time when a further drink could be asked for

It almost reminds me of economy of yesteryear with a full tray of goodies and small bottles of wine and thats the end of story

You can get better than this on a Club domestic flight with top ups etc proactively offered

I do wonder with MF CE and also along with MF CW flights whether the idea of ‘topping up’ service is not in their modus operandum.

krispy84

I find drink top-ups particularly inconsistent in CE. Some CC will come round frequently, some occasionally and some not at all. It seems to be a lottery as to which type of crew you’ll get.

It doesn’t bother me that much as I have no issue with using the call bell or catching an eye to ask for another drink, but can understand how some don’t like it and wish to be proactively asked. Ultimately the onus shouldn’t have to be on the passenger to push for the service they are due.

Overall I do like CE and will continue to fly forward of the curtain whilst excercising my button-pressing skills.

YacozA

I feel the same way... hate the feeling of being waited on hand and foot. Which is why I am more likely to stand up and politely go ask for another drink or what I need. It's not really that difficult.

13901

We often forget it, but crews have to perform the same biological functions as we do: eating food and expelling waste. As such they need to eat and visit the lavatories. Since, as you say, there isn’t a “time where everyone on the plane eats” (it’s not as if all flights stop flying between 1 and 2pm, is it?) then they do it whenever they can.

I’m not a cabin crew apologist and I’m the first to agree that there’s a lot of people, employed by BA in customer facing roles, who shouldn’t be facing the customers. However I find it very hard to sympathise to your complaint in this thread.

A P Yu

It is if you're sat in a window seat in economy.

My cabin crew friends would all prefer the call bell to be used than have people come and try and chat to them inanely about stuff they have no interest in. The call bell also means they can deliver your request discreetly, which helps prevent others asking for stuff too. If you head down the aisle with your two full bottles of wine, another set of pax also head down there for more, whereas using the call bell it it often delivered discreetly to minimise others asking for stuff too

TeamStorm

I fear some perspective is needed

You chose not to use the call bell, despite the announcement saying to because ‘mates in the industry told you not to’.

My partner is crew, today she will have woken up at 4am, got to the airport for 5:45 to report at 6:15 to work a flight that leaves at 7:30. Between 6:15 and 7:39 she will have swiped in, briefed. Cleared security, for a bus to T3 and prepped the plane for boarding. She will have flown non-stop to her destination, had about 40 mins on the ground to get pax off, get ready for service again, re-board and fly home. She will finish her day and get home for about 3pm.

At some point in that she would quite like to eat breakfast (and if she’s lucky) lunch. Often she will come home with her food un-eaten in the bag she took it in because she was just too busy, and as someone who flies with her from time to time - I can believe it.

So the call bell is there for a reason (despite what your mates in the industry say), and sad to say, but the crew need to eat.

Sorry but firmly a DYKWIA problem. “Crew at some food on my flight and didn’t see that either I wanted service for 10 mins and my champagne wasn’t freshly poured”.

Sorry if that’s an unpopular opinion.

A P Yu

I think the complaint observation is more about chatting than eating.

Akoz

This has been the situation the few times I have tried the call bell, resulting in me going to the find them after about 20mins.

The main problem here though is consistency of service or lack thereof.

HIDDY

Has it not always been the case when the main service has been completed the cabin crew are able to have a rest and a chat. Good to hear they can still do it. ^

mchc01

Hi I have now for 4 years flown ba lhr to yyz (toronto) and can definitely say the standard of service and food, drink has diminished greatly.

I have noticed lately that they do not ask if you would like a drink with your meals yet some passengers manage to get this service and staff offering another glass of wine. But because I don't drink wine I get nothing...

Also, when flying back from toronto to lhr they turn out the lights with an hour of take off so you cant see what your eating I have to put on my torch on phones...

The best was when entering plane and being offered a drink of wine or water they didn't have their usual orange juice so I asked fo it. I was refused the drink are you ready for this one THE BAR IS NOT OPEN..............................

I realise food can be a problem on long haul flights but why restrict food to fish whis is a risk, cheese I can't eat it....... and foreign food rice pasta I can't eat it

I am now having to take food on the plane so I can eat ...... once I flew back on premium economy the choose was zero rice curry or lasagne with cheese and a small plastic bowl of lettuce leaves as i couldn't eat the food they bought me s bowls of lettuce leaves and a cob.... disgusting the food is for ease and as for their cord en blue food it is awful diabolical I thought it was off and wanted to throw up. but I am always invisible to staff even my hubby noticed when I got him to walk 6 paces behind and watch..... But I have noticed one thing my flights now have gone up by £ 700 to £1000 depending on when I book


PS I don't mind anyone having chats or breaks but they should look after customers

mrandery

It's very inconsistent.

Flew CE on the same evening flight FCO (Rome) - LHR twice in 2 weeks.
Same route, same flight number, same timings.

It was as if I was on 2 different flights altogether.

On one, they came around with the drinks cart soon after take off, then dinner and then another round of drinks.

On the second, nothing at all until almost 45 min into the flight, when dinner and drinks were served at the same time. Then nothing at all after that, didn't even see a crew member until they came to collect the trays almost 1 hour after serving them.

Going again next week, same flight - will probably find out there's a third way to do this.

London21

Agree with this.

Use the bell at your peril. My experience is that you get a snarly look and then the general BA malaise of service.

MFCC

IBZ is rarely a stand-alone duty. The crew will likely have come inbound from elsewhere in Europe that morning before heading out to IBZ and back to finish the tour. (XXX-LHR-IBZ-LHR). Additionally, it’s often a fixed link at Heathrow, so the flight inbound from XXX will head straight back out with the same crew to IBZ meaning there’s no time to grab anything in the terminal at LHR to eat.
On days such as this crew food is usually loaded for us (dependant on a number of factors). However, there were clearly two crew members working the CE cabin here, and there would be nothing stopping one of them from eating, whilst the other maintained cabin presence before swapping over. It certainly shouldn’t have been difficult to get a drink, as it clearly was.
It’s been said here already but in a scenario such as this I certainly would be using the call bell. It’s one of the reasons it’s there for.