Oct 24, 2020, 7:26 am
Last edit by: Prospero
Temporary COVID-19 catering, effective 25 October 2020 until 19 January 2021, after which normal catering is expected to resume.
Euro Traveller
Breakfast: cereal bar, cookies, and mineral water bottle
Rest of the day: bag of crisps, small packet of pretzels, and mineral water bottle
Tea, coffee, juice available on request
Club Europe
Band 1 Breakfast: paper bag containing a filled croissant, yogurt pot or muffin, and mineral water bottle
Band 1 Rest of the Day: paper bag containing a sandwich, dessert pot, and mineral water bottle
Bands 2 to 4 Breakfast: box containing a filled croissant, yogurt pot, and mineral water bottle
Bands 2 to 4 Rest of the Day: box containing a sandwich, salad pot, dessert pot, and mineral water bottle
Tea, coffee, drinks from the bar including champagne (Nicolas Feuillatte quarter bottles) available on request
World Traveller and World Traveller Plus:
Primary lunch/dinner flight
Primary meal comprises of a tray with hot dish, side salad, bread bag, and mineral water bottle
Secondary meal (breakfast) is a filled croissant, yoghurt pot, and mineral water bottle
Primary breakfast flight
Primary meal comprises of a tray with hot dish, yoghurt, muffin, and mineral water bottle
Secondary meal is a chilled sandwich, bar of chocolate, and mineral water bottle
Tea, coffee, drinks from the bar available on request
Club World:
Primary lunch/dinner flight
Primary meal includes a tablecloth-covered tray with hot dish, salad dish, small side salad, bread bag, cheese, crackers, dessert pot, and mineral water bottle
Secondary meal (breakfast) is a tablecloth-covered tray with a filled croissant, muesli pot, yoghurt pot, and mineral water bottle (served in a box rather than on a tray on 77M return catered flights)
Secondary meal (afternoon tea) is a tablecloth-covered tray with sandwich, cookies, bar of chocolate, and mineral water bottle (served in a box rather than on a tray on 77M return catered flights)
Primary breakfast flight
Primary meal includes a tablecloth-covered tray with hot dish, yoghurt/fruit dish, croissant, bread bag, jam, dessert pot, and mineral water bottle
Secondary meal is a tablecloth-covered tray with sandwich, cookies, bar of chocolate, and mineral water bottle (served in a box rather than on a tray on 77M return catered flights)
Tea, coffee, drinks from the bar including champagne (Nicolas Feuillatte quarter bottles) available on request
First:
Primary lunch/dinner flight
Box containing a salad, starter, pesto, bread bag, crackers, and mineral water bottle. A hot main dish in foil and trio of dessert/cheese pots in cardboard holder are served separately directly onto the tablecloth-covered table
Secondary meal (breakfast) is unconfirmed
Secondary meal (afternoon tea) is a box containing sandwich, fruit salad, crackers, scone, clotted cream, jam, macarons atop the tablecloth-covered table
Primary breakfast flight
Primary breakfast service is unconfirmed
Secondary meal is a box containing sandwich, fruit salad, crackers, scone, clotted cream, jam, macarons atop the tablecloth-covered table
Tea, coffee, drinks from the bar including champagne (Nicolas Feuillatte quarter bottles) available on request
Euro Traveller
Breakfast: cereal bar, cookies, and mineral water bottle
Rest of the day: bag of crisps, small packet of pretzels, and mineral water bottle
Tea, coffee, juice available on request
Club Europe
Band 1 Breakfast: paper bag containing a filled croissant, yogurt pot or muffin, and mineral water bottle
Band 1 Rest of the Day: paper bag containing a sandwich, dessert pot, and mineral water bottle
Bands 2 to 4 Breakfast: box containing a filled croissant, yogurt pot, and mineral water bottle
Bands 2 to 4 Rest of the Day: box containing a sandwich, salad pot, dessert pot, and mineral water bottle
Tea, coffee, drinks from the bar including champagne (Nicolas Feuillatte quarter bottles) available on request
World Traveller and World Traveller Plus:
Primary lunch/dinner flight
Primary meal comprises of a tray with hot dish, side salad, bread bag, and mineral water bottle
Secondary meal (breakfast) is a filled croissant, yoghurt pot, and mineral water bottle
Primary breakfast flight
Primary meal comprises of a tray with hot dish, yoghurt, muffin, and mineral water bottle
Secondary meal is a chilled sandwich, bar of chocolate, and mineral water bottle
Tea, coffee, drinks from the bar available on request
Club World:
Primary lunch/dinner flight
Primary meal includes a tablecloth-covered tray with hot dish, salad dish, small side salad, bread bag, cheese, crackers, dessert pot, and mineral water bottle
Secondary meal (breakfast) is a tablecloth-covered tray with a filled croissant, muesli pot, yoghurt pot, and mineral water bottle (served in a box rather than on a tray on 77M return catered flights)
Secondary meal (afternoon tea) is a tablecloth-covered tray with sandwich, cookies, bar of chocolate, and mineral water bottle (served in a box rather than on a tray on 77M return catered flights)
Primary breakfast flight
Primary meal includes a tablecloth-covered tray with hot dish, yoghurt/fruit dish, croissant, bread bag, jam, dessert pot, and mineral water bottle
Secondary meal is a tablecloth-covered tray with sandwich, cookies, bar of chocolate, and mineral water bottle (served in a box rather than on a tray on 77M return catered flights)
Tea, coffee, drinks from the bar including champagne (Nicolas Feuillatte quarter bottles) available on request
First:
Primary lunch/dinner flight
Box containing a salad, starter, pesto, bread bag, crackers, and mineral water bottle. A hot main dish in foil and trio of dessert/cheese pots in cardboard holder are served separately directly onto the tablecloth-covered table
Secondary meal (breakfast) is unconfirmed
Secondary meal (afternoon tea) is a box containing sandwich, fruit salad, crackers, scone, clotted cream, jam, macarons atop the tablecloth-covered table
Primary breakfast flight
Primary breakfast service is unconfirmed
Secondary meal is a box containing sandwich, fruit salad, crackers, scone, clotted cream, jam, macarons atop the tablecloth-covered table
Tea, coffee, drinks from the bar including champagne (Nicolas Feuillatte quarter bottles) available on request
COVID Friendly Catering Revealed By British Airways
Oct 5, 2020, 6:19 am
#1636
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: UK
Programs: Virgin Flying Club Red, Emirates Skywards Blue, BA Executive Club Blue, Amex BA
Posts: 2,381
Am I allowed to bring my own plates and cutlery on long-haul F?
Oct 5, 2020, 6:32 am
#1637
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Lincoln, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, IHG Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 1,267
I really think BA are in a terrible dilemma now. Having a former low cost CEO running IAG and a former low cost CEO running BA, they have no understanding of the dynamics of the premium side of their business.
All of their experience is in being cheap. Cutting costs. Taking away. Every penny counts. Saving money is in their DNA after all.
They have no experience in investment as a means to grow their business. Speculating to accumulate. Build it and they will come mentality. Giving the customer more than they expect. Repeat business based on product rather than cost.
As a result, with their experience, they have adapted really quickly to reducing the daily cost burden to the bare minimum and in the circumstances, they should be applauded for that. But now is the time to move things forward.
As their competition find ways to reintroduce the product and service back to what customers expect, BA appear to be struggling to solve the conundrum of if they have been serving slop for safety, what has changed to suddenly bring service more back to what passengers have come to expect. How much longer can they use the age-old "Elf & Safety" excuse to save money? And there is no "Elf & Safety" regulation that prevents them serving a hot meal on proper crockery and fine drinks in glass.
Maybe I am over thinking it and they are leading us down a path.
In surveys, when asked if they prefer A/ Slop and cheap alcohol or B/ Nothing, 99.3% of passengers told us that they preferred A/ slop and cheap alcohol.
All of their experience is in being cheap. Cutting costs. Taking away. Every penny counts. Saving money is in their DNA after all.
They have no experience in investment as a means to grow their business. Speculating to accumulate. Build it and they will come mentality. Giving the customer more than they expect. Repeat business based on product rather than cost.
As a result, with their experience, they have adapted really quickly to reducing the daily cost burden to the bare minimum and in the circumstances, they should be applauded for that. But now is the time to move things forward.
As their competition find ways to reintroduce the product and service back to what customers expect, BA appear to be struggling to solve the conundrum of if they have been serving slop for safety, what has changed to suddenly bring service more back to what passengers have come to expect. How much longer can they use the age-old "Elf & Safety" excuse to save money? And there is no "Elf & Safety" regulation that prevents them serving a hot meal on proper crockery and fine drinks in glass.
Maybe I am over thinking it and they are leading us down a path.
In surveys, when asked if they prefer A/ Slop and cheap alcohol or B/ Nothing, 99.3% of passengers told us that they preferred A/ slop and cheap alcohol.
Oct 5, 2020, 6:40 am
#1638
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 423
No special meals
It is a shame that BA still does not offer SPML options.
It would be easy to create one meal option that ticks most of SPML requirements. (A meal that is equally suitable for vegans, vegetarians, that is gluten free and low fat...etc)
On our recent return flight to Athens the crew was great. They managed to find fresh fruit salads and some bananas and clementines for my vegan partner, as well as some hummus pots. I am guessing all from crew meals.
It would be easy to create one meal option that ticks most of SPML requirements. (A meal that is equally suitable for vegans, vegetarians, that is gluten free and low fat...etc)
On our recent return flight to Athens the crew was great. They managed to find fresh fruit salads and some bananas and clementines for my vegan partner, as well as some hummus pots. I am guessing all from crew meals.
Oct 5, 2020, 7:40 am
#1639
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
Oct 5, 2020, 9:48 am
#1640
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland
Programs: AY+ Platinum, SK Gold, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, Radisson VIP
Posts: 6,531
ZRH-ARN VGML
Flew LX instead, got a proper meal (special meal) and proper glassware too.
If you are reading this, BA, I won‘t pay Club for your pathetic offering until you change (read: improve) it.
Oct 5, 2020, 1:33 pm
#1641
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: London
Programs: BAEC, AA, Emirates, Hilton, Hyatt, Taj Hotels
Posts: 2,345
Anyone bothered to read High Life recently?
Under the Food and Beverage section there are now graphic details of the service in each cabin. Apparently, in Short Haul Business, Long Haul Business and First ' Our pre-pay and pre-order services are temporarily suspended'. OK so you could pre-order meals ex LHR in long haul Club and First, but pre-pay? Anyone remember that? Or....is this what is coming next?
By the way, I hadn't appreciated that World Traveller Plus now just gets the same food as Economy. That really is a downgrade isn't it as previously the main meal was essentially the same as Club but with less choice? Given that WTP is a separate cabin from Economy, with a dividing curtain, why wouldn't it be possible to just give WTP the same box as Club World?
Under the Food and Beverage section there are now graphic details of the service in each cabin. Apparently, in Short Haul Business, Long Haul Business and First ' Our pre-pay and pre-order services are temporarily suspended'. OK so you could pre-order meals ex LHR in long haul Club and First, but pre-pay? Anyone remember that? Or....is this what is coming next?
By the way, I hadn't appreciated that World Traveller Plus now just gets the same food as Economy. That really is a downgrade isn't it as previously the main meal was essentially the same as Club but with less choice? Given that WTP is a separate cabin from Economy, with a dividing curtain, why wouldn't it be possible to just give WTP the same box as Club World?
Oct 5, 2020, 1:42 pm
#1642
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 197
Anyone bothered to read High Life recently?
Under the Food and Beverage section there are now graphic details of the service in each cabin. Apparently, in Short Haul Business, Long Haul Business and First ' Our pre-pay and pre-order services are temporarily suspended'. OK so you could pre-order meals ex LHR in long haul Club and First, but pre-pay? Anyone remember that? Or....is this what is coming next?
By the way, I hadn't appreciated that World Traveller Plus now just gets the same food as Economy. That really is a downgrade isn't it as previously the main meal was essentially the same as Club but with less choice? Given that WTP is a separate cabin from Economy, with a dividing curtain, why wouldn't it be possible to just give WTP the same box as Club World?
Under the Food and Beverage section there are now graphic details of the service in each cabin. Apparently, in Short Haul Business, Long Haul Business and First ' Our pre-pay and pre-order services are temporarily suspended'. OK so you could pre-order meals ex LHR in long haul Club and First, but pre-pay? Anyone remember that? Or....is this what is coming next?
By the way, I hadn't appreciated that World Traveller Plus now just gets the same food as Economy. That really is a downgrade isn't it as previously the main meal was essentially the same as Club but with less choice? Given that WTP is a separate cabin from Economy, with a dividing curtain, why wouldn't it be possible to just give WTP the same box as Club World?
Pre-pay upgraded meals in WT have been available for few years.
Oct 5, 2020, 1:47 pm
#1643
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: London
Programs: BAEC, AA, Emirates, Hilton, Hyatt, Taj Hotels
Posts: 2,345
Oct 5, 2020, 2:38 pm
#1644
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Taunton, UK
Programs: BA Silver, Marriott Silver
Posts: 1,158
By the way, I hadn't appreciated that World Traveller Plus now just gets the same food as Economy. That really is a downgrade isn't it as previously the main meal was essentially the same as Club but with less choice? Given that WTP is a separate cabin from Economy, with a dividing curtain, why wouldn't it be possible to just give WTP the same box as Club World?
Oct 5, 2020, 4:02 pm
#1645
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: US/UK - and elsewhere
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 2,559
Anyone bothered to read High Life recently?
By the way, I hadn't appreciated that World Traveller Plus now just gets the same food as Economy. That really is a downgrade isn't it as previously the main meal was essentially the same as Club but with less choice? Given that WTP is a separate cabin from Economy, with a dividing curtain, why wouldn't it be possible to just give WTP the same box as Club World?
By the way, I hadn't appreciated that World Traveller Plus now just gets the same food as Economy. That really is a downgrade isn't it as previously the main meal was essentially the same as Club but with less choice? Given that WTP is a separate cabin from Economy, with a dividing curtain, why wouldn't it be possible to just give WTP the same box as Club World?
Oct 5, 2020, 4:06 pm
#1646
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: US/UK - and elsewhere
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 2,559
Since we're six months in to the current 'situation' now, I find it infuriating that BA (and other airlines to be honest) still have those wonderful images of inflight/onboard catering - running to several pages, and a single disclaimer saying that 'normal' service might not be available. Since what we have now is essentially the 'normal' their web pages need updating to reflect their actual product, not what it was (and might never be again!).
Oct 5, 2020, 11:45 pm
#1647
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 963
Not to defend BA’s crap offering BUT....its not the worst in Europe. I’ve done a flock of recent short haul flights on Alitalia - domestic J is water or water with a sweet or savory snack. LIN-LHR is a packaged sandwich, packed cannoli, and water. Beer and maybe wine is available on request (specifically on one flight I found out when someone else asked and I was in row 1, on another they walked around the cabin with water and beer but no offer of wine). And on many flights, the crew blocks the J lav for their own use and requests J passengers to use the Y lavs.
Oct 6, 2020, 1:58 am
#1648
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,539
To be honest, I don't think it ever was. It actually used to be very much WT meals until they decided to step up the main dish and use CW options for that specific course whilst the rest always remained the same as the WT menu.
Oct 6, 2020, 2:11 am
#1649
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: BA Blue, EI Silver, Honours Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,209
I really think BA are in a terrible dilemma now. Having a former low cost CEO running IAG and a former low cost CEO running BA, they have no understanding of the dynamics of the premium side of their business.
All of their experience is in being cheap. Cutting costs. Taking away. Every penny counts. Saving money is in their DNA after all.
They have no experience in investment as a means to grow their business. Speculating to accumulate. Build it and they will come mentality. Giving the customer more than they expect. Repeat business based on product rather than cost.
All of their experience is in being cheap. Cutting costs. Taking away. Every penny counts. Saving money is in their DNA after all.
They have no experience in investment as a means to grow their business. Speculating to accumulate. Build it and they will come mentality. Giving the customer more than they expect. Repeat business based on product rather than cost.
Of course there have been huge cuts, the intorduction of mixed fleet, etc. The reality is that BA just does not have to work as hard for their premium passengers as many other airlines do, the premium O&D demand, wide availability of F and enormous J cabins tell a story. BAs important customers value direct service to important European, US and global cities.
Oct 6, 2020, 2:34 am
#1650
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 471
I really think BA are in a terrible dilemma now. Having a former low cost CEO running IAG and a former low cost CEO running BA, they have no understanding of the dynamics of the premium side of their business.
All of their experience is in being cheap. Cutting costs. Taking away. Every penny counts. Saving money is in their DNA after all.
All of their experience is in being cheap. Cutting costs. Taking away. Every penny counts. Saving money is in their DNA after all.
The premium side of the business is essentially dead. Remember their most profitable business until early this year was TATL. That business is well below 10% of where it was last year. Cargo is just about the only thing that induces them to continue offering some TATL routes at all.
When posters on FT suggest the catering and the premium services will determine which airlines come out of this crisis strengthened relativ to their competitors, I just think LOL.
Bringing down costs and retaining the ability to pick up bailout money from the government if needed is what really counts right now. Sure, you can try to generate a few percent of extra revenue by tweaking your route network (leisure travel seems to do slightly better right now) or by differentiating yourself a little bit from competitors (e.g., through better security protocols). But it's secondary to the cost-cutting considerations and the need to have your government's support.
Honestly, I don't think anybody at BA cares about a FT thread or a Sun article about poor food in short-haul J. Travel is not expected to return to 2019 levels until 2024 or 2025. So, once again, the big issue is downsizing the scale of your operations, not what people thing of the J catering on BA vis-a-vis LX.