Jan 9, 2021, 4:15 am
Last edit by: orbitmic
Complimentary offerings
Euro Traveller: water and an ambient snack (eg. cereal bar in the morning, packet of pretzels rest of the day)
Club Europe: full food and bar service
Speedbird Café
Pre-ordered food and beverage service on BA mainline short haul flights, begins 20 January 2021. Available to passengers travelling in Euro Traveller and Club Europe. Items must be be ordered online - minimum 12 hours before departure on services from London, a minimum of 24 hours from outstations. Some flights to London have a longer lead time of 30 hours - see night-stop info below.
Order online via the High Life Shop
Speedbird Café Menu
List of night-stop flights which require the longer 30 hour lead time for orders
Noteworthy information:
Pre-order only: no additional product will be loaded for sale on board and therefore no trolley service or printed menus
Crew will have new TourPOS devices for confirming delivery and taking pre-orders for future flights
Complimentary service first, then delivery of pre-orders. These will be assembled by crew - food delivered in paper bags, drinks by tray.
Not possible to earn or spend Avios on Speedbird Cafe however this option will still be available for Highlife Shop orders
Mainline only
Euro Traveller: water and an ambient snack (eg. cereal bar in the morning, packet of pretzels rest of the day)
Club Europe: full food and bar service
Speedbird Café
Pre-ordered food and beverage service on BA mainline short haul flights, begins 20 January 2021. Available to passengers travelling in Euro Traveller and Club Europe. Items must be be ordered online - minimum 12 hours before departure on services from London, a minimum of 24 hours from outstations. Some flights to London have a longer lead time of 30 hours - see night-stop info below.
Order online via the High Life Shop
Speedbird Café Menu
List of night-stop flights which require the longer 30 hour lead time for orders
Noteworthy information:
Pre-order only: no additional product will be loaded for sale on board and therefore no trolley service or printed menus
Crew will have new TourPOS devices for confirming delivery and taking pre-orders for future flights
Complimentary service first, then delivery of pre-orders. These will be assembled by crew - food delivered in paper bags, drinks by tray.
Not possible to earn or spend Avios on Speedbird Cafe however this option will still be available for Highlife Shop orders
Mainline only
New High Life Café catering on BA short haul routes
Jul 14, 2021, 4:17 am
#271
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
You CANNOT say to the crew 'I'd like a coffee please'
You need to get your phone, connect to the inflight wi-fi (if working), go to the BA website, find coffee on the menu, order it, complete your credit card details, wait for the order to be beamed back to the crew's IT system and then wait for your coffee to appear. If the wi-fi isn't working, you can't have a coffee.
Only in some sort of bizarre futuristic sci-fi novel would this be seen as an improvement on someone walking down to your seat with a trolley and saying 'what would you like?'.
Jul 14, 2021, 4:21 am
#272
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Surrey, UK
Posts: 495
I think you've been conditioned by BA to their way of thinking :-)
You CANNOT say to the crew 'I'd like a coffee please'
You need to get your phone, connect to the inflight wi-fi (if working), go to the BA website, find coffee on the menu, order it, complete your credit card details, wait for the order to be beamed back to the crew's IT system and then wait for your coffee to appear. If the wi-fi isn't working, you can't have a coffee.
Only in some sort of bizarre futuristic sci-fi novel would this be seen as an improvement on someone walking down to your seat with a trolley and saying 'what would you like?'.
You CANNOT say to the crew 'I'd like a coffee please'
You need to get your phone, connect to the inflight wi-fi (if working), go to the BA website, find coffee on the menu, order it, complete your credit card details, wait for the order to be beamed back to the crew's IT system and then wait for your coffee to appear. If the wi-fi isn't working, you can't have a coffee.
Only in some sort of bizarre futuristic sci-fi novel would this be seen as an improvement on someone walking down to your seat with a trolley and saying 'what would you like?'.
Jul 14, 2021, 4:23 am
#273
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 569
Totally agree with @volar. The pre-order only model left something to be desired. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to order a beer, a coffee, or nuts on an impulse. That stuff doesn't go bad.
Instead, requiring pre-ordering on substantial meals makes sense. A pure buy-on-board (no pre-ordering) model either leads to meals which aren't fresh or to items being frequently sold-out. Look to LCC for tasteless sandwiches which remain edible for days using packaging gas. Or look to Lufty for under-catering. The other day, a poster on the LH forum claimed when the BoB service reached him in row 12 (on a A320), the bowl he wanted was already sold out.
Instead, requiring pre-ordering on substantial meals makes sense. A pure buy-on-board (no pre-ordering) model either leads to meals which aren't fresh or to items being frequently sold-out. Look to LCC for tasteless sandwiches which remain edible for days using packaging gas. Or look to Lufty for under-catering. The other day, a poster on the LH forum claimed when the BoB service reached him in row 12 (on a A320), the bowl he wanted was already sold out.
Jul 14, 2021, 4:42 am
#274
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
Jul 14, 2021, 4:45 am
#275
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
Instead, requiring pre-ordering on substantial meals makes sense. A pure buy-on-board (no pre-ordering) model either leads to meals which aren't fresh or to items being frequently sold-out. Look to LCC for tasteless sandwiches which remain edible for days using packaging gas. Or look to Lufty for under-catering. The other day, a poster on the LH forum claimed when the BoB service reached him in row 12 (on a A320), the bowl he wanted was already sold out.
This is about economics though. BA used to make Tourvest take revenue risk on unsold product, so it clearly made zero sense to stock more than the contractual bare minimum of fresh items.
Jul 14, 2021, 4:50 am
#276
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 587
The message sent to us suggests that on aircraft not equipped with WiFi we’re to deliver the free offering; then any preorders and then deliver the BOB selection via a trolley the ‘old fashioned’ way.
On aircraft with Wi-fi there will be no trolley service it’ll just be delivered from the galley as orders come through.
That’s how I read it anyway.
On aircraft with Wi-fi there will be no trolley service it’ll just be delivered from the galley as orders come through.
That’s how I read it anyway.
Jul 14, 2021, 5:03 am
#277
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,439
It seems like there will be a lot of work for crew. They will have to dish out the free snacks, then sort out pre-ordered meals, then the drinks/snacks ordered onboard. That’s a lot of work on a GVA/FRA if lots of people order.
However, the idea of ordering through your phone is good. It should also increase sales because people won’t be tied to the trolley going through once (a lot are reluctant to press the call bell to order more).
However, the idea of ordering through your phone is good. It should also increase sales because people won’t be tied to the trolley going through once (a lot are reluctant to press the call bell to order more).
Jul 14, 2021, 5:05 am
#278
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 55
This sounds really good. I’m one of those people that likes to choose when I order something. In the past my only chance was when the trolley arrived at my row which could vary depending on where I was sitting.
Now I will be able to order when I want and I imagine will be able to make multiple orders if I need to.
A big step forward.
Now I will be able to order when I want and I imagine will be able to make multiple orders if I need to.
A big step forward.
Jul 14, 2021, 5:10 am
#279
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: London, UK
Programs: bmi DC, BAEC
Posts: 1,103
It should be pointed out that the digital ordering platform will not be available on express routes, due to the extremely short flight times. This includes Manchester, Jersey, Paris (CDG and ORY), Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Newcastle and Newquay.
There will shortly be a lounge announcement too .
There will shortly be a lounge announcement too .
Just to remind you that Ryanair always get through the full plane on London - Dublin flights.
Jul 14, 2021, 5:29 am
#281
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Surrey, UK
Posts: 495
Payment will be taken by crew as before.
Jul 14, 2021, 5:34 am
#282
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,914
Yes, FR do tend to get through a full aircraft but then there aren't that many who will make a trolley purchase on those short hops. Unlike Ryanair, BA provides a bottle of water and a snack to all passengers free of charge, that service will take some time to complete and so it is possible on the shortest flights that there wouldn't be sufficient time to complete the 'free offering', serve the pre-orders and then operate an on-demand BoB service thereafter. Do appreciate that a MAN-LHR flight can be under 30 minutes from wheels-up to wheels-down giving the crew less than 20 minutes to complete service and secure the cabin.
Jul 14, 2021, 5:36 am
#283
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,579
Given BA's priority is to deliver the free stuff (water and snack) before commencing any pre order deliveries, not to mention the Club Europe service that they're also obliged to deliver with the crew compliment available, I'd say that's an entirety fair decision of BA to have made.
Jul 14, 2021, 7:03 am
#285
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 845
I think you've been conditioned by BA to their way of thinking :-)
You CANNOT say to the crew 'I'd like a coffee please'
You need to get your phone, connect to the inflight wi-fi (if working), go to the BA website, find coffee on the menu, order it, complete your credit card details, wait for the order to be beamed back to the crew's IT system and then wait for your coffee to appear. If the wi-fi isn't working, you can't have a coffee.
Only in some sort of bizarre futuristic sci-fi novel would this be seen as an improvement on someone walking down to your seat with a trolley and saying 'what would you like?'.
You CANNOT say to the crew 'I'd like a coffee please'
You need to get your phone, connect to the inflight wi-fi (if working), go to the BA website, find coffee on the menu, order it, complete your credit card details, wait for the order to be beamed back to the crew's IT system and then wait for your coffee to appear. If the wi-fi isn't working, you can't have a coffee.
Only in some sort of bizarre futuristic sci-fi novel would this be seen as an improvement on someone walking down to your seat with a trolley and saying 'what would you like?'.
If you want something substantial it's also better than what others now offer (and what BA had with the previous BoB trolley service) e.g. Lufthansa, as noted by 8mh or Austrian, where you can order whatever you like from the menu with the crew, but the risk is they'll have only loaded one of each item.