Vegetarian in CW - order on board or pre-order a special meal
Sep 18, 2021, 5:58 pm
#19
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 614
no paper PILs anymore. Each crew member has an iPhone with the PIL on it these days. You might see us frantically stabbing at our phones during boarding as we try and get the phone to connect to some random 3G network in a far flung destination to update the list before we close the doors. I promise we're not playing Candy Crush!
Sep 19, 2021, 3:15 am
#22
Join Date: Mar 2020
Programs: British Airways GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond & Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,612
no paper PILs anymore. Each crew member has an iPhone with the PIL on it these days. You might see us frantically stabbing at our phones during boarding as we try and get the phone to connect to some random 3G network in a far flung destination to update the list before we close the doors. I promise we're not playing Candy Crush!
Sep 19, 2021, 6:24 am
#24
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 574
In Club Europe more and more the VLML is the same as the second option on the main menu. In the past I have found that ordering VLML can lead to drawbacks - no chocolate as on other passengers trays on inbound Gatters flights (!), but now I have seen TWO veggie choices (one a salad), so by ordering VLML I was at a slight disadvantage. I suspect the salad option as a 3rd choice, was because the Club cabin was so large.
It is rare for me to pre-order a vegetarian meal following years of disappointment. Ordering a lacto-ovo meal in advance too often results in a stripped-down vegan offering, with drawbacks as described above. Or worse.
My strategy is to glean what is on offer in CW or F. In First, I ask for a copy of the menu (for the relevant month) to be sent as soon as it is available. Then I decide if I can construct a satisfactory meal from the courses. Inbound flights require more work. The risk is if there are shortages. I'd rather take this gamble and choose what I'd like to eat from the menu.
Flyertalk BA Forum is a great source of menu information for CW, F and airport lounges. It has been so helpful for me.
Sep 19, 2021, 6:41 am
#25
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
What if someone is sat in the back row with no status, and notices that they're allergic to something in option 1, but option 2 is safe. Would you tell them they have to have option 1 as that's what's left, and quote them the service standards?
Sep 19, 2021, 6:56 am
#26
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: ba silver
Posts: 729
I would order in advance for the reasons other posters had mentioned. Also, another reason to order special meals is that in case of a cabin being oversold, passengers with special meals tend not to be downgraded at the gate, likewise ordering a special meal will preclude upgrades. This is not a posted policy but I've been told this by two people who work for a the ground agent that handles flights in my home airports that this is the case with a couple of airlines that service my home airport.
Sep 19, 2021, 7:54 am
#27
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 592
I would order in advance for the reasons other posters had mentioned. Also, another reason to order special meals is that in case of a cabin being oversold, passengers with special meals tend not to be downgraded at the gate, likewise ordering a special meal will preclude upgrades. This is not a posted policy but I've been told this by two people who work for a the ground agent that handles flights in my home airports that this is the case with a couple of airlines that service my home airport.
Sep 19, 2021, 2:26 pm
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,094
Service standards can be adapted to ensure the smooth running of the flight. If someone says they're vegetarian, and they politely request the pasta, then it's in everyone's interest that that happens. Getting on and demanding the beef as they don't like curry is a totally different scenario.
What if someone is sat in the back row with no status, and notices that they're allergic to something in option 1, but option 2 is safe. Would you tell them they have to have option 1 as that's what's left, and quote them the service standards?
What if someone is sat in the back row with no status, and notices that they're allergic to something in option 1, but option 2 is safe. Would you tell them they have to have option 1 as that's what's left, and quote them the service standards?