free tea is back at BA! [on trial flights]
Jul 16, 23, 6:16 am
#1
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free tea is back at BA! [on trial flights]
Front page of Sunday Times today reporting that "passengers enjoyed a complimentary cuppa last week on BA flights to Cairo and Amman". Also refers to now reduced galley space due to more seats and "little room to store tea, coffee and cups and to make hot drinks". A step in the right direction imho and given that hot drinks can be purchased in ET not sure how reference to the galley space features here but happy to stand corrected.
Jul 16, 23, 6:28 am
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It's actually mentioned in the Speedbird cafe thread, but I sort of agree that it makes more sense to give this its own thread. It may just be a cup of tea, but I have a feeling it will make quite a few journeys more pleasant to FTers! 
Jul 16, 23, 6:45 am
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Front page of Sunday Times today reporting that "passengers enjoyed a complimentary cuppa last week on BA flights to Cairo and Amman". Also refers to now reduced galley space due to more seats and "little room to store tea, coffee and cups and to make hot drinks". A step in the right direction imho and given that hot drinks can be purchased in ET not sure how reference to the galley space features here but happy to stand corrected.
).But am I right in reading this as on Cairo and Amman flights they don't offer free food and beverage in Y currently? Never flown or looked at those routes but thought that at 5 or so hours they would serve a meal. Longest short haul I've done is to Cyprus and I do remember the old deli box being served - but this must have been 7 or 8 years ago at least! Does anyone have a timeline of the ups and down of ET of catering? I used to remember hot breakfasts and 3 course meals being served to and from Amsterdam as a starting point. Then the deli boxes, then nothing? Now Speebird (insert new name here)?
Jul 16, 23, 7:18 am
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But am I right in reading this as on Cairo and Amman flights they don't offer free food and beverage in Y currently? Never flown or looked at those routes but thought that at 5 or so hours they would serve a meal. Longest short haul I've done is to Cyprus and I do remember the old deli box being served - but this must have been 7 or 8 years ago at least!
Jul 16, 23, 7:42 am
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Also mentioned over here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/35417061-post227.html
For other doubters pic of page is linked there.
Thread merge?
Thread merge?
Jul 16, 23, 7:46 am
#8
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These I think are the two most relevant quotes:
Cairo and Amman seem to be exclusively served by A321neo/A320neo respectively.
So maybe the problem isnt the new aircraft but the way the densification was done on the ceos?
Where theres tea, theres hope. At least thats what British Airways boss Sean Doyle thinks. Hes bringing back free tea and coffee in short-haul economy his latest effort to revive the beleaguered airline.
Passengers enjoyed a complimentary cuppa last week on BA flights from London to Cairo and Amman. The new service is likely to be rolled out on the carriers other short-haul routes.
Passengers enjoyed a complimentary cuppa last week on BA flights from London to Cairo and Amman. The new service is likely to be rolled out on the carriers other short-haul routes.
BA sources say Doyle would like to reintroduce free tea and coffee across the entire short-haul network, but Cruz reduced the galley space in many new jets to cram in more seats, so there is very little room to store tea, coffee and cups, and to make hot drinks. For now, Doyle is concentrating on longer routes, such as London to Istanbul, on which BA uses larger planes.
So maybe the problem isnt the new aircraft but the way the densification was done on the ceos?
Jul 16, 23, 7:47 am
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BA LHR-Scandinavia vs. SAS on the same routes this month, what BA included as complimentary in the back of the flying bus was superior to what SAS provided me. BA handed out bottles of Harrowgate water with chips on the very same routes where SAS wanted to charge even for water. I hope BA isn’t planning to charge for water like SAS.
Jul 16, 23, 10:00 am
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I not sure either how galley space is related to this. Im not cabin crew, so Im also happy to be corrected or educated. Surely 180 paper cups (stackable), a couple of boxes of tea bags/jars of coffee and a box of UHT milk sachets could only take up a shelf or two of a bar cart (and probably less space than the free crisps!)? I presume the planes potable water tanks can carry the necessary water unless they didnt spec the planes for those. Maybe they cut back on water heating facilities but surely the pots or flasks on the trolleys are filled and then the water heaters can heat the next batch while that one is being served. Given that tea and coffee were previously served in thimble-sized cups it cant take that much hot water!
Jul 16, 23, 10:11 am
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This is mentioned in the other thread on this topic, but the new reduced galley at the back doesn't have a hot water + brew facility, of the sort you see on the front galley of A320s, right of the ovens and left of door 1R. Now there are Spaceflex galleys available with a small brew area, and with some engineering a better facility could be installed; or they could come up with some solution involving premixed instant hot drink cups, just add water, but for tea that rarely tastes good.
Jul 16, 23, 10:51 am
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How hard would it be for the tea and coffee to be heated in the forward galley before/after CE service? Or as with soup, loaded in thermos flasks or urns - Im sure some CrossCountry trains have this? An overhead locker could be used for stowage of tea / coffee and the rearmost row not sold on those aircraft to enable that. Or it could be stowed at the front with return catering hold loaded if it wont fit and brought up during turnaround (yes you may need more time). I seem to recall years ago on A321s some Club catering was loaded in rear galley ovens (I have in my head bread rolls where club load over 60!) and brought forward, so perhaps this could be done but vice versa. Or another beverage maker installed in the forward galley. Perhaps the rear galley could be turned into the HighLife cafe! Maybe they will do that with longhaul A380s - emirates have a bad, BA have a duty free shopI digress.
Or as others have said, what came out must have gone in, so those a/c could be retrofitted with more sensible galley configs that actually work. It would also no doubt make cabin crew life easier and be good because presumably if the forward beverage maker is INOP this means there is no tea / coffee available even for Club or flight crew. I mean no coffee - if that isnt on the MEL I dont know what is!!
Or as others have said, what came out must have gone in, so those a/c could be retrofitted with more sensible galley configs that actually work. It would also no doubt make cabin crew life easier and be good because presumably if the forward beverage maker is INOP this means there is no tea / coffee available even for Club or flight crew. I mean no coffee - if that isnt on the MEL I dont know what is!!
Last edited by IAMORGAN; Jul 16, 23 at 11:02 am
Jul 16, 23, 11:00 am
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So if this just Cairo and Amman at the moment? Would be a nice touch and, let's face it, the British flag carrier really ought to be serving tea.
Having once vowed to boycott BOB I must confess to now enjoying the odd BOB tea or coffee when I am flying in Y.
Having once vowed to boycott BOB I must confess to now enjoying the odd BOB tea or coffee when I am flying in Y.
