HIDDY

1 hour 40 minutes out may seem a long time but the crew have to take orders then prepare and deliver them. I would say the full breakfast is quite a substantial meal and does take a fair bit of time to eat especially when one wishes a coffee refresh. Read pax agent's post for a more detailed summary of the other duties they have to perform before landing. The flight crew may get a straight in approach with no holding call so you can knock ten minutes off for that.
Time can be lost because Mr Aren'tiwonderful has been messing about pampering himself in the toilet for ages preventing me from changing out of my pyjamas, freshening myself up and combing my two strands of hair. After that all belongings have to be located and gathered up and packed away.
Surely one can manage a decent sleep during a 14 hour flight without wanting to squeeze more out of it and holding up breakfast? I would say BA have it spot similar to other airlines I have flown on. TAM do come round last thing at night to take breakfast orders and ask if you wish to be woken up.

csdf

I nearly always skip breakfast - who's hungry at 5am? But as I'm a light sleeper I inevitably get woken up by all the movement and noise and get particularly annoyed when they start really early (which happens quite often ime).

Sorry for the OT, but how does that work? When scuba diving, the last thing you should do is block your ear passages as it stops you equilibrating. Sure, the pressure differential in an airplane cabin as it descends is much less than for a dive of even 10 metres, but the principle is the same isn't it?

seanp7

Agreed and to BA. This happens frequently on east coast USA flights too resulting in about 3-4 hours sleep.

sammyh25

East Coast sleeper services I would start wandering through the cabin by hand at 1hr 15mins to landing, lights still off, LAX or SFO with big J cabin, about 1hr 30mins to landing with trolleys. The problem begins when we get the 40 minute call and everyone starts to wake up and want breakfast. Too many times I have struggled to get my crew to secure the cabin in time for landing, don't like photo finishes!!!

If only a few people decide to have some breakfast at the last minute then that is not an issue and can be done almost up until the 20 minute call, problem arises when people sleep as long as possible and then want breakfast in that last 40 minutes.

We have been told by our safety people that the cabin service should have stopped at -40 and we should be partially preparing the cabin for landing. I think there have been quite a few incidents where we started preparing the aircraft at -20 only to be given a direct approach by ATC and the ensuing rush to get everyone out the toilets, breakfast cleared away and cabins/galleys secured was noticed by CAA inspectors on-board, they were not impressed!

Cup of tea or coffee and a bacon roll on the side I can do right up until -20, but the full tray I look to have cleared away by -40, or -30 at the latest.

Boo Boo

All I know is that it works for me... I have had the "flying problem" since I was a child (certainly from the age of 6, but possibly younger). I must have a blockage or something.... If I do not use earplugs then it feels as though my eardrum is going to explode/implode and, sometimes, as if someone is using an electric drill to bore into my sinuses in my forehead. I am fine on take-off, but not on landing... honestly it is no a "hold your nose and blow" thing (which my husband thinks): if I did that, I think that they would be wiping my brains from the inside of the cabin for weeks...

Normal (foam/wax) earplugs don't work well at all, I need to use "Earplanes" (http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/earplanes_1_9694.html) or an own brand equivalent (Boots do one). They fit well and I assume that the little valve inside does something...

If I have the earplugs in, in good time, I rarely have a problem. I have had problems when I have occassionally got them in too late (was once reduced to tears and I rarely ever cry). My ears were also uncomfortable during a short 45 minute flight on a little jet, when I had a bad cold, recently (I had the ear plugs in from before take-off until after landing). I flew on a 747 the next day - still with very bad cold - and didn't have a problem (earplugs in an hour before landing).

Since it works for me, I keep doing it

Boo

terpfan101

I agree, though its the nature of the short flight. I generally find that by the time they finish the nightcap service which doesn't begin anyway until 30-40 minutes after take off it's been 75-90 minutes into a 6.5-7 hour flight. Coupled with serving breakfast 1 hour before landing leaves maybe 4.5 hours at most of sleeping time. Makes you question the benefit of CW on such a short flight!


While on the issue what sort of breakfast does BA serve in CW on non sleeper service flights? Which flights would this even happen on?

marbles dad

yummy!!!

Globaliser

Hence the Sleeper Service. Those of my friends who fly for work love the Sleeper Service - they're the ones who are not doing it for miles, points or as much drink as they can sink.

cabinfever

+1.

The last couple of flights I've missed breakfast. Lots of plates chinking away and chatter is very annoying when you've had a tiring in and out trip to a long haul destination. Once they managed to grab me a smoothie, but last time I just used the arrivals lounge.

Some of the flights arrive just after landings are allowed at LHR, and waking up too early really messes up my day.

hammythehammer

with a flight time of 6 hours and you lose 30+ mins at the beginning and 1hr 40mins at the end ....you wonder if it was worth it.

Globaliser

It's as good as any flight can get if you go to sleep as soon as you can - 20 minutes after takeoff, typically? - and then sleep until the 20-minute-before-landing announcement. Although I'm usually woken by the TOD announcement which is actually a good time to get to the loo while the breakfasters are still trapped in their seats.

Swanhunter

I can get the sleep in however what I try to do is kick start the jet lag adjustment process by going back to UK time when I board the plane. Hence my desire to sleep as late as possiuble.

virtualtroy

Come on, it's only a bit of rubbery egg and inedible sausage (if you can call it that). How long could it possibly take to prepare that, let alone move it around your plate for a few minutes, then clear it away?

Forget the breakfast thing, I'm really wondering why such a din has to be made for those who prefer to maximise their sleep on the flight.

HIDDY

Come on all you sleepyheads. Remember, it is a plane you are trying to sleep in not a flippin' 5 star hotel bedroom. Noise whether it is coming from the toilet or the galley should never be that loud enough to put one off their sleep if you're tired enough.
The cabin crew can clank all they want if that means breaky is on its way.

csdf

You sound like a classic heavy sleeper! I, on the other hand, have been known to wake up when my nextdoor neighbour's alarm clock goes off. I'm not kidding.