nancypants

i have to tread carefully as I have been accused of being a qantas apologist on here (primarily by an unhinged person), but yeah. Improvements made, still middle of the road. Wonder whether you think they stack up against BA’s current offer?

HawaiiFlyerDC8

I always enjoy your trip reports, thanks for taking the time!

adampenrith

I gave up on QF later than I have up in BA.

I found other fine airlines served me much better, Virgin Australia has the best premium product across the Pacific , sadly we won’t see that again, Virgin Australia was great for domestic travel in Australia, Garuda Indonesia has been amazing for many many years, and we are blessed to have Singapore airlines to serve many of our destinations,

I believe I am worthy of a good premium cabin experience when ever I fly!!!

sl00001

Great report SFO777 especially the side by side comparison pictures in how it can be done as well. As AV enthousiasts we obviously note and scrutinise everything, just so that others can be aware of it as well and make well informed decisions. Even then, we still try other airlines, as we all love flying in airplanes On my flight from SIN to EWR I brought my own laundry clips in order to hang a blanket on the side so I created my own "door" and to have interrupted sleep without the sense of feeling the FA's walking up and down. So, why not bringing your own plates during COVID, and still enjoy the food

I wish I can be up in the air soon again - really thinking of doing the SQ flight to nowhere, but MRS sl00001 will absolutely kill me for that

13901

I always like your TRs, SFO777 and this is no different. I used to work for the airline and still hold a strong feeling of, shall we say, loyalty towards it. But reportages like this one must be circulated widely to, hopefully, spur them into action. I don't really eat a lot or drink on a plane but people expect a certain level of service and this is pathetic. Sadly this fits very well in Cruz's BA: cuts with an incredibly disproportionate impact on the customer vs the actual benefit on the bottom line. You'd have hoped that they learned the lesson on the "Muffin or nuffin" season when all they were offering in Traveller was a cereal bar or a fun-sized chocolate PER PERSON, but evidently not.

User Name

How can something be so utterly shocking yet completely predictable at the same time?

HAF

....and this is one of the reasons why we canceled our F on BA a couple of weeks back..... waste of money (or points) and time.....

Makes me wonder though - with all these restrictions, downgraded ground and air service, (some airlines more and some less) and other significant risks and complications associated with travel during COVID - what sort of "stir-crazy" desperation justifies leisure travel?

cmd320

I've gone on a handful of leisure/personal trips over the last few months. It's all about finding the right product that is still somewhat decent.

SFO777

I guess each of us have our own level of comfort and belief about the risks of travel today.
BA notwithstanding, we had an incredible time in Croatia... gorgeous weather and scenery, fabulous food and wine, friendly people and all with no crowds.
And I have two more trips planned (Arizona and Dubai) before the end of the year.

nyjoe4

While we can all agree on the (terrible) catering, I don't think flippancy about why some airlines offer full service while some don't should all be put down to cost-cutting.

The reality is that many flight attendants - and passengers - will want to avoid interactions with other people right now. The fact that LH First requires a series of interactions by crew with their passengers, against general German health guidelines, is a judgment call - made by various parties involved, including unions and management. We should be careful of making speculative assumptions about motive when the risk is real, and we're all making risk assessments to guide our behaviour on a daily basis.

To that end, I would likely choose the boxes over a series of personal interactions right now. I just wish the boxes were better.

cmd320

This is 100% down to cost-cutting. The marketing of limiting interactions for your safety works on some, but the reality is that a series of brief interactions with a cabin crew member using PPE in a highly ventilated environment is about as unlikely to transmit an infection as staying at home alone. Yes, if everyone were unmasked and the flight attendant were sitting face to face with you having a long and loud conversation, there may be some cause for concern. Otherwise, it's all cost-cutting.

nyjoe4

I accept that your scientific analysis may be true, but that does not mean that the motive is cost-cutting. Again, it's hard to speculate as to motive, and if someone could provide evidence as to the actual savings across the 4-6 months of this so far, compared with other cost savings implemented (or not), I'd be more inclined to agree.

My guess, having worked for the airlines in the past, is that any savings are negligible, if non-existent, based on the number of passengers flying. Given that hot crew meals are being catered as normal, the marginal increase in cost to provide the same to passengers would be a rounding error.

In the interim, let me put it another way: I would only choose to fly First Class right now because I don't want people near me. That makes BA's service in principle fine by me.

I really do wish the boxes were better, though.

cmd320

I mean, whether the FA goes through the cabin handing out a salad box and a meal box, or goes through the cabin and hands out a proper meal via a tray and a dessert later on, the contact isn't any different. FA then still has to collect all the remaining trash be it box, empty disposable containers, wrapping, etc. just the same as they would have to collect a tray. Furthermore, the same is true whether you're drinking out of plastic or glass. There is absolutely zero logic to thinking this is a "safer" practice in any sense.

In terms of cost savings, I agree with you that it wouldn't be all that much. Certainly not an amount worth tarnishing the brand to the level it has been, but Alex Cruz is enough of a moron to do this even if it saves him $50,000 over a few months. He lacks the ability to connect the dots and realize that the business lost could (and likely does) exceed the cost savings. Keep in mind, this isn't just F, it's J as well.

Why? BA F doesn't offer any perceivable increase in spacing from other pax than a halfway decent J product. There's no point in paying for F on BA if it's just space from other passengers that you want.

enviroian

BA 's F&B is obviously deplorable. They should be completely ashamed of their soft product. Food Box?!?!?!?!? LOLOLOL

I wonder what the price delta is between say LH F FRA-LAX and BA LHR-LAX F?

Silver Fox

A wonderful trip report !