BA 'upgrading' meals on Shorthaul flights to Not Free

A snowHead

I just smash the Sancerre and wait til I'm on the plane for the Tattinger @holidayloverxx, the BA Lounge food is better though by miles.

A snowHead

Blimey, its like flyertalk on here now!

Apparently if you complain, you get 1000 Avios. I'll see if that's per person/per flight by submitting about 25 claims to cover every shorthaul flight/person I've got booked post Jan 11th.

1000 Avios is about £10 of value in the onboard 'cafe' - BA say you'll be able to use Avios to pay.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

This will be a relief for me. No longer will I feel obliged to eat a tasteless sandwich or wrap "because I've paid for it" wink

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They did it with Avios too.

Sent everyone an e-mail saying 'we're excited to announce that the Avios system is changing', then the main conclusion of the e-mail was basically that the Avios you'd been saving up were all going to become worth less than they used to.

As a formerly Silver Executive Club member, I was a bit gutted about moving to Liverpool and losing my BA flight out of LHR. But kudos to BA - they're doing their best to make me feel less bothered about it.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Rumour is that lounge access will be cut on SH/domestic flights.

If that happens, I'll use my priority pass and choose any airline and pay my excess baggage.

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I have found the food on BA Long haul not very good either in recent years. I recall being asked if I would like a savoury or sweet snack returning to LHR from JFK in late afternoon, and being given a packet of pretzels, then looking in vain for anything else. That was it.
Sadly being retired people we very rarely travel anything other than economy nowadays.

I would much prefer to take my own bag of food with me, never much in the way of salads and fruit offered.

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Personally I'm not bothered about losing food on BA shorthaul - it's generally very poor anyway. But the booze??? C'mon, that was the one thing that still differentiated BA from the low cost airlines!

After all it is free

The food in premium (free upgrade!) was really nice on our trip to nyc over the summer, we had a choice of two items from business, and the entertainment was good, screens were large - they are updating the planes interiors so we got very lucky by the sounds of things besides the free upgrade.

We are travelling to the alps at New year from heathrow on ba, so would miss the "upgraded meal" changes, and again from stansted at easter.

We usually eat before the plane anyway, so meal on the plane isn't important for short haul, the drinks however are Wink

We are flying ba as it worked out cheaper with 2 ski bags and 1 suitcase, but one of the reasons was the free drinks and food

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@GlasgowCyclops, Toofy Grin

When the amuse-bouche was 'enhanced' (read removed/reduced/replaced) from FIRST some were apoplectic. I can't be arsed reading 49 pages but I would think that there is similar indignation.

BA have really lost the plot. All there are now is a LCC that operates in to LHR and offer connecting services.

On a Monday morning I watch the crowds of BA pax queue to get on the 767 that operates the first flight of the day. I do wonder how many are going out of their way to use BA and it would be much more convenient for them to fly U2 to STN, LTN or LGW or even FR to STN.

The reason I use BA is simple. I worked for a global company and a couple of business class flights got me silver status. Now I work for a small company and go economy but 25x a year so my silver card is useful. Lounge access is not a problem for me because I have a priority pass. However, what is important is the hassle free extra baggage.

Every time I would book KLM, I had a restriction on my cabin bag, plus had to negotiate the extra weight allowance for each leg of a multi journey flight and also arrive at the airport an hour earlier for each leg because I had to join the queue with the other flyers. Or stand early in line to get a guaranteed space in the baggage rack next to my seat. It is these wee things that are important for me. With BA it is simple and the luggage is no hassle on all legs (one kit case is 29kg)

being able to get to the airport at 7am rather than 6am. being able to check in within 5 mins (HKG marco polo desk) rather than 50 mins in the normal desks.

being able to get on the flight early because i always book an economy exit row where all bags go in the locker next to me.

etc etc etc.

I actually prefer KLM/AF but I don't want to have hassle for 8 flights just to get status. If they status matched I'd skip in a moment and simply do BA for short haul and use my priority pass for the LHR and LGW lounges. I can also use my KLM points for the BB

You know it makes sense.

@GlasgowCyclops, I would not go out my way to fly BA on shorthaul any more. I spent 2 years doing EDI-STN-EDI with U2 and they were fine. Priority Pass gets me lounge access at EDI and STN. As a an easyJet Plus member I got 2 pieces of hand baggage and unlimited seat reservations. I was then part of the Flight Club trial (and still am) where I got a whole host of great benefits such as no fee of change of flights and price match. I simply had no reason to fly BA as I was point to point. If I need to travel in to Europe and need more choice, then BA may figure.

I do laugh in the mornings at EDI when I see the 'Priority' boarding queue for BA being about 3 times the length of the standard queue. Very Happy

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

I burned a pile of Avios on QR to do EDI-DOH-DXB-DOH-EDI this year on the 787. As a Business Class product it was superb and verged on many airlines First Class offerings. In fact, it made BA FIRST look very old hat indeed.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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stanton - no you dont generally take food on a bus or car ride but you didnt travel for two hours to get to an airport, park the car (30 minutes) check in, go through security and wait for boarding giving you a total of, at least 4.5 hours from leaving home to starting the actual journey and then there is the other end with passport control, baggage reclaim and travel time to ultimate destination! Even having said that I do think that food is an unnessary extra for flights under a couple of hours particularly the quality of food most airlines serve. Even long haul what is offered is pretty sub-standard and there would be better potential options which are not necessarily more expensive.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@FFIRMIN, People eat to much. Folks should easily be able to do without food for 7-8hrs

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@stanton, True, but I'm a boredom eater (and drinker) so I like my in flight food. That said, I don't have to concern myself with this, I stick to being the other side of the curtain where things are ssooooooo much better, with the no extra legroom, a tray between me and the the other person, an equally uncomfortable seat and equally ok it food - I only ever go Club because its free and for the baggage, otherwise I'm sure id cope with the M&S food Happy

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After all it is free

@GlasgowCyclops, thats not shorthaul .

11 -24 hrs is not a problem even with a hard days hiking & sking to go without. Folks should try it.

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I think for the first time in my life I'm in agreement with @stantroll. My Monday normally starts at 04:30 when the alarm goes off. I leave home at around 05:00 and drive to EDI. By the time I park the car and get through security it is 05:45 - 06:00. If everything is on time I will be in the office by 09:30; so my day would already be 5 hours long. I rarely feel I need to eat at this time. If I do feel a need I'll grab some fruit in the Aspire Lounge. Prior to having a Priority Pass I'd pick up something in M&S Food either at EDI or at my destination (STN or BHX) and then have it in the office. I've never felt the need to order food or drink on the 1 hour flight.

The only time I do eat on shorthaul is if it is a longer flight e.g. to Faro or crossing over a mealtime and it is unlikely I'll eat on arrival. In those cases I'll pick up a sandwich in one of the multitude of places in EDI and take it on board. I find they are better value and also there is much more choice

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I agree with the one hour thing. I leave home and have something in the lounge (BA or priority pass) then one hour flight to Gatwick (on tuesday) ten 2 hours train to HQ.

But short haul for BA is less than five hours. IE UK to Cyprus or Crete

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I'm currently flying BA from City to Edinburgh every Monday and the free hot breakfast isn't essential but it is a real bonus (and a major reason to fly BA rather than FlyBE). Yes I could eat breakfast before leaving home, or buy something at the airport but:
1) Eating at home means getting up even earlier than I do at the moment - and I like sleep.
2) Food options aren't that great at City - and it would mean getting up even earlier. The joy of City is how quick you can get through and tight you can cut your timings. If security is slow I don't even have time to queue for a tea before the gate is called.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Food not a problem but my G n T will cost £6 x number of flights = cost of EOSB

A snowHead

Another reason to use the train between London & Edinburgh.

I'll miss the cooked breakfast on the early morning flights to Heathrow Sad

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Airlines have to have a certain number of cabin crew per aircraft (dependent upon pax nos.) so they might as well be doing something duting the flight, if selling food brings the ultimate price of flight down then so much to the good although I somehow doubt we (pax) will see the benefit of savings any time soon!

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One of the reasons BA will have done this is basically to hand off catering logistics to a 3rd party - being M&S. M&S will thus have all the hassles of handling cold chain, landside/airside movements etc etc and presumably will pay a healthy fee to BA to sell the stuff onboard for them.

& I have some sympathy for them in this - they don't want to coming out bottom of the list when flight consolidators list available options by price. There is some fundamental tension as to what it means for the BA brand - I don't know whether they really know how many people are flying economy for work because it is mandated but are happy to select a higher fare if it included the frills which make frequent travel tolerable rather than stuff which they will have to bear out of their own pocket.

Help!!

BA 'upgrading' meals on Shorthaul flights to Not Free

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