British Airways passengers will soon be able to pre-order meals online up to 30 days before their flight departs.
The service, which follows a trial (see news, August 7), will allow First, Club World (business) and World Traveller Plus (premium economy) travellers to guarantee their first choice main course from the on-board á la carte menu.
To book their meal, passengers need to use the "manage my booking" tool on ba.com at some point between 30 days and 24 hours before their flight departs.
The pre-order facility will initially be available from December 1, with booking starting on November 18, on flights from London Heathrow to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Rio de Janeiro, Vancouver, Dallas and Seattle. More routes will be added early next year.
The First and Club World menus will be updated monthly with passengers able to choose from three or four mains dishes, while the World Traveller Plus menus will be changed every three months with passengers able to select from two options.
Lynn McClelland, BA's head of catering, said: "We want to provide a really personalised service to our customers and we've been investing heavily in making that happen.
"Food choices are very personal, and our customers consistently tell us they want choice and control. This new option to pre-order meals offers this personalised service and gives control back to the customer.
"We have also given our cabin crew iPads that enable them to access information given to us by our customers about their preferences so they're able to deliver a more bespoke service."
In September, BA added a pulled pork sandwich to its inflight first class menu (see news, August 27); in June, it added a gourmet burger — called the Flying Burger — to its first class bistro menu (see news, May 29); and it earlier this year served traditional fish and chips on some short-haul flights (see news, April 14).
Graham Smith
