BA meal service in CW

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Viewing 12 posts - 31 through 42 (of 42 total)

  • seasonedtraveller
    Participant

    [quote quote=820883]What is a Bimbap?

    [/quote]

    Ah yes, sorry about my poor spelling – it’s actually Bimibap – see below

    Bibimbap (Korean Mixed Rice with Meat and Assorted Vegetables)


    icenspice
    Participant

    Thanks FDOS and ST.

    Nothing to do with your spelling, ST. Even though I have been there, I had never heard of this dish. Looks delicious, especially with the fried egg on top!


    K1ngston
    Participant

    So I also agree with seasoned traveller, I pays my money I have the choice to complain, moan, berate who I like, this is what this forum is all about.

    I do not use BA much these days I was BAEG for many years when living in Europe and then the Caribbean where I could use OW partners but now in Asia I use many airlines to satisfy my travel requirements, I fly about 140 or more sectors a year for my start up business.

    On the odd occasion I do, for cheap flights back to the the UK for business (my budget my rules) you can tell how far the service and “wow” has disappeared over time and maybe when you dont have to put up with them often do you realise how far they have gone downhill

    The point is, if I want to make the point I will, if you dont like it, then please go elsewhere or dont read the specific posts …


    paulkaz
    Participant

    Korean Air’s first class bimibap just fits on the 747-8 table.

    image


    JonathanCohen09
    Participant

    So then my apologies to those I appear to have upset, it is never my intention to deliberately do so on this forum.

    I totally agree with the points that FDOS and Seasonedtraveller make that not everyone has a choice of who they travel with or where they stay which is what I should have thought about before making my original post.

    Then let me ask you all a question. Due to corporate deals many posters liked Seasonedtraveller really do not have a choice and I am sorry that I appear to have taken that for granted so my question is do you believe that if you and your colleagues were to tell your corporate travel office that you were continually dissatisfied with the service provided by any travel partner that they would seek to get things improved or use a different supplier? Would you be able to get a policy changed if there was enough negative feedback?

    I ask the question not out of naivety but genuine interest as to whether or not individuals by choosing to give detailed feedback about poor service could persuade a corporate travel manager to intervene?

    If the answers is yes then perhaps if enough corporate clients decided to stop using a particular carrier or hotel chain unless they see an improvement in service or cost that particular organisation might sit up and take notice.

    I make this post deliberately supplier neutral as it could apply to any supplier whose customers may not be happy with them.

    I am now lucky enough to be able to decide how to use my travel budget and so do have choice but about 18 months ago I was on assignment with a large corporate client who had a preference to use a certain airline, I asked that if I could show them that my choice of carrier for short haul flights and I could save them a considerable amount of money over the six months I was there could I get their travel office to book it for me. They said yes and over the first 3 months I saved them more than £8000. After that I was allowed to book my carrier of choice as long as it was cheaper that the carrier they had a corporate deal with and by the end of the 6 months they saw sufficient savings from my travel for them to change their policy and allow any traveller to book with their airline of choice as long as it was comparable flights at comparable times. The net result was that overall they started to save more that way than from the corporate deal that they had.

    I realise, learning from my previous post, that this option still may not work or be acceptable to some firms or indeed some of the posters on the forum but I would like to broaden the discussion to hear whether or not some of you feel that if indeed enough corporate clients made the right noises could that make the suppliers effect some change?

    Seasonedtraveller, my apologies for not being more sensible in my last post and allowing for the situation that you and others find themselves in. I am really curious to know if you believe that there is any way that you could influence, with your feedback, your organisations choice of travel partners?


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    If I go to a restaurant and I am told the service will be slow as they are short staffed, my answer is to politely suggest they get more staff. Yes I could walk away, but if the food is good and I am a regular of course I will want to go back.

    Why is BA short staffed and not able to provide a full compliment of crew? I know a flight has a minimum number of operating crew & there is no question of BA flying below that number – but is it simply a recruitment issue or a cost cutting ‘benefit’…. requested by passengers?????? :))


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=821010]If I go to a restaurant and I am told the service will be slow as they are short staffed, my answer is to politely suggest they get more staff. Yes I could walk away, but if the food is good and I am a regular of course I will want to go back.

    Why is BA short staffed and not able to provide a full compliment of crew? I know a flight has a minimum number of operating crew & there is no question of BA flying below that number – but is it simply a recruitment issue or a cost cutting ‘benefit’…. requested by passengers?????? :))

    [/quote]

    Mike (Miffed)
    Fox (Fleet)

    Sierra
    Tango
    Romeo
    India
    Kilo
    Echo


    seasonedtraveller
    Participant

    [quote quote=821007]So then my apologies to those I appear to have upset, it is never my intention to deliberately do so on this forum.

    I totally agree with the points that FDOS and Seasonedtraveller make that not everyone has a choice of who they travel with or where they stay which is what I should have thought about before making my original post.

    Then let me ask you all a question. Due to corporate deals many posters liked Seasonedtraveller really do not have a choice and I am sorry that I appear to have taken that for granted so my question is do you believe that if you and your colleagues were to tell your corporate travel office that you were continually dissatisfied with the service provided by any travel partner that they would seek to get things improved or use a different supplier? Would you be able to get a policy changed if there was enough negative feedback?

    I ask the question not out of naivety but genuine interest as to whether or not individuals by choosing to give detailed feedback about poor service could persuade a corporate travel manager to intervene?

    If the answers is yes then perhaps if enough corporate clients decided to stop using a particular carrier or hotel chain unless they see an improvement in service or cost that particular organisation might sit up and take notice.

    I make this post deliberately supplier neutral as it could apply to any supplier whose customers may not be happy with them.

    I am now lucky enough to be able to decide how to use my travel budget and so do have choice but about 18 months ago I was on assignment with a large corporate client who had a preference to use a certain airline, I asked that if I could show them that my choice of carrier for short haul flights and I could save them a considerable amount of money over the six months I was there could I get their travel office to book it for me. They said yes and over the first 3 months I saved them more than £8000. After that I was allowed to book my carrier of choice as long as it was cheaper that the carrier they had a corporate deal with and by the end of the 6 months they saw sufficient savings from my travel for them to change their policy and allow any traveller to book with their airline of choice as long as it was comparable flights at comparable times. The net result was that overall they started to save more that way than from the corporate deal that they had.

    I realise, learning from my previous post, that this option still may not work or be acceptable to some firms or indeed some of the posters on the forum but I would like to broaden the discussion to hear whether or not some of you feel that if indeed enough corporate clients made the right noises could that make the suppliers effect some change?

    Seasonedtraveller, my apologies for not being more sensible in my last post and allowing for the situation that you and others find themselves in. I am really curious to know if you believe that there is any way that you could influence, with your feedback, your organisations choice of travel partners?

    [/quote]

    Firstly, allow me to sincerely thank you for your most thoughtful response – it’s genuinely appreciated.

    I think the biggest issue, to try and answer your question, is that I am the only UK based person who travels long haul at all.
    Kind of the ‘lone wolf’ – my single voice would be lost within the complex structure of a €14BN company 🙂

    The biggest majority of our long haul travellers are based in Scandanavia and use SAS and KLM almost exclusively – most are fine with it.
    Our company has some kind of a business ‘deal’ with SAS and I will often use SAS if I am going to, for example, Shanghai (MAN to CPH & onto PVG).

    The other issue is that I really want to fly from Leeds and in reality, that’s BA. Plus there’s the TMS – try to choose a ‘non logical’ option and the computer really does say “NO”.

    Off to Scandinavia in the morning…………with BA (Sun Air) – happy days 😉


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    @FDOS – so a strike enables the airline to reduce its costs by removing staff it would otherwise use to provide it’s service….

    If this is the way BA operates, it is understandable why there is no real urgency to solve the problem..

    Profits up by micro managing staff through strike action….


    alainboy56
    Participant

    Having been quite vociferous in my criticisms of BA and especially the “race to the bottom” service in Europe, I must now say that one must swallow ones pride and give praise where praise is due. Following the problems with Qatar down here in the Gulf, I was forced to make a switch from my favoured QR, and in wanting to earn miles chose (oh my God emoticon face) ….. wait for it …. BA.
    However,, I had a midday flight from DXB to LHR in P/E, comfortable if small lounge and very close to the smoking room (that was bigger and more luxurious than some Biz lounges Ive been in), boarding uncomplicated, P/E (on this B772) was very acceptable and the service was, I have to say, very good. My stewardess, a Manchester lass (she would be proud to read this as she was no teenager) and I, struck up a rapport and I was very happy with her, the service and this product. Always a bit of negativity though with BA, we waited with engines running, for a full 25mins on a taxiway near T5 for a stand on arrival – and this, at the home of BA!!!! This is unacceptable.
    The return was a B787-9 to AUH in CW. Service was a bit slow, and they apologised for this, stating it was due to a shortage of crew (mentioned elsewhere on this forum), but hey ho! No hurry on a 7hr trip, it was ok in the end. This time however the CW cabin was full and the one girl who seemed to be on duty was a little bit rushed off her feet. I also found it annoying (does anyone else have any views on these new CW seats which are contra-facing – I had a rear-facing one)? Whenever the hostess wanted to ask/give me something, she just lowered the central divider, which is rather irksome, as one second you are in secluded privacy, the next you are facing your neighbour and open to the world. I do not like this, its disturbing, its annoying and unprofessional. At least the hostess could have appeared through the access doorway to catch my attention, like on QR. BA really must learn to be a little more professional in CW with these seating arrangements and this divider between ‘pods’. I also found the seats a little short on width too,the whole ‘booth’ seems a little cramped, so I was not really so impressed with new ‘seat’ in CW. Food service was good with 2 or 3 options, one fish, one vegetarian and lastly a steak, a real steak.

    Anyway, as I said earlier, it was not so bad to fly on (according to Skytrax) a 3rd rate airline, or was that a 3* airline. Anyway BA at least on long haul has not completely lost it. In between these two aforementioned flights, I did a LHR-HEL_LHR (BA outbound and AY inbound) and the less said about these services, the better, absolutely basic – awful, full, no legroom, no service — On both sectors, I just tried to sleep, to pass the time
    Nothing but a seat, for 400 nicker! —— Daylight robbery, as my dear old late mum used to say!


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    Alainboy56

    The ‘new’ CW seat dates back to 2006 – 11 years old 🙂

    Also, don’t criticise the crew memeber for serving you through the divider, that is the BA mandated approach.


    alainboy56
    Participant

    FDOS_UK – ahh! that shows how long it is since I flew CW long haul, I thought as the B787-9 was quite new this was a ‘new’ CW seat.
    I did direct my criticism at BA as being unprofessional and they should learn from QR – I was not blaming the ‘poor’ crew member.

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