[dutchyankee]

Simonlilly, I had wondered the same thing, and in a past exchange with Mark over the London City operation, he explained a friend of his got sacked at BA (a very senior position he says). Ever since then, every thread relating to BA from Mark is a tirade against them without any reason what-so-ever except being loyal to his friend and regurgitating the nonsence his friend has told him against BA/Walsh. Therefore, I tend to take any comment from Mark about BA with a massive grain of salt:or ignore it completely when it is so vehement or outlandish. That said, I tend to agree with Mark on his other topics outside of the BA arena.

[FaroFlyer]

Surely the issue here is reducing flight attendants by 1 per sector. No big deal if they don’t have to issue sandwiches etc. Why not do as SAS, and I think LH, used to do and have “free” sarnies available for pick up at the gate. One per PAX, naturally. Costs reduced and hungry customers happy, at a stroke.

[UpandAway]

Vintage Krug formally know as Krug (naughty naughty) to all those Flyertalk folk out there is a he. :-p

[Bunnahabhain]

It was a matter of time let’s face it, but it’s only recently that BA’s homepage had an advert that flights included free refreshments, in its compare us v Ryanair & easyJet campaign. The sandwich itself probably isn’t much to lose – remember when you got the full meal tray throughout the day, and they used to take pride in serving that on the shortest LHR-MAN sector. The meal was particularly welcome on evening flights where time to eat at the airport or in town was limited. But it’s the precedent of reducing the catering service which is the main concern – what next. As others have said, BA still has the ace which is free drink (alcohol prices on board other airlines are notably high) but is beginning to throw away some of its other high cards which still set it apart from BMI, if you consider it to still be a “full service” or “proper” airline.

As an aside, Flybe seems to get off well on the forum – I actually find it worse then easyJet for hidden cost culture – the £6 for seat selection (£15 for the good ones) is my particular hate, as well as no hot food no matter how costly – not much fun on the redeye.

[JordanD]

I know that BA can sell tickets and not provide food (as what happened after Gate Gourmet went on strike), however I want to know what recourse (if any) I have for the BA ticket I purchased a couple of weeks ago.

It’s a flight between EDI and LHR in the evening and one reason I plumped for it over the Easyjet flight was that for £2 more I’d get a meal. I’m guessing there’s nothing I can do and I’ll just have to lump it, but advice is welcome.

[RHMAngel]

…interesting the clause or wording that airlines think food is “free” – therefore theirs to give or not… as I understood it we choose “proper” carriers over the ‘budget airlines’ (who would charge for breathing & toilet use if they could) for this very reason…

So we raise, are BA going to reduce the ticket price ?! Obviously No, if they think the light meal/sandwich is “free” – are they going to raise the price of morning flights, because breakfast will be provided…

**got caught for £197 of excess luggage/golf clubs/other fees (with the baby)**

That’s precisely my pet loathing for never chosing ‘budget airlines’…next time dump the baby (just kidding)…

Its all in the small print ! (isn’t it always …)

[Travelforus]

They might as well have paid for food and drink in short-haul Y and have done with it. Free food and drink would then be a way to distinguish C class.

[NTarrant]

My wife and I flew with Air New Zealand on their domestic flight between Wellington and Christchurch earlier this month. Whilst there was not a bar service or hot drinks (only water) the food offering was a choice of either a bag of sweets or a bag of crisps/savoury. Now if BA were to offer a simular “snack” offering that would be good.

I had moaned about inconsistant meals on domestic flights depending on interpritation to time of day, at least now we all know where we stand. It is all very sad really but at least there is the option of a hot drink as well as the bar.

[MarcusUK]

Interesting debates n many views generated on this issue. Strong feelings out there.
Luggage allowance reductions, Long haul food service in premium classes from 2 to one meal, frequencies & aircraft types downgraded, No food in Europe in Y, reductions in crew numbers on board are next,…

For clarity, the friend of mine that had worked for BA for 12 yrs originally on the graduate Management program, tremendously loyal & then at a senior level in an Executive role, resigned from BA.
He discussed it with me over 12 months ago, with the list of these very events being brought in now, against his & his team’s advice, & firm belief to the customers of BA. he felt Walsh was about to destroy the very fabric on which BA’s hard built reputation was built. He fundamenatlly was opposed to it, cutting his teams back to 50%, destroying what they had built up. He felt very sad that these changes with BA, that are being brought into effect now, would destroy the Hard earned reputation of a great Carrier.
Time has proven, He was right, & the loyalty & business travellers are now feeling the impact.

You may well find with less food & service /work , that yr crew members are going to be reduced next!
(KLM did this 2 years ago, reducing crew on 737 services by 1.)

I am very well familiar with the global financial climate, & i fly to Australia on an array of different airlines several times a year .( I tend to use KLM in the EU, 40 flights a yr)
Being open & honest about this, means perhaps i am spoilt for great airlines in the Middle & Far East, like Etihad & Singapore, EK.
Long haul is a different game, the lounges aircraft, service of these of the strongest carriers EK included, are exceptional.
I also have a friend who is the SQ Coporate Manager for SQ in Sydney, for Australia. I listen to what he says & what’s in the pipeline. In turn they know many in the industry…

The Industry in Europe appears very different. LH, AF/KLM who have aquired many smaller airlines in recent years, are going to be the large multi national players.
They seem to be cleaning up Europe expanding swallowing up many others. VLM, Citijet, Alitalia, Czech, Swiss, SAS…
AF have ?? 60% of slots at LCY as a result?
So, my observations are based on their insight, & my own observations when i travel, & the great array of experiences on BT!

Equally, the low cost carriers increase their levies charges & fees, there often is NO difference between a low cost carrier to a full service carrier to Europe. In fact a last minute booking can be much cheaper with a Full service airline.

The point i am making, is that WE are squeezed in the middle now. Charges, taxes, the Government fees are all increasing. “Low-cost” are not anymore, & full service reducing what you, or yr Company pays for, yet their fares don’t get reduced so much. How many airlines reduced the fuel surcharges?

Perhaps this is the monumental struggle now, that the EU simply wont carry all these national carriers anymore. I understand BA along with other, must reduce costs, but there are better ways to do this, then affecting the customer’s experience. That might be the “No sandwich in the EU”, or being charged for the piece system to the US, missing yr 2nd meal service on an 8 hr flight, finding less crew members on board. It will & IS reflecting on you all already it appears.

However, these are what we see, feel & affects our comfort on Board, a small change fine, but not this catalogue that BA are bringing through. Isnt it self-destructive?
Would you agree for your employer to act in the same way?

Do we really need to have to argue for our luggage allowances, feel hungry on a short or long haul flight, see stressed staff teams being pushed more & feeling degraded by their Company image?

I know it is tough & it will get worse, but loyalty isn’t promoted by removing the necessary & enjoyable aspects of flying, especially when we pay £500 for an EU flight rather than £86, or £2500, rather than £300?
Isn’t removing your £1 sandwich, your £15 J class long haul meal just a tip of the iceberg?
(Or Maybe the iceberg was taken out the sandwich a while ago?!!!)
I would hold this view with ANY airline that chooses this strategy.

Or will you merely select an airline that decides to keep these fundamentals of your travel experience in tact?

[VintageKrug]

MarkRoberts wrote: “I am very well familiar with the global financial climate, & i fly to Australia on an array of different airlines several times a year .( I tend to use KLM in the EU, 40 flights a yr) Being open & honest about this, means perhaps i am spoilt for great airlines in the Middle & Far East, like Etihad & Singapore, EK”

Strange.

The above evidence suggests you never actually use British Airways.

Odd then that you feel so well informed about the airline’s operations and customer experience.

[JonathanCohen09]

Good morning VintageKrug,

I do not always agree with your postings but on this occassion I think you may well be spot on.

[FaroFlyer]

Vintage Krug, I also agree with you. The biggest critics of BA are, almost invariably, those who do not fly the airline. In today’s Times online there is a comment from someone who hasn’t flown BA for 20 years because of the “arrogant, presumptious behaviour”. I have a friend who still moans about BA not upgrading her in 1996 when travelling with her husband. He in J, she in Y.

[Henryp1]

Yes I would agree, if I have stopped using a carrier or other provider I rarely follow what goes on in the future, and barely bother to recall anecdotal experiences, let alone spend time making numerous observations or comments. I travel extensively on BA and some other carriers, and do appreciate BA and generally have good experiences. No food on short flights might be a bother, but not impossible to manage. I would rather a reduction in catering, than a more severe service cuts.

[Airpocket]

Just because one doesn’t fly a particular airline it doesn’t automoatically imply that one can’t form an optinion about the airline, from information gathered from other passengers and from the travel press (if you can call people who write about travel proper journalists!).I mean, most of us know about Aeroflot’s reputation, without actually needing or wanting to ever fly it!
One could argue that, in this case, BA’s reputation preceedes it.
By the way, does anyone know what the catering standards are on Aeroflot?:o)

[JonathanCohen09]

Hello Airpocket,

I can answer your question about catering standards on Aeroflot. I was flying from Prague to Moscow on a Czech Airlines ticket in business class. I had to change from the pm flight to the evening service but forgot that it was the codeshare flight operated by Aeroflot.

I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised. It was an A320 with proper 2×2 seating in C class. The food was excellent, a nice fresh salad with dressing, a choice of 3 hot main courses, a beef, a chicken and a fish. the crew brought out a tray with an example of each dish on it so that you could see what you were going to get before making your choice. there was then a choice of fresh fruit or chocolate mousse or both if you were really hungry. there were nice fresh rolls and plenty of offers of drinks then tea or coffee.

It was, to be honest, one of the nicest meals I have had on a 2hr 45 minute flight. the economy offering did not look too bad either as I asked to see it for comparison.

I must say, and I know i am repeating myself, it was a huge, but very pleasant surprise. I would not hesitate to try Aeroflot again if it was necessary.

Hope that is useful for you.

[Author]

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