[esselle]

Actually just popped into the North Galleries lounge. A touch surprised to see the same food on offer, but wines marginally better than the F lounge.

Good to see BA remain consistently inconsistent.

[Binman62]

Wow, from bumped thread to 91 posts…. Really should try to get to 100 posts and perhaps 6 or 7 pages.

Alas I can’t comment on current state of lounges. My shiny bronze card arrived this morning. Typical BA marketing guff but nothing to even try to entice me back.

My next lounge visit will be courtesy of CX card or from blind dates. In the absence of redemption seats may be a while before I see inside of Concorde room again. Sounds like I won’t be missing anything!

[openfly]

The feedback from BT folks who have experienced the First lounge catering changes makes interesting reading. I hope that BA Managers are reading this. In a nutshell it is interesting that Esselle went to compare Galleries North with the changes at First and the lack of difference now between the two lounges. So much for being a Gold and being important to BA.

What I do find fascinating is the total silence from VK. He is chatting away on other threads, but he seems to be lost for words to support BA on the changes in the First lounge. I have been expected to be shot down for this thread but it hasn’t happened….time will tell!

[esselle]

I agree it is interesting that VK is pretty silent on this one.

We have been hearing a lot from him that we should soon start to see the positive impact of the plans being put in place by FvdP. After more than two years in post, the change in caterer in the lounges would have been an absolutely prime opportunity for BA to really make a statement of intent; raising the bar for the customer experience on the ground.

Instead, sadly, we appear to be seeing the cost cutters using that change as a prime opportunity to grind out yet more savings, and the agenda for improving the customer experience taking a back seat.

I would imagine, VK, that, having lost the argument, your man is busy putting his CV around.

[FormerlyDoS]

I’d expect more cost cutting, too, as BA is moving from a low capex base to a high one,with the new aircraft and will not be able to sweat written down assets, with skimped cabin maintenance and slow class updates to increase margins.

The perfect storm of high prices and ‘enhanced’ product is coming, IMHO

VKs silence is because there is no spin to justify this, even Comical Ali would have been pushed to sell it.

[esselle]

Hello Hong Kong Lady.

Apologies, I did not spot your comment earlier. It was not me who suggested the CCR should or could get a makeover, but perhaps it should be considered for one, as it is clearly getting on a bit.

Has anybody used the lounge recently? It would be interesting to hear if the catering there has suffered the same fate as elsewhere in the network.

[openfly]

Hi esselle….a friend passed through Gatwick First yesterday. He noticed that many of the small niceties on the buffet had been removed. He mentioned this to the staff who informed him that it was all part of the changes. The catering in the First lounge at LGW was very limited to start with! I am passing through next week, so will report back.

[JordanD]

Make of it what you will, but Pete Reed (Rower, Double Olympic Gold Medalist), posted this photo of his experience in the BA First Lounge this morning. Now, he’s not one to pull his punches (I’ve seen him chase BA on various things in the past on Twitter, so he’s no BA-apologist), but for my two pence, the breakfast looks good.

http://instagram.com/p/ZFSQBSkf_v/#

[esselle]

It certainly does not look bad, but then again it’s only some scrambled egg and beans on toast. Quite hard to mess up, and you would reasonably expect both to be available at breakfast.

If the bean counters ( sorry for the pun ) have gone for the cheap option, though, the beans won’t be very nice.

[Papillion53]

Good morning – nice to read your post HKLady.

I will be going through CCR soon, so will report back, but the DH will be through T5 next week, so he will have first account.

Thought the breakfast photo looked nice and well portioned.

Like TominScotland, I also know catering, and believe me getting scrambled eggs right is one of the hardest things to do! When I was hiring chefs, I always got them to cook two things – a medium rare steak and an omelette.

Oh and I find it quite (very) amusing that some of you moan when VK does post and now you are moaning that he isn’t! Can’t blooming win with some of you!

[HongKongLady]

Thanks Esselle, I haven’t been in the CCR for a little over a month but did notice that on a couple of occasions it was looking messy lots of tables that were not cleared for virtually the duration of my visit and there also seemed to be less staff who were also less efficient at remembering what was ordered. Really if you can’t remember one diet coke and two glasses of champagne please write it down. 🙂
Overall I like the lounges but there is no excuse for mess. I am interested to see the changes in the catering offerings, limited choice isn’t a problem if it is fresh and good.

[SCF]

Dear BA customers, I think you guys should be glad to have anything at all! We in South Africa have nothing remotely close to what is on offered at T5. The Cape Town BA lounge is pathetic – crammed and unstylish, without any international magazines or newspapers. No champagne! No cooked food. Limited number of wines and of course no spa! Be happy with what you get for free.

[Papillion53]

I just wanted to share this little story …. You don’t have to read it, it is a bit off topic.

Many years ago when I was just starting off in the hotel industry in a sales role around Scotland for a major hotel group, I happened to visit Walkers of Aberlour. While I was there in my meeting with one of the Walker directors he showed me a sample of the two-finger shortbread pack that they were trialling. I well remember him asking me to take some samples back to the buyers at HQ, and I did. He also asked me if I thought they would be a good idea to put in hotel rooms – Yes I said! More samples loaded into the back of Mrs P’s Austin Allegro (that will tell you how long ago it was!). I think a few didn’t make the journey 😉

So in some very small way I like to think that in taking those first Walker shortbread samples to HQ, I was instrumental in helping those delicious little packets of shortbread make their way onto hotel hospitality trays around the world and over the years into all sorts of places where a couple of wrapped biscuits were required. There was even a packet in our mini bar in the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney – $8 for an 8 finger pack!

Much as I enjoy Walkers shortbread and if you like shortbread, then you should try Deans shortbread – it is probably the best shortbread in the world. 🙂

They are so handy when you are travelling and it’s a shame they’ve taken them away, but I expect it was because so many were taking them away that they removed them.

After all, shouldn’t food in the lounge be eaten in the lounge? But I’m as guilty as the next for taking a couple of things “to go”!

[esselle]

Hello SangFung

I know the BA lounge in CPT pretty well, and agree it is rather sparse. But it is often the case that downroute lounges do not come close to the standard of home base offerings. I am happy to put up with the poor lounge there because it means I am travelling back from a stay in Hermanus!

Morning Papillion

With you on the scrambled egg, but cooked to order, as I suspect these were, is not so hard; it is when they lie on the buffet that things get tricky.

Congrats for bringing Walkers to the world of hospitality, hope they paid you commission! Sadly, the bikkies they have been replaced with will be unbranded bulk buy cash and carry staples, which means not very nice, but at lest they will be cheap……….

PS Which hotel group?

[HongKongLady]

A good morning to you too Papillion53
What a small world I was at the Shangri-la in February, quite a decent hotel although I was disappointed with the bar at the top, a touch grubby I thought ! The view from the club lounge is great.
On the biscuit problem am I to believe they are loose in jars ? If so not the most hygienic change, even if the provide tongs there is always someone who doesn’t use them and most definitely should.
I also hope the lovely lady in the arrivals lounge that organises my poached egg ( if I am not in the cc breakfast room ) is still there, she is lovely as are others in there. It would be a shame if a change of food had to mean a change of staff.

[Author]

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