[Anonymous]

[alexlondon]

I wrote on another post tonight that I was generally pleased with improvement to catering on BA Club Europe. I have since disembarked from a flight ATH-LHR (one of the longest BA segments) and understand that the savoury appetiser course has now been dropped – so there is to be no difference between the catering on most flights of 2 hours or more apart from an upgraded snack with the drink – a larger pack of pretzels or some cheese straws (although nicely packaged). I am really disappointed. I was disappointed when BA stopped serving starters about five years ago on these routes and replaced with canapes but, now, there is really so little distinction between flying Economy and Club. No menu either. I can’t understand how this makes business sense. I am one of the rare ones who keeps flying business in Europe – however much it doesn’t make sense. But it really is becoming impossible to justify it now with BA. What a shame! Even ignoring the ‘hard product,’ BA should look at the superior ‘soft’ product (ie food) offered on the longer European flights by Aegean, Turkish and others and recognise it is now totally un-competitive.
By the way, has everyone else noticed that the offer of a complimentary GQ, Economist or Esquire (or equivalent for the ladies) has also been withdrawn in Club Europe recently?

[esselle]

You are possibly noticing the service enhancements which have been made as a result of extensive customer research

[SimonS1]

Impressive. The next improvement in response to feedback will be to invite passengers to bring a packed lunch.

[esselle]

Lifejackets are to become optional, but we invite you to bring your own should you wish.

[SimonS1]

And may we ask the people in the exit rows to pop outside and check the engine latches are secure before taking their seats.

[openfly]

Tut tut gang! I am sure we are about to be told how positive these downgradings are, from one of the regular posters….

After all, they used to serve a choice of roast beef, rare or well-done, on BOAC!!

[AllOverTheGaff]

SimonS1 – 08/06/2013 07:55 GMT
And may we ask the people in the exit rows to pop outside and check the engine latches are secure before taking their seats.

And that is why we should all choose to fly with BA.

🙂
Rgds.
AOTG.

[craigwatson]

Give me BA over AF any day

[AnthonyDunn]

Hmm. Having enjoyed one of the most flavoursome cold salad lunches I have ever eaten whilst returning CE from CDG recently (shock, horror!), I wonder about this. As Snr Management and I are shortly to do a return CE trip to IST (assuming Erdogan hasn’t declared martial law because the populace are daring to oppose him), I will look forward to putting alex’s analysis to the test myself.

PS: CX’s lounge at CDG2 is well worth trying out.

[millionsofmiles]

BA – Better Avoid

One word engulfs it all about BA at the time being: CHEAP.

[goalie11]

On Alex’s point about Turkish, I did an EDI-AUH via IST yesterday in business and have to say their food offerings were far better than the recent ones I’ve had in CE. Not anywhere near as good as Etihad on the direct services from LHR or MAN but not a fair comparison on this point.

On both legs we were offered Turkish maze as an appetiser followed by three choices of hot mains, one being a veggie option. The chicken on the first leg was very good and the sea bass on the second was absolutely spot on.

Down side was that although staff very pleasant I thought they could have been a bit more attentive, particularly on the second leg, which was more night time, getting into AUH at 0145 this morning, where the crew like to hide in the galley under cover of darkness and do as little as possible.
.

[Henkel.Trocken]

I was on a sector from MUC-ADB a few weeks back lasting 2.5 hours. Service began not long after takeoff with drinks and nibbles and the menu was presented.

The starter was a beef tenderloin and asparagus salad, the choice of mains a red Thai chicken curry or steamed perch, an elderflower panna cotta and then coffee and chocolates. There was a reasonable choice of wines and fizz which was served from a large bottle, I can’t remember what it was but it was French and very good – not a drop of HT in sight 😉 I don’t think anyone either had to settle for a second choice of main. The curry was as good as anything I’ve had outside of Thailand.

The crew were excellent and the service very enjoyable.

On the return the service was similar though as it was afternoon one of the hot choices was a sweet apple dish, I can’t remember the name of it. I had an excellent omelette which interestingly had ham among other things in it and it had been loaded in ADB which surprised me.

For a sector of that length, I wonder how the service compares to CE, I suspect LH is far superior. Then again, they do have the NEK seats which are poor.

[openfly]

HT….on a recent BBC programme they said that “ham” outside the UK is a sliced meat that can be anything…beef, lamb, goat, camel, turkey, dog, cat……..good luck!

[Henkel.Trocken]

Openfly, you believe all you see on the BBC? How sad.

Somehow, I think that food specified by LH and delivered to the aircraft by LSG Skychefs will be what it says it is. Now if it was specified by a BA beancounter where the specification was ‘meat, borderline fit for human consumption’ I might have grounds for concern. However they would have offered afternoon tea on a similar flight rather than a three course hot meal so there wouldn’t be anything to compare it to.

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