[VintageKrug]

Sorry, but wrong again, Disgusted. VK enjoys the delights of UK Domestic fairly regularly….

In fact, contrary to the assertion above, BA is indeed differentiated from the LCCs, as is extensively set out here:

https://www.britishairways.com/travel/value-calculator/execclub/_gf/en_gb

If you have a Gold or Silver status, the removal of catering is a non-event as you simply enjoy a sarny in the lounge with a glass of champagne pre-flight. Yes, even on a Domestic flight.

[Binman62]

Whilst lounge food offering is generally good at LHR at least, it has been a while since I saw a sandwhich in galleries north. Nor have I seen champagne in that or any other domestic lounge.
I understand it can be requested but that particular service enhancement has not been widely advertised and there is no signage suggesting it can be done.
In late April on a Saturday between 3pm and 5.30 the hot food offering was great and lots of cereal but no curly edged sandwiches anywhere

[LPPSKrisflyer]

Agreed, if you have the luxury of the time to go to the lounge for long enough to eat a sandwich and drink champagne – assuming there are any left towards the end of the day. BA may claim to be differentiated from the LCCs but it’s difficult to get a fag paper between the shorthaul offerings. BA seem to want to rush towards the lowest common denominator with all speed. THe removal of catering was a significant event for those of us who are busy with high levels of committments. Lounges are fine for people who have time to waste in them.

Compare that to Qantas who did the same then realised the error of their ways and now they offer a consistently good product on short haul services including good food and wine – to differentiate themselves from the LCCs and interestingly Virgin in it’s new guise as Australia rather than Blue seem to be following suit at least where business travellers are concerned. Very few full service carriers who would like to claim to be leaders in the market offer the insulting level of service BA do – from the perspective of a gold card holder for 20+ years,

[VintageKrug]

Champagne is available on request in any BA Galleries or Terraces Lounge.

It is not a “service enhancement” and has been available as far back as I remember.

I rarely venture into the Galleries lounges at T5, but sandwiches are widely available in regional Domestic lounges, and most BA operated European lounges, around lunchtime and after 5pm.

And I’ll let you in on a little secret.

Due to a late change of plans, VK flew EuroTraveller (band 3 I think) last week. Front row, natch, so CE seats. Delicious prawn mayo sandwich, two runs of vodka cranberry and a nice cuppa as well.

Most satisfactory.

[esselle]

VK, reading your last post reminds me of a conversation i once had with an EC rep when i phoned to complain about the lack of english newspapers in their lounge in CDG 2B. I was in the position, having used it about twice a week for about two years, to know that there were never any, no matter what time of day or day of week. The EC agent on the phone was adamant that they were always available and that I must be mistaken!
I am affraid you are too; try getting a glass of champagne or a sandwich in the BA lounge at MAN………..

[VintageKrug]

Had both, at MAN, just three weeks ago.

[esselle]

Must be a fluke. I have an office in the airport and know the folk who run the lounge rather well.

[CallMeIshmael]

Esselle,
VK has his own little BA world experience, which is a mix of delusional, fiction and rose tinted glasses reserved for ex-employees and BA PR associates. It is not the world experienced by most business travellers.

[esselle]

CallmeIshmael
I agree. I have been in Gold with BA for over twenty years. Every service driven company has ups and downs when it relies on people to provide it. Objectively I would say that this element of the experience has been gently sliding for a while. Arguably that is a sad reflection of a more general trend. What gets me going is when they try and tell you that you are wrong. I saw a funny reply to a customer complaint recently, not BA i would add, but it ended with the “customer services” person apoligising for any incontinence caused………

[VintageKrug]

Though it’s getting rather tiring to have to repeat it (not least for the regulars who have to read it) I am in no way connected to BA, either as an ex-employee, “PR associate”, third party provider of any sort; never have been, never will and nor is anyone connected to me similarly affiliated.

So let’s be clear about the catering I experienced:

– sandwiches (quite tasty, too) available on longer shorthaul flights
– two bar runs, including spirits
– cuppa

[dutchyankee]

VK, you are showing your ignorance now!! Careful, as we all debate your actual reality, whether you actually travel or are simply a sad want-to-be that studies all that is BA, and have since become their mouth piece, or are simply a BA plant on this blog. Whatever the case may be, you are completely wrong that Champs is available in all Terraces lounges. As someone who only drinks champagne as opposed to hard liqour or other types of wine, I can assure you Champagne is not available in all lounges. Brussels, Amsterdam, Washington D.C., Miami, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, shall I go on. Or do you believe sparkiling wine of any sort (RSA, Napa, Cava, etc) is the equivalent of Champagne? If you do, then welcome to it, but to those of us that love champagne, the rest pale in comparison. Maybe a small point, but heavens, if anyone drones on about the most minor of issues to get their biased view across it is you.

[VintageKrug]

I was in Miami just over a month ago in the new-ish Premium Lounge (though it’s technically not a BA Terraces or Galleries lounge); Mumm Cordon Rouge was available and I enjoyed two glasses of the stuff; I obviously cannot comment on all the lounges as I don’t travel the whole network.

There may be some lounges where a more locally appropriate sparkling wine is on offer, but getting back to the point of the thread, BA offers lounges and a good quality of food and drinks selection in all its lounges including champagne.

I’m quite happy to concede that it may be sparkling wine in some lounges as I haven’t been to all of them. But proper champagne is available in many of them, and certainly most of the ones which I have visited in my extensive travels.

Significantly wider choice than is available in many other competing carriers, and not a patch on the LCCs.

[dutchyankee]

VK, I am in Florida every six weeks, through MIA more often then I care to remember, and I can assure you your experience of two glasses of Mumm is unique. Well done, probably a bottle left over from a staff party! Champagne is not Cava, Prosecco, South African or Napa Sparkling wine, and for some one who is so pedantic about correcting everyone on every minute point be it grammar or spelling for many of us where English is not our first or second language, you should be more careful with your pronouncements! Champagne is NOT available in all BA Terraces Lounges or other lounges. No one has compared the lounge offering to that of the LCC’s, just you to protect your benefactor! I am a life long BA fan, but I am more than willing to point out a failing in the system. Somehow I have a problem flying F or C from IAD, and there is no Champagne in the BA operated lounge. That is unacceptable, and I am sorry, not at all ‘locally appropriate.’ Incredible how you want to ‘get back to the point’ when you are caught out in an error. Just as an FYI, the orginal thread had to do with dismal service received in WT+, not at all about lounges. That’s you and your BA PR machine, even if you did get it wrong!

[InfiniteFlyer]

Thank you dutchyankee – the original issue is indeed about poor *in-flight* service EWR-LHR on a 767.

I reviewed the flight as well. As I said in the review, I used the First lounge, and it was nice. (I had some fizzy wine, but I didn’t check the label – it was good whatever it was!)

Incidentally, after the advice of NTarrant, I did get in contact with BA customer relations again – but this time via the BA EC Gold phone line.

I had quite a long conversation with a pleasant, helpful woman who apologised, said that I’d been sent an unaltered template (confirming edi-traveller’s post, BTW), and that she’d send me a better reply. I’ve also asked if I can participate in a focus group. We’ll see about that.

(I also asked about MFU on TA bookings. She told me some stuff about “incompatible systems” – which I could half buy, knowing that TAs use at least 3 different booking systems. *Except* for the fact that VA & AA let you do it, and I presume that they use the same population of TAs. Still, allowing for that chucklesome nonsense, which I’m sure she was fed, she was trying to be nice at least).

So thanks again – lots of interesting ideas, although sadly the only 2 carriers I can take non-stop NAP-LGW-NAP all year round are U2 & BA – yes, AZ has *no* direct flights from LGW.

I’m not quite so grateful for the comments about how some people are happy that sandwiches have been removed from ET (which they haven’t on all routes – in fact, it seems a bit random whether you get them or not: it’s not just duration-based), nor whether you can have a sarnie and a glass of champagne in the lounge first. My problem was poor hot food, poor drinks, and abysmal breakfast on a trans-Atlantic flight.

Even allowing for deep pockets and tolerant lounge staff, you’re unlikely to be able to take enough from the lounge with you to sustain you for two meals.

Still, it’s an open forum, and freedom of expression is perfectly within the rules 🙂

If anything positive does actually come of my phone call to customer relations today, I’ll post it. (And the same if it all goes south again).

[stevescoots]

Rule 212 of the internet, absolutly every Topic on a forum will drift of subject before the 20th post!

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