Bits: BA removes hot food on long short-haul routes, Virgin Atlantic launches Varadero

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• Alex says:

  9 Jun9 June 10:07

  Absolute product enhancement for the long short-haul flights! Especially after paying BA 300 GBP for a flight to Sofia when the alternative (Wizz) would have cost 100 GBP with the seat selection…

  Product enhancement in the same way that removing the flowers from the CW lavatories enhances the product by saving the masses allergic to nature the torture of being in the same tiny cramped (non-C-compared-to-QR) toilet with them.

  • Brian says:

    9 Jun9 June 11:06

    Well, there you are! As long as there are people daft enough to pay 300 pounds instead of 100 pounds for the same route, there is no need for BA to change…

    • The_Real_A says:

      9 Jun9 June 11:16

      My sentiment exactly!

    • harry says:

      9 Jun9 June 11:34

      Presumably the BA flight was CE with lounge access and superior food & drink offering?

      • Alex says:

        9 Jun9 June 11:38

        Nope… Y. Which is why I booked with Wizz 🙂

  • Bob says:

    9 Jun9 June 14:54

    There was a flower in CW toilet in A380 SIN-LHR a few weeks ago!

    • Rob says:

      9 Jun9 June 16:30

      Some Flyertalkers were planning to start bringing their own, perhaps it was that.

    • Alex says:

      9 Jun9 June 16:30

      Las left with the impression flowers were going away from both CW and First bathrooms…

      • Rob says:

        9 Jun9 June 17:09

        Went from CW ages ago – hence my surprise here – but removal from F is new.

• JamesWag says:

  9 Jun9 June 10:42

  BA’s continued race to the bottom.

• C77 says:

  9 Jun9 June 11:17

  You also forgot to mention BA will be return catering both outward and return sectors in London. Club as well as Traveller. So that lovely breakfast you’re presented with ATH-LHR on a hot and sunny August day will in fact have been prepared in London the day before and stayed on board the aircraft the night without being refrigerated. Bon Appetit one and all!

  • harry says:

    9 Jun9 June 11:39

    Of course it’s refrigerated

    • C77 says:

      9 Jun9 June 12:47

      And where are these fridges exactly? I’m not aware of any BA shorthaul aircraft having such a feature in their galleys. Yes some aircraft have a chiller compartment but this isn’t a fridge by any means, at least not for the amount of food required and it is also requires ground power to the aircraft in order to function

      • TimS says:

        9 Jun9 June 13:04

        Usually for overnight storage I believe the carts are offloaded and put into external coolers to preserve the food. No need for constant overnight GPU to the aircraft that way.

        From memory, I think the 767s could have up to 20 (full cart sized) chiller compartments across the various galleys, in addition to the numerous Atlas box storage spaces for non-perishable items. Therefore there is little chance of return-leg food perishing during a round trip to somewhere like Greece.

      • harry says:

        9 Jun9 June 13:09

        Rest assured, C77. You are not at all likely to get food poisoning. Some food can be stored at ambient temperature. Food which needs chilling is chilled and kept at a safe low temperature – we call this refrigeration.

        Your little story about a breakfast getting prepared in London then kept onboard unrefrigerated overnight until getting served the next day is just a fanciful dream.

        • C77 says:

          9 Jun9 June 14:17

          No need to get on the defensive harry, I’m just trying to establish where this “refrigeration” you keep banging on about comes from when BA galleys aren’t equipped the luxuries that you describe – at least on the Airbus fleet. Also how this low temperature is powered and maintained when the aircraft that is otherwise powered down on a nightstop/remote stand. Refrigeration requires a power source after all. Also if the catering is to be taken off and kept elsewhere overnight as someone else more helpfully suggested, surely this negates the whole purpose of getting rid of outstation catering suppliers? I am genuinely concerned that the service onboard the first inbound of the day will be sub standard in both Traveller and Club Europe cabins as food stuffs will need to be carefully chosen. Also kiss goodbye to ice in your drinks too as I doubt there will be any no matter how much it’s refridgerated, ice needs a freezer. I don’t know the answer then don’t feel obliged to respond. Just please don’t patronise further what is a genuine enquiry and service concern.

        • harry says:

          9 Jun9 June 14:28

          They’re (generally) not refrigerators with a coolant such as the one in your kitchen. They use chillers but the same heat exchange principles apply.

        • TimS says:

          9 Jun9 June 14:35

          A few years ago I had to cost up outstation catering (amongst many other things) at LCA & various Greek islands for a potential new operator.

          I can’t remember the figures but I concluded that it was far easier, cheaper & more reliable to cater for the round trip out of LGW than it was to use local caterers. External coolers (on-airport) were not an issue and were a far better proposition than using outstation caterers.

          In fact, we even costed up that in a lot of cases it was better to fuel up the aircraft in LGW for as much of the round trip as possible than to refuel at each airport due to the significantly higher prices charged at the Greek airports!

        • TimS says:

          9 Jun9 June 14:39

          Harry, whether it is a chiller or a refigerator, the food wouldn’t usually be left on-board overnight as it would require ground power to keep it running and that isn’t cheap, especially not in Greece/Cyprus, hence the use of external coolers to store the carts.

        • harry says:

          9 Jun9 June 20:14

          I’m sure you’re right, Tim.

          I wasn’t trying to be obtuse with that other poster – but the newspapers are not exactly full of stories (ie empirical facts) about people falling ill after eating airport food. I’m sure the food safety is as good as it gets in any first world food delivery system.

          I always preferred facts to fiction! (Apart from my deep love of European literature, of course lol)

          I might as well invent a story about fearing the wings will fall off because I’m not sure how they are held on – so it might be true.

        • harry says:

          9 Jun9 June 20:15

          AirPLANE food – damned iPhone lol

    • C77 says:

      10 Jun10 June 08:58

      I prefer fact to fiction too harry which is why I asked the question. I don’t expect things to be so just because common sense dictates.

      So I too have done a little research since your ‘obtuse’ response to my question yesterday and found out the actual situation. You do appear to be incorrect on this occasion which actually does bring me a certain amount enjoyment.

      The answer from BA is it appears are cool box linings to some of it’s service carts. The food while chilled and prepared for storage for the return journey indeed does stay on board unrefrigerated and without the need for power or dry ice. This is also what happens now to band 1,2 and 3 overnight services.

      Perhaps next time rather than to shout people down with unnecessary ‘fanciful dreams’ you’ll take on board everything that is being said/asked and not let common sense get in the way before providing a factual response.

  • TimS says:

    9 Jun9 June 12:36

    It will have been well refrigerated throughout. I’ve known LH round trips to Africa (not BA admittedly) be catered for in LON & remain onboard for the full rotation…and this included the catering for the flight crew.

• harry says:

  9 Jun9 June 12:12

  Nice picture of the new pastrami roll + sticky bun offering, courtesy CWS http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1540396-short-haul-catering-guide-71.html

• Frenske says:

  9 Jun9 June 14:01

  I don’t mind a cold meal, but don’t give a crap cold meal. That said it still a tad better than what SAS is offering which is nothing and when you pay it is still crap.

  Lately when flying for work I just buy a nice sandwich from PRET. I just declare the expenses (and get some extra airmiles from AmEx and Heathrow Reward).

• Genghis says:

  9 Jun9 June 14:04

  Very OT – I promised my wife a ‘relaxing’ holiday in Spring next year (not really my thing but happy wife happy life).

  I went to Bali in my youth (on a tight budget) and loved it. I’d like to go back and do things in a bit more style. Does anyone have any good hotel recommendations (paying cash or good value hotel points redemptions) on the beach and in Ubud?

  • AndyW says:

    9 Jun9 June 16:06

    If you just want to chill in Ubud take a look at the Chedi Club, stayed 5 days (probably about right as it is very quiet) before heading to the beach.

    • Genghis says:

      9 Jun9 June 18:13

      Cheers Andy – it looks great.

• Boi says:

  9 Jun9 June 14:49

  OT:
  1. What do virgin/Tesco check on cc conversion? My sister and I have same surname/address. Do people think this will go thru if I transfer her cc to my Virgin FC?

  2. Also, can one have 2 e-rewards accounts with same email address (I already have one going to avios but need one for virgin)? or what is the way around this? can I join with one email then change to the one that will match my FC?….I just want more ways of earning virgin FC as I am a little bit short on a redemption.

  Thanks in advance

  • mark2 says:

    9 Jun9 June 17:26

    I just created another email address (well several) for this purpose.
    You my, however, have problems with the 90 day rule for multiple redemptions if time is of the essence (even with different names, maybe try different Pcs).

  • Liz says:

    9 Jun9 June 18:05

    Virgin transfer from Tesco should be ok. I had two different erewards accounts with 2 different emails but they sussed it out somehow and suspended both accounts till I cancelled one! I stuck with the IHG one as it gave me more options to transfer eg. Avios, virgin, AA IHG Hilton

    • Boi says:

      9 Jun9 June 21:46

      Thanks both.

• Leonid says:

  9 Jun9 June 15:25

  Does anyone know if Moscow is classified as short-haul? They used to fly long-haul aircraft there so I wonder if hot food is also removed for this flight…

  • Genghis says:

    9 Jun9 June 15:48

    Experience from a friend recently back from DME was that only a wrap was provided in Y.

    • Danksy says:

      9 Jun9 June 16:50

      Out to LED we had a basic snack service, back from DME we had a better service, (wrap) … Not overly impressed seeing as we were stuck on the Tarmac for 2 hours due to a technical problem. I flew economy but on the way back the a321 was done out with amazing business class seating… 1 seat one side of the aisle, 2 the other like this http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/British_Airways/British_Airways_Airbus_A321_C.php

  • Rob says:

    9 Jun9 June 16:25

    Still long haul (good for tier points!) so it went to cold food a while ago.

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