British Airways ‘to sell M&S food on short-haul’

Following on from my story on Saturday that British Airways is training cabin crew to sell ‘buy on board’ food on short haul – but only after they sign a confidentiality agreement – the Daily Mail reported on Sunday that British Airways has signed a deal with Marks & Spencer to sell food onboard.

You can read the article here.

As I wrote on Saturday, this can hardly be worse than the current situation where a mini bag of crisps is considered to be a ‘snack’.

I would take the article with a pinch of salt (5p per sachet, probably) in some areas.  Whilst it may be true that “executives believe holidaymakers are increasingly prepared to pay for extras if ticket prices are lower”, it is also true that holidaymakers make up a minority of BA passengers and very definitely a minority of short-haul revenue.

And you will see that BA says: “Everything we do is with our customers in mind and we will make changes that reflect their feedback’ …….

In terms of implementation, it genuinely isn’t clear.  I have heard:

that Gatwick will get it first, but also that it will hit the entire fleet at once

that BA elite members will get their food and drink for free, but also that everyone will have to pay

that Club Europe meals will be scrapped in return for a free sandwich and drink, but also that Club Europe food will remain as it is

So, basically, there is no clarity.  Plenty of fun and games ahead I think.

---

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.