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Is British Airways disguising food and drink cost cuts as health measures? Let’s compare.

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We have given British Airways a fairly easy ride over its in-flight service standards in recent weeks.  There were a number of reasons for this:

the very fact that BA is running any long haul passenger services is a good result compared to many other airlines

we haven’t been flying ourselves and we try to minimise articles based on third party feedback

other airlines hadn’t settled down into routines of their own

the only people flying long-haul are those who had to travel, and food would not have been top of their priority list

However, I think we’re now past the inflection point in terms of travel demand.  This means that it is time to ask whether British Airways is just disguising cost cutting in the name of ‘health’.

EDIT: Since this article was published, British Airways has announced improved temporary coronavirus catering – see here.

If you fly British Airways Club World or First Class at present, this is what you will get to eat and drink:

British Airways food and drink during coronavirus

A bottle of Harrogate spring water, plus ….

British Airways food and drink during coronavirus

…. a cold sandwich (not as attractive as this one), plus ….

British Airways food and drink during coronavirus

…. lovingly served in a plastic bag which is hooked on the back of your seat waiting for you when you board.

To be fair, there are stories of reheated pizza slices in a cardboard box on flights over 10 hours, so you MIGHT get something warm.  The images I’ve seen are not pretty though.

Don’t get too excited by the four-finger Kit Kat.  A reader sent me a photo from his First Class flight from Los Angeles last week and he only received two fingers, which seems appropriate in some ways.  He did get the congealed reheated pizza slice as well though.

If you think this is normal in the current climate, think again.

Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways are serving their standard onboard food.  Qatar Airways and Etihad have, admittedly, moved to a ‘single tray’ service but the product itself is unchanged.  What about the European airlines though?

Lufthansa first class food and drink during coronavirus

What is Lufthansa currently offering onboard?

If you think that the Middle Eastern airlines are not a fair comparison for some reason, let’s look at Lufthansa.

Here are Lufthansa’s revised service standards in Business and First Class for flights until the end of August.

Short haul Lufthansa business class:

Standard service, including special meals

(In case you’re wondering, British Airways currently offers Club Europe passengers a bottle of water and a small packet of shortbread.  What is amusing is that the shortbread is BA’s idea of ‘luxury’ to justify the extra £200 or so on the ticket price.  Passengers in Euro Traveller only receive a pack of pretzels with their bottle of water.  There are occasional sightings of bags of crisps and biscuits.)

Long haul Lufthansa business class:

Standard service, except that there are no regionally themed menus depending on route

Paper menus continue to be available, and there is a choice of three main courses including the hot options

Long haul Lufthansa First Class:

Standard service – the same menu as usual BUT the caviar trolley no longer rolls down the aisle (here is a photo of mine from 2017, the photo above is my dessert from 2017):

Lufthansa first class food and drink during coronavirus

and

Lufthansa first class food and drink during coronavirus

It is worth noting that Virgin Atlantic WILL be serving hot meals in both Economy and Upper Class when it restarts passenger flights next month.

However, if you do need to travel long-haul First Class over the next 2-3 months, remember that you DO have a choice.  There is either the Lufthansa caviar selection and full standard menu (and standard beverage service) or your British Airways plastic bag with a sandwich, Kit Kat, bottle of water and no alcohol.  Think carefully …..

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Category

British Airways and Avios, Lufthansa and Miles & More

Comments (183)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • James Schmidt says:
    10 Jun10 June 08:14

    Do you not see the irony in your comment?

    • Doug M says:
      10 Jun10 June 09:17

      I’m not an airline economist, but I find it hard to believe with all the costs associated with running an airline, the on board meals are a significant part of them.

      • Rob says:
        10 Jun10 June 09:21

        The average cost of a business class meal is well under £10. Obviously there are handling / cleaning / stocking costs etc too but in the context of a four-figure ticket price it is peanuts.

      • AJA says:
        10 Jun10 June 09:38

        Rob is correct. And when you consider that it is remarkable that the food standard in First is as good as it is.

        That cost to BA is why BA doesn’t give a refund for its reduced catering on board. I think it’s wrong, it would cost BA very little to give 10,000 Avios to each 1st Class and Business Class passenger in compensation as the goodwill would outweigh the anger. But BA doesn’t even want to do that.

        • Rob says:
          10 Jun10 June 09:47

          When BA was putting in the new First seat a few years ago (which is the same size as the old blue First seat) they were giving 50,000 Avios compensation to people who got the old seat (same as the new seat, remember!). Cabin crew authorised it on the iPad during the flight if you asked.

          I did a Vegas one-way in F which I knew would be on the old seat. Got my 50k after a quick ‘thought I’d be getting the new seat’ comment to the CSD AND he brought me three bottles of champagne too, one each from the three they had in F including a Grand Siecle ….

  • David says:
    10 Jun10 June 08:50

    This looks like an opportunity to break free of The BA loyalty programme. The combination of lack of extension of status and degradation of service standards offers the ideal opportunity to move loyalty to Virgin, Lufthansa or a Middle East airline.

    • ChrisBCN says:
      10 Jun10 June 09:03

      It is, but you won’t, will you?

    • Dezbez says:
      10 Jun10 June 09:30

      Yes, I’ve also been toying with switching allegiances. It’s more through lack of real understanding of any of the other programmes (apart from VS) that I haven’t.

      Appreciate this is primarily down to personal circumstances and preference, but if I were to start with one of the alternatives, mainly heading East now rather than US, which is recommended- interested in ease of collecting and spending points, route options, quality of product, etc. Would it be Emirates?

      • Doug M says:
        10 Jun10 June 09:36

        I’m not an expert, but a brief reading of other schemes usually leaves me thinking BAEC is the best for me by some margin. I tend to head west so you may find something better. Too many other schemes link more directly to revenue, which is bad for me, as a TP optimised route planner, looking for cheap fares. The RFS scheme that BAEC operate is also a real winner, several times I’ve had great results getting tickets very cheaply when cash fares were crazy.

        • Paul says:
          10 Jun10 June 10:03

          It is because there is no competition! If you are UK based and travel to Europe then there is only one real game in town, The trick with BAEC, as with any loyalty scheme is to play the system. Which is precisely why this site exists.

          I stopped flying paid premium long haul on BA 4-5 years ago yet till May 30th held a gold card. I did this via AA (yes I know there is a cartel ) and QR CX with a return to GLA and return to DUS making the 4 metal sectors.

          I just find BA truly desperate to deal with and any sort of disruption or unusual request becomes a catastrophe and highly stressful circumstance.

          Two years ago in a moment of madness that my wife still hasnt forgiven me for I booked a flexible ticket with BA for a complex route. An accident meant it had to change but I had £1,350 extorted from me to fly because their staff (Your First, UK Reservation, India Call Centre, T5 Ticket desk) had no clue what they were doing. It took 8 weeks and a letter to Cruz to get a refund with no apology and even less good grace.

          Run forward 12 months and a similar situation with Turkish Airlines at IST airport. Dedicated ticketing area, tea and coffee provided and 30 minutes later, on a complex ticket, all fixed by a single agent who never had to call or ask anyone for help. The fare rules were identical to BA’s.

          They are rubbish at almost every level and if they can extract a penny from you they will take a pound. Just avoid them

          • Andrew says:
            10 Jun10 June 10:13

            A agree Paul, I’m gold and never fly BA long-haul, I book QR and CX, collect my TP and Avois, top up with a couple of UK work-paid flights to get my 4 sectors. I then use my Avios to book QR or CX and pay far lower taxes than if I used them on BA, and if I need to go to Europe either for a holiday or to start/end an ex-EU QR bargain fare, then I’ll use RFS which I find an excellent use of Avios. So I do play BA at their own game, and thanks to sites like this, but it feels like that game has run out now, fun while it lasted but I can’t be bothered anymore.

        • Chrisasaurus says:
          10 Jun10 June 16:59

          On the flip side I’m forced to book Y so rev based works alright for me and happy as Larry on AA or was, back when there were planes

      • Mawalt says:
        10 Jun10 June 12:04

        I asked the same question yesterday and Rhys suggested Lufthansa. I am not sure it’s “good enough”. I put up with BA’s substandard CW because of direct flights and decent availability (plus 2-4-1). My wife made Gold under reduced threshold requirements yesterday but looks like I will miss out on silver renewal (Jan) unless air travel picks up soon.

        Why anyone would fly a premium cabin with BA at the moment with their “disgusting” menu is beyond me. Plus they are a dry airline at the moment!

      • Mawalt says:
        10 Jun10 June 12:16

        I think the problem is BA’s routes are more direct and more convenient if you live in London, so it’s a trade off against a sub-standard product. What programme do you use?

        • Mawalt says:
          10 Jun10 June 15:48

          I thought Aegean went downhill after the “easy” way to a silver card was removed and more emphasis placed on A3 segments?

          You are very right about amenity kits – would go massively in terms of customer confidence and wholesale will cost less than 50p!

          PS Was good to meet you at the HFP party – seems like a whole world away!

    • J says:
      10 Jun10 June 11:08

      Well yes you’ll probably be happiest if you forget loyalty and points, and just book the best flight and the best hotel for your needs. Since I gave up on Avios, I’ve started doing that with flights – but I still end up flying BA most of the time so it doesn’t really work. Hotels.com is a good way to wean off hotel programmes – I’ve wasted too much energy in the past staying in an out of the way Marriott for the sake of some points.

    • Doug M says:
      10 Jun10 June 11:20

      But in the big picture BA is (almost) always the best and cheapest. Flying west I can use BA/AA/AY as I choose, and earn Avios which means I haven’t paid for a European flight (other than the necessity of a couple of TP required ones) in several years, and I’ve been able to gift flights to friends and family too. I choose my flights carefully, and wouldn’t for example fly direct to Tampa or Orlando (or indeed Vegas) on those crappie old services when I can fly to Miami on a much nicer service. The point of a decent loyalty program is to hook you in, and BAEC is a decent program, and the rewards mean it’s very worthwhile for me. As lock down was commencing in Spain I was helping a friend’s son get home, instead of the £600 economy fare he came home in Business for a few £ in fees and and some Avios I hardly care about. If my long haul flying switched around between whoever was cheapest at face value, I’d have small amounts of points in several schemes, and need endless research to know what I could and couldn’t do with each bunch of them.
      I do fly other airlines occasionally to test them out, if things work out I’ll fly Delta One to the US in October, I’ve previously flown Virgin UC, but am definitely no fan of the old UC seat and layout. At some point I’d like to try United’s Polaris. But the bulk of my flights will remain on OW so long as the BAEC works for me.

      • J says:
        10 Jun10 June 14:20

        Yes exactly that – but it’s easy to take a worse flight, stay at an inconvenient hotel etc chasing points.

      • Doug M says:
        10 Jun10 June 15:34

        The concept of loyalty to a corporation is very odd. The point I was trying to make is that headline price is only one part of the decision, if I earn 30K Avios that’s a decent Euro flight or two. I could price everything against the very cheapest option, and then say an average Ryanair return in Europe is £100, so factor a couple of those against the Avios. I could attempt to cost the value of the lounge, or seat selection, but it all becomes too complex and too full of vague assumption. I know that BA gold works for me, upstairs on the 747 is great, getting the bulkhead seats with easy in/out, great, I like BAEC. I genuinely read some of the comments here and wonder if I’m really lucky, and BA is generally as bad as some paint it. Perhaps it’s just what is important to me means I get less opportunity to be unhappy. I value the seat, and the comfort of the flight, I don’t get excited by this or that wine, or many of the other things people concern themselves with.

  • Geoff N says:
    10 Jun10 June 08:54

    flew EDI-LHR last week “Club Europe” – truly pathetic. Not that BA has much goodwill left with its customers, it continually demonstrates a desire to race to the bottom and exploit any opportunity or excuse to save money without any apparent concern for its regular if increasingly less loyal customers.

  • Louise K says:
    10 Jun10 June 09:13

    Pre-Covid I thought the catering in Club Europe was a massive step in the right direction. Even on the LHR-MAN flight on 21st March still had the full bar and meal served. I fear it will never return.

    • Mawalt says:
      10 Jun10 June 12:09

      I flew LHR-AMS and back in CE in the beginning of March (my last flight pre-lockdown) and I wouldn’t describe food as particularly great. Don’t get me wrong – better than a sandwich. But no hot food is served so it reminds me of Eurostar catering, except of course, for the booze. But then the flight is so short I barely managed to drink 2 mini-bottles of their mediocre champagne.

  • Andrew says:
    10 Jun10 June 09:26

    It’s also a bit annoying that most airlines are now limiting hand baggage to just one personal item bag (laptop/handbag) and no larger cabin baggage. I wonder if this too will be an excuse to start making people who book the cheap HBO fares to pay for baggage unless it’s an actual day business trip etc.

    • Jody says:
      10 Jun10 June 11:12

      This will be hugely problematic for me if that’s the case, and I hope they make allowances for medical equipment. I have medical supplies that I always carry in my hand luggage, as I simply can’t risk them going in the hold and being lost.

  • Doc says:
    10 Jun10 June 09:31

    Till we vote with my money by moving away, BA will continue to do this kind of “enhancements” to the service. After our March debacle with trying to get back from Mexico and their indifference to extending status (Both myself and my wife will be dropping from Gold last year to Bronze next year since unlikely to get silver this year), decided maybe it is time to move my custom.
    So for the first time, have booked Lufthansa First for our trip Dec/ Jan and see what the difference in service is and not living in London also makes it easier for us with all the other options. Still trying to get my head around Star Alliance status level though!!!

    • Andrew says:
      10 Jun10 June 10:00

      You won’t drop from gold to bronze, you will drop to silver with BA’s ‘soft-landing’ practice. There is a chance they will discontinue this practice if they really do want to get rid of status members, but probably unlikely. Note that it is a practice and not a policy as it is not stated anywhere in terms and conditions so they are not bound to it.

      • Doc says:
        10 Jun10 June 10:11

        Sorry Andrew, should have made it clear. Dropped from Gold to Silver already. Unlikely to retain silver or attain gold this year due to flight restrictions and so will most likely drop to Bronze early next year. I would have expected at least a year extension of our silver but so far, the answer is no.

    • Doc says:
      10 Jun10 June 16:52

      Thanks Lady London. Looked at wheretcredit and still confused. Aegean looks good but unlikely to get 4 flights with them soon to get A* gold. Turkish looks ok and with their potential discounted rates doable. Asiana is has also potential but need to start looking at the details properly. Will keep looking.

  • leeiam says:
    10 Jun10 June 09:51

    I flew Delta One in mid-May at the height of pandemic, ATL – AMS. Good service including pre-take off drinks and choice of main courses (and a very nice tomato soup for starter), served on one tray. The crew were happy to serve drinks throughout, and a continental breakfast was served before arriving into AMS. No excuse for BA…

    • ChrisBCN says:
      10 Jun10 June 12:54

      I’m a plus one for Delta One transatlantic nowadays too, always seems a nicer experience than BA, and not squeezed into the short Virgin Atlantic seat.

  • CV3V says:
    10 Jun10 June 09:57

    Greggs doing the catering would be a great idea (they do healthy options too), if they could offer those Belgian buns and a coffee on a flight i would be so happy. #itsthesmallthingsinlife

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