Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

British Airways drops M&S for short-haul economy food – Greggs to take over?

Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission.  See here for all partner links.

British Airways has announced, via The Sun, that it has terminated its contract with Marks & Spencer to provide ‘buy on board’ food for short-haul economy passengers.

In a short statement, BA said:

“We’re off on a new flight path.“

“We look forward to announcing our exciting new buy-on-board proposition with a great British brand that customers have told us they love.”

This is believed to be either Greggs or Waitrose, with The Sun reporting that both companies have submitted proposals.

There could be a link with Avios dropping Tesco, with Waitrose potentially getting the on-board contract and becoming the Avios supermarket partner. This also makes it less likely that M&S/Ocado will get the Avios deal.

British Airways and Marks and Spencers food

But M&S doesn’t really provide BA catering …..

It is a common misconception that M&S actually ‘provides’ the food in short-haul economy. In truth, Tourvest – the supplier – buys a small number of M&S items and adds them to its existing range of products. If you count down the menu, the percentage which is branded M&S product is relatively small.

Whilst introducing buy on board was controversial when introduced, in truth it was a mercy killing for the existing offering. BA had actually fallen behind other airlines – on BA, you would get a drink and a small bag of pretzels. There was no other alternative even if you were hungry. Other carriers, whilst charging, did at least have a full offering.

Unfortunately, BA screwed it up. In various trips with Vueling, easyJet and Ryanair over the past couple of years, it has been clear that all have a far broader range – with better availability – than British Airways. Simply swapping an M&S sandwich for a Waitrose one, both of which are likely to come from the same factory anyway, won’t change that.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

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:

Barclaycard Avios Plus card

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios card

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

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.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

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.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review

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.

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

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.

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

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

Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (187)

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

  • Andrew says:
    26 Oct26 October 10:44

    Oh, that would be good on a domestic flight. Heading to GLA or EDI on a Friday night and being offered a Gregg’s Haggis or Macaroni pie and a can of Irn-Bru meal deal for £5.

    They’d run out half way up the plane for sure.

    Would you like to go large with a Gregg’s Custard doughnut?

  • 1ATL says:
    26 Oct26 October 10:56

    I actually feel sorry for whoever gets the contract. The middleman (Tourvest in BA’s case) contracted to procure the on board offering made a complete shambles of it and M&S took the majority of the flack. Unless whoever contracts this
    time takes the supply and procurement in-house it’ll be more supply chain disappointment and apologies of there not be being enough catering all over again.

    • Nick says:
      26 Oct26 October 11:38

      Absolutely this. BA does deserve stick for signing with Tourvest with crap service but it’s absolutely Tourvest who were at fault. They sold BA a ‘world leading forecasting system’ which was anything but (turned out it was one person with a spreadsheet who knew nothing about data). BA had to loan them some of their own analytics specialists to do it for them. And because the liability for unsold stock initially lay with Tourvest, there were (deliberate) shortages on most flights. They only agreed to change it if BA offered to pay for any unsold stock at the end of the day. What Alex doesn’t get any credit for is that he agreed to this to help the PR impact and stumped up from BA’s pocket.

      • chabuddy geezy says:
        26 Oct26 October 13:23

        Cruz does not deserve any credit, he initially said they received great feedback from the introduction of BoB. In reality the food shortages were shambolic. The way he gaslighted customer experiences was another episode where he undermined his and BA’s credibility.

  • Nick_C says:
    26 Oct26 October 11:19

    I honestly thought this headline was a joke! Greggs? Was this Alex Cruz’s parting shot?

    Nothing wrong with Greggs per se, it just not the image I expected BA would be wanting to aspire to.

    Isn’t the best sandwich on the High Street from Pret?

    Perhaps they could start serving Greggs coffee though; much better than anything you can get on a BA flight, even in First.

    • Josh says:
      26 Oct26 October 11:29

      Mcdonalds coffee is far better than Greggs.

      Why not go the whole hog and sell mcmuffins on breakfast time flights…

      • Nick_C says:
        26 Oct26 October 11:58

        I’ve not been into a McD for years. The coffee used to be dreadful. It was only “drip”. Do they do espresso now? Greggs “bean to cup” machines produce good coffee at a fair price.

      • mradey says:
        27 Oct27 October 07:28

        Agree about the coffee. Last time (OK a couple of years ago, may be fine now) I tasted Greggs’ coffee it was like going back to 70’s chicory substitute.

    • flyforfun says:
      26 Oct26 October 11:42

      “Isn’t the best sandwich on the High Street from Pret?”

      No! They are just mayo and mashed meat or veg in bad bread and expensive prices. If I never see another platter of their vile products again at a working lunch I’ll be happy! That’s one benefit of Covid and working from home!!

      EAT! were a far better chain. Shame they were gobbled out by Pret. Their products tasted fresh and inviting. Pret taste of stale mush with combinations of flavours and ingredients that don’t work.

      • marcw says:
        26 Oct26 October 11:52

        You do not want to know what happens in a kitchen of any Pret. When I first moved to London, back in 2010, my first job was at a Pret. I’ve been there, worked there, seen it. Never ever would I eat anything from Pret, Eat and alike.

        • Dubious says:
          26 Oct26 October 16:27

          I remember when there was an EAT at Glasgow Airport. I remember well the day I picked up 2x wraps (one was never filling enough for dinner) on the way to the gate…ate one of the late afternoon flight and the other for when I got home…except to find that when I got home 2 – 2.5 hours after buying it there was visible signs of mould!

          Can’t have been that fresh for that to happen!

          • Rob says:
            26 Oct26 October 20:11

            EAT food wasn’t fresh. All Pret food is made on-site. EAT stuff came from centralised factories and often sat on the shelf for a bit, which is why it had expiry dates on it. Pret sarnies don’t have expiry dates because they are eaten almost immediately after being made on-site and are given away if not.

      • Rob says:
        26 Oct26 October 11:57

        EAT was so good that it lost all its customers to Pret and went bust.

        EAT had a strategy of opening next to a Pret and picking up stragglers who refused to queue. Once Pret started opening mega stores (Kings Road probably has 100 seats) they were doomed.

        • TGLoyalty says:
          26 Oct26 October 11:59

          The best product doesn’t always win unfortunately.

          • Rob says:
            26 Oct26 October 12:37

            But this was very democratic. Everyone went to EAT and decided they were going back to Pret next time! Wasn’t exactly a high risk gamble for customers.

            You can make that argument when customers won’t gamble on a new brand in a high priced category, but sarnies?

          • TGLoyalty says:
            26 Oct26 October 14:20

            There’s brand awareness, marketing vs substance and all of the other factors that go into why humans make bad choices 🙂

            I personally found EAT or Leon better than Pret but Pret are everywhere and instantly recognisable. I don’t mind greggs tbh

        • Fenny says:
          26 Oct26 October 17:54

          It must be nice to live in a place where all of these outlets exist(ed)! My small town has an abundance of cafes and coffee shops, but most are local independents. In terms of chains, we have Costa, Gregs Coffee #1, Subway and McDs. Nearest Pret is at least 12 miles away. But Waitrose does a roaring trade at lunchtime, even though there’s not currently any free coffee.

          • Nick_C says:
            26 Oct26 October 21:10

            “It must be nice to live in a place where all of these outlets exist”

            You must be joking? You would rather have a multi national chain than a local family run place? Give me a local business any day. I am sick every High Street looking the same across much of the world.

          • mradey says:
            27 Oct27 October 07:31

            Reply to Nick_C – problem with these local family run businesses (which I do try and use) is that their opening hours are rather limited in many cases and they cannot handle larger throughput – which is fine but not suited to the breakfast and lunch rush.

      • 1ATL says:
        26 Oct26 October 13:35

        +1
        I’ve never understood the fascination with Pret. Overly complicated and over priced. Many a work meeting with the dreaded wrap and sandwich platters, although the carrot cake and chocolate brownie bites were pretty good. EAT was always far superior in terms of quality of the bread and the ingredients as well as the simplicity of of the fillings.

        • Jonathan says:
          26 Oct26 October 15:32

          It’s making me chuckle hearing you all moan about having to endure a Pret platter for your lunch meetings. Try having to buy your own sandwich from the selection available in the average hospital canteen. A soggy slice of iceberg is what counts as the salad contribution to most of the options. They’re not cheap either now everything not frontline is outsourced.

        • Cam says:
          26 Oct26 October 17:20

          Pret’s filter coffee is by far the best in the UK, and their other drinks are OK. Otherwise, I’ll take a chance on something more local – unless I’m packing provisions for a flight, in which case I might give in.

  • David Cohen says:
    26 Oct26 October 11:36

    The reason I’m about to renew my Lufthansa Senator card for the third time (as opposed to GGL) and dropped to Lifetime Gold, was the introduction of buy on board.

    The whole thing is/was a total debacle.

    Rather than think about the whole service, end-to-end, it was done in a low-cost disjointed way.

    Why not get the logistics right and allow customers to pre-order via the website? Allows you to far more accurately predict loadings of food, waste and spoilage, plus reduces transaction times on the aircraft.

    Use that as an opportunity to bundle the price of a sarnie and G&T via the website. There’s a HBO and Plus fare. Why not add a Premium fare for a fixed tenner on top that includes this?

    The whole saga is shambolic – Sean really needs to get a grip.

    • Nick says:
      26 Oct26 October 11:41

      Pre-ordering doesn’t work on shorthaul because so many people change their flights and the catering has to be prepped too far in advance. Seriously you’d be amazed how many people end up on something different on the day. It could work on longer holiday routes (e.g. Tenerife) and I hope they’ll do it, but on business routes there’s no chance it’ll work.

      • flyforfun says:
        26 Oct26 October 11:45

        Agreed, but I think if you book food and have the option to switch flights – at your choice, then you’d have to agree to loose it. The only caveat would be that something would be available to buy on your new flight -at your cost of course.

      • David Cohen says:
        26 Oct26 October 11:57

        So that’s where some proper BI and big data comes in to look at what people have been ordering, and ensure the flights are adequately loaded at the right times of the day.

        Drinks are super easy to cater like this, food shouldn’t be too much harder. A few targeted hires from Amazon should see this implemented easily.

        After all, they’ve got all the technology in place for doing revenue management; they just need to tweak the skillset slightly to ensure that they get the right products on the right flights.

        • mradey says:
          27 Oct27 October 07:33

          🙂

          I’m not convinced you’re going to get many people to switch from Amazon to BA

      • Lady London says:
        26 Oct26 October 12:47

        Does Austrian make pre-ordering with Do&Co work? IIRC they were offering it out of Vienna. Happy to pre-order Do&Co and makes it more likely I wont change the flight.

        • marcw says:
          26 Oct26 October 13:38

          Austrian is also a much smaller operations, is way way reduced frequencies, compared to BA. If you are smaller, distribution and management is way easier.
          Finnair has something similar, but they don’t offer it on the Nordic routes. Again, a smaller operation.

        • Bagoly says:
          26 Oct26 October 21:32

          AirBerlin used to offer “proper” knife-and-fork food if one booked more than 24 hours in advance and paid EUR10-15. On a flight of over three hours over lunch or dinner time it made a lot of sense.

    • John says:
      27 Oct27 October 15:46

      Lufthansa Y food (sandwiches and snacks) are frozen and then defrosted as needed. The cheapest meats and processed cheeses and full of chemicals in order to make freezing process possible.

      How absolutely delicious.

  • r* says:
    26 Oct26 October 11:52

    Greggs.. BA have won the race to the bottom!

  • TripRep says:
    26 Oct26 October 12:00

    I’m kinda surprised they intend to serve any food on a domestic flight in a country struggling with battling a pandemic. <90mins isn't too long to keep a mask on?

    • Navara says:
      26 Oct26 October 12:35

      👍

    • Anna says:
      26 Oct26 October 12:41

      40 mins MAN-LHR. It’s always entertaining seeing the crew trying to get round a CE cabin of 12 or 14 people. And if they don’t get to you, you can claim 5000 avios from BA. It’s all good!

      • Stagger Lee says:
        26 Oct26 October 14:51

        Ilve always found it bizarre that airlines serve food on such short flights.

        I remember being on a BMI flight from LBA to LHR about 20 years ago and the whole plane were offered breakfast. I got my bacon sandwich about a minute before the ‘cabin crew, seats for landing announcement was made. The crew seemed stressed the whole flight and they probably had to turn around and do it all again on the return flight. Just seemed totally unnecessary for a fairly inexperienced flyer as I was back then.

        • Tony says:
          27 Oct27 October 10:29

          Ha ha. You have not flown on the Ryanair Athens to Santorini flight lasting 20 mins with full service!

          • John says:
            27 Oct27 October 15:48

            How’s it comparable? Every pax on BD would get the service. Not 189/189 pax on FR with crew selling a few drinks and snacks.

  • _nate says:
    26 Oct26 October 12:24

    Home Bargains used to do surprisingly nice sandwiches. They also have a curious range of drinks. Perhaps BA have cottoned on…

  • Mark Whitelegg says:
    26 Oct26 October 12:29

    Have done dozens of short haul flights since M&S were implemented, rarely had a problem with availability, certainly after the first month or so, liked the range, liked the food was much better than offerings from Wizz (although it wasn’t bad tbh), Ryanair (terrible), Easyjet (passable), KLM (free, but terrible) and Lufthansa (free and mediocre)

    • Tony says:
      27 Oct27 October 10:34

      The BA offering far better I agree. With Ryanair and EasyJet simple sandwiches no longer available as pre Covid all they wanted to do was sell you expensive heated up stuff. Easy Jet also stopped selling the bacon roll which always rather enjoyed regardless of the time of day

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

New to Head for Points?

Welcome!  We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Got any questions? Ask them in our forums.

NEW: Sign-up bonuses boosted to 3,000 and 18,000 points

Latest Forum Posts

Get 40,000 bonus points (worth 40,000 Avios) and £300 dining credit with The Platinum Card

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Get £10 when you spend £150 on your free Currensea card

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.7 million of rooms to date. Click for details.

SME? SPECIAL OFFER TO 12TH MAY EARN POINTS WORTH 30,000 AVIOS WITH CAPITAL ON TAP

Get 20,000 bonus points, four airport lounge passes and your first year free with American Express Gold

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here.

Got it!