British Airways improves short haul snacks in Economy, and makes lounge loos unisex

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• Jonathon says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:05

  No issue with the toilets being unisex; but can they have a good system of finding one that’s actually not in use then? Trailing around both sets will be a nightmare.

• T says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:09

  “The trial of free tea and coffee in Euro Traveller on selected short haul routes such as Amman and Cairo may also return – it ran for a couple of weeks recently as an experiment”
  I’m sorry, but what is there to trial, what part of switching on hot water in the galley consists of an experiment? Hot drinks on a plane surely anno 2023 is a trialled and tested concept?

  • Matt says:

    2 Aug2 August 07:18

    Everything in Britain requires a trial, focus group, committee decision etc. We are all ball less when it comes to decision making, something in our genetic make up I guess.

    • Paul says:

      2 Aug2 August 07:23

      Agreed, particular problem for opposition political parties

    • Londonsteve says:

      2 Aug2 August 11:47

      In my experience it comes down to a CYA attitude. People don’t want to own their decisions (even the good ones) in case it goes wrong. There is a vindictive lynch mob attitude in the UK that seeks to apportion blame in that event and ‘heads must roll’. As a result everything needs to be covered up with committees, focus groups, surveys and consultations so that decision makers can point to one another in the event of a sub-optimal outcome. Often the poor individual that is accountable but not directly responsible has to take the whip, one of the reasons why executive pay in the UK is so high and such a large gap exists between C-level incomes and those of the middle management and line workers. It’s something I found to be as British and steak and ale pie when working in a professional environment in the UK. I found it makes decision making cumbersome and everything loses a singularity of vision, which is necessary when aiming for true excellence but usually there are too many cooks in the kitchen.

  • Shanghaiguizi says:

    2 Aug2 August 08:47

    This is BA we’re talking about. The same airline that was serving Covid rations a full year after nearly every other airline in the world had restarted full service 😂

    • Honest John says:

      2 Aug2 August 12:00

      I am still waiting for BA lounges to bring back free newspapers that were removed ‘because of covid’

      • Londonsteve says:

        3 Aug3 August 12:17

        It would be nice but I can’t ever see them coming back. They’ll point you to the free access they grant to Pressreader and the notional environmental benefits it confers versus doling out chopped down trees. I’m one of the people that prefers to read a physical paper; I own a very old iPad and since I didn’t use it enough I decided against upgrading it, while the screen on my phone is too small for enjoyable reading.

• TimM says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:18

  I long believed that all-cubicle, unisex loos were the way to go. Toilets should not be where women go to gossip or men go to meet other men. We have moved on from Roman times.

  The most forward-thinking loos do not have air-blowers to dry hands but rather paper towels (recyclable of course) and firm encouragement to open the main door using a paper towel, with a bin immediately outside.

  Add auto-flushing, auto loo-paper, paper towel and soap dispensing and PIR-controlled individual cubicle lighting (with sensible timing) and you are approaching public loo perfection.

  • Matt says:

    2 Aug2 August 07:25

    Disagree for loos at large venues and high capacity places like train stations, airports etc. Urinals are the most efficient, quickest way to get men in and out of loos quickly. Forcing men to use a cubicle loo for a wee will massively increase queues. Also personally I’d find it annoying and unnecessarily unhygienic to deal with a toilet that someone has probably just done a crap in (skid marks / unflushed) when I just need a wee!!

  • sayling says:

    2 Aug2 August 09:06

    An automatic main door would be better than one that required opening manually – or just have no door at all

    • Bagoly says:

      2 Aug2 August 10:40

      Quite a few airports do a maze instead, but I guess it takes more space.
      And requires better ventilation.

    • TimM says:

      2 Aug2 August 11:41

      Yes no door at all, a double blind corridor works well. However automatic doors are notoriously slow to open, open randomly and can close as someone is passing through. One doesn’t want the extra anxiety of being guillotined when is bursting to go – it would lead to all sorts of mishaps.

  • Novice says:

    2 Aug2 August 09:24

    @TimM, I agree with everything except maybe the light thing. The light should go off when the door opens again and the person leaves.

  • Gordon says:

    2 Aug2 August 09:41

    @TimM, Being from the electrical engineering industry, I can confirm that you can obtain PIR sensors have an internal motion sensor, so the light fitting will not extinguish if there is any movement detected, So unless you have died on the toilet you should not be plunged into darkness. These can be time set with a remote. I have these in my main bathroom and en suite toilets. Handy when the grandchildren are staying that have no conception of the cost of electricity.

    • TimM says:

      2 Aug2 August 11:47

      @Gordon, yes but they have a certain sensitivity and if the time is reduced to minimum (as many places do to save on electric), then you only have to ‘concentrate’ for a moment then you are plunged into darkness. Constantly waving an arm around to keep the lights on decreases one’s productive concentration.

      I usually travel with a miniature screwdriver just to fix the timings and/or sensitivity of hotel PIR lights, when needed.

      • Gordon says:

        2 Aug2 August 12:55

        “I usually travel with a miniature screwdriver just to fix the timings” So we have you to blame for standing on the toilet seats!

  • yorkieflyer says:

    2 Aug2 August 10:06

    Disagree with every ‘innovation’ you are so pleased with

  • Swifty says:

    2 Aug2 August 16:08

    Toilets are not where women gossip. The 1900’s is where women “gossiped” about the mysogyiny and the patriarchy, and this led to us voting. I don’t wanna have to ask about what Tampax flow sizes they have in the machine out loud to my daughter or vice versa when there’s men about. A female perspective 🙂 besides men are quite disgusting and despite using a gunbarrel type thing for years seem to miss a huge amount.

    • Rhys says:

      2 Aug2 August 16:13

      You do realise that the toilets in the Heathrow lounges are all individual, walled cubicles!

      • Swifty says:

        2 Aug2 August 16:31

        Oh that’s fine then. Couldn’t visualise it. Why the exclaimation mark though. Still, men dribble and they smell horrible when pooing. Yukky creatures that should have been phases out by now. (!)

• Paul says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:22

  I don’t care about unisex loos, but cleaning them effectively would be very welcome!
  The refurb of which you speak is long overdue, I’d agree. Pretty disgusting at times!
  I don’t think this move will improve queue times but will in all likely hood teach men some patience!

• Chrisasaurus says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:22

  Rob while I wouldn’t given them to someone who can’t tolerate gluten without checking a flapjack should contain no gluten usually

  • Peter K says:

    2 Aug2 August 07:34

    Actually, that’s less correct than you might think.
    True, oats do not contain gluten, but the way they are stored/processed means that the majority have massive cross contamination from other gluten containing cereals that had previously been stored in the same place. Basically they become gluten containing from this process, and by the production line in the factory that produces the flapjack (or other oat containing product) if it also handles gluten containing products.

    Some Coeliacs/gluten sensitive people will react very badly to even tiny amounts of gluten and so would need gluten free oats (that is, ones that have not been near gluten at any point of the journey).

    To make it even more awkward, as there is a similar protein to gluten in oats, some cannot even tolerate gluten free oats.

    • Alex Sm says:

      2 Aug2 August 09:05

      I’m sure these people will be very aware of the risk and can arrange different provisions. This doesn’t mean flapjacks don’t need to be served to others

      • Novice says:

        2 Aug2 August 09:26

        One flapjack has 500 calories or near enough. A packet of crisps is around 130.

        • Chrisasaurus says:

          2 Aug2 August 23:13

          Oats are ridiculously good for you though, crisps Not so much

          * yes I am deliberately ignoring the sugar/golden syrup

      • Peter K says:

        2 Aug2 August 09:58

        @Alex Sm

        You seem to be on one today! I wasn’t saying not to give out flapjacks to anyone, not sure where you got that from 🤷🏻‍♂️ Just that oats cannot be assumed to be gluten free.

        I can assure you that those with food intolerances are well aware of taking their own food supplies.

    • Chrisasaurus says:

      2 Aug2 August 23:12

      I have learned something today – especially about the potentially problematic protein that even fully gluten free oats contain.

      I imagine anyone with a serious intolerance would avoid factory produced baked goods as a rule then. For anyone with a mild intolerance it becomes a lower risk roulette

• Andy says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:23

  The biggest problem with the toilets in Galleries Club North, especially, is the lack of urinals. So often there was a huge queue just to pee, with no quick option. Presumably that will get even worse for men now. I have no issue with unisex, or gender neutral facilities, but come on – guys can be quick if you give them the facilities to be!

  • Matt says:

    2 Aug2 August 07:27

    Yes you’re absolutely right.

• Amy C says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:24

  Banana cake is my favourite cake but I bet this will be a synthetic type that’s never met an actual banana. I also love those pretzels so much that I buy the giant bags of them from the supermarket.
  However, I detest unisex loos.😒

  • Froggee says:

    2 Aug2 August 09:00

    duly forwarded to Mrs Froggee

  • Amy C says:

    2 Aug2 August 09:04

    It’ll have to go some to beat my go to banana and walnut one but I am willing to make this in order to find out. Thank you.

    • Matt says:

      2 Aug2 August 11:10

      It has ground almonds in it, but some walnuts sounds like a good additional for some texture. I will try that!

• Mojack says:

  2 Aug2 August 07:38

  I’m at Terminal 5 now and they are indeed unisex

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