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British Airways cuts Club World meal service for departures after 9pm

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Yesterday we covered the bizarre new breakfast / brunch service that British Airways is serving for lunch on long haul flights departing up to 11.29am.

It pairs a cooked breakfast with wine, a cheeseboard, coffee and liqueurs. Those who have tried it are finding it as odd as it sounds.

On the upside, you are at least still getting a three course meal of sorts. This is no longer the case for Club World departures after 9pm.

BA cuts Club World meal service for departures after 9pm

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I mention this because, about 20 years ago, British Airways launched something called ‘Sleeper Service’. It stripped down the Club World business class food service to the bare minimum, on the grounds that most people wanted to sleep on overnight flights and those who didn’t could starve. It was a failure, launching the catchphrase ‘To Fly, To Starve’ and was abandoned. This is despite the fact that it only operated from airports where BA had pre-flight lounge dining.

Multiple rounds of staff departures at British Airways later, everyone who remembers the failure of ‘Sleeper Service’ seems to have left and a version of it is back. This time it is on virtually all routes, irrespective of whether the lounge offers a full meal.

What is now served on Club World departures after 9pm?

The menu has been pared back sharply:

  • appetisers have been scrapped
  • main courses and desserts are massively simplified

Here is an example menu currently in use:

Main courses

  • Butternut squash and coconut soup
  • Grilled tiger prawn salad
  • Chicken and leek pie
  • Cheese and crackers

Dessert

  • Panna cotta
  • Fruit salad
  • Chocolate chip cookies

…. and that’s it.

Bizarrely the menu says at the top:

“Take your pick from an assortment of seasonal dishes. If you’re feeling tired and can’t wait to cosy down, then just choose your main and dessert and a night cap of your choice”.

However, you have no option but to have just a main and dessert because that’s all there is! The appetisers are gone.

This new service has been rolled out on virtually all long-haul routes. The only exceptions are 12+ hour flights. It is, apparently, being used on Cape Town and Mauritius which are over 11 hours.

The airline argues that a ‘one tray’ meal service will allow passengers to get to sleep more quickly. The problem is that British Airways ALREADY offered a stripped down ‘one tray’ option on late night Club World flights. Those who wanted to eat and sleep could have the ‘one tray’ meal whilst those who didn’t could – until last week – have the standard full menu.

It isn’t clear what is offered in First Class. I believe that the menu has also been cut back but bears more resemblance to a proper meal.

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Comments (486)

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

  • John says:
    22 Oct22 October 19:04

    I am Cabin Crew for BA. It’s embarrassing! Write to Sean Doyle. Please.

  • Tiger of ham says:
    22 Oct22 October 19:20

    I’ll have the economy meal please.

    What a strange decision

    Someone’s lets the accountant out their lane again.

    • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:
      22 Oct22 October 20:25

      Stop blaming accountants!

      They provide Information on options. They don’t make decisions.

      • Richie says:
        22 Oct22 October 20:53

        Can the information accountants provide always be relied upon?
        Do accountants instill bias in their reporting?

        • TGLoyalty says:
          22 Oct22 October 21:12

          Obviously someone can only be as good as the data available to them.

        • AJA says:
          22 Oct22 October 22:44

          This one doesn’t instil bias. I provide analysis based on the data provided and my wider knowledge and expertise. We have professional ethics to uphold so wouldn’t do anything that compromises that.

          That said I think the reality is that the powers that be will do whatever they want regardless of guidance that what they’re doing may be suboptimal.

          • George says:
            23 Oct23 October 12:26

            I’m not an accountant myself but I’m not sure that many of the people making these comments have worked in a serious business before

          • Rob says:
            23 Oct23 October 14:34

            Given what BA pays, no-one who works there will have flown on a serious airline before – which is the problem.

            I suspect you haven’t worked in a serious non-financial business either. Spend your life in investment banking / private equity / hedge funds, as I did, where all your colleagues are the cream of the academic crop (as are the lawyers etc you deal with on the other side of the table) and the jolt when you start dealing with ‘average’ people in ‘real’ companies is stark.

      • Tiger of ham says:
        22 Oct22 October 22:48

        Putting people with an accounts back ground in charge of enterprise and a position of power from my experience is a disaster.

        • AJA says:
          22 Oct22 October 23:07

          Well my experience is different from yours. But given I’m a retired accountant you might think I would say that. In reality you are expressing your bias. The thing is that cutting costs doesn’t always work out the way people think. It’s more complicated than that. Finance departments are as essential as sales teams and both can and do make mistakes. But blaming one or the other rarely explains the whole story. And even if accountants recommend a different strategy it doesn’t mean CEOs or anyone else will follow that guidance.

          • G says:
            23 Oct23 October 09:46

            Accountants understand cost. Sales, marketing, customers understand value.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            23 Oct23 October 10:21

            Well obviously they don’t understand value as they’re the ones making the calls.

            Finance gives the budget. Your operations deliver to it or tell you why they can’t and the value being eroded.

            Such nonsense comments.

  • Rma says:
    22 Oct22 October 19:37

    Rob, any chance BA would give you the data from ‘customer feedback’ which they claim to be the basis for these decisions? I would love to know the actual number of passengers who requested the brunch menu which BA are offering compared to the number who requested the traditional lunch.

    • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:
      22 Oct22 October 20:25

      Don’t be ridiculous.

    • Matt says:
      22 Oct22 October 22:21

      I remember when BA “enhanced” the food offered in Gold lounge in Houston… went from a selection of hot food (often quite nice pulled pork or something) to a plate of stale sandwiches in the evening. They claimed they were responding to customer feedback…. Yeah right! Someone gave them feedback that they’d rather have a cold, stale sandwich than a selection of hot food…. BA must really think the customers are stupid!

  • Occasional Ranter says:
    22 Oct22 October 20:16

    Please can everyone stop posting about how they’re going to complain as soon as they’ve experienced this for the first time. I think JDB is about to have a coronary.

    • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:
      22 Oct22 October 20:33

      He would have no problem with people complaining once they have flown.

      It’s the pre flying complaints that don’t really help anyone.

    • Delbert says:
      22 Oct22 October 20:48

      My hacking skills allow me to view the email address JDB posts under – a.cruz@baforever.com. Who knows?

  • TGLoyalty says:
    22 Oct22 October 20:49

    Can we have a poll how many people commenting on here book restaurant reservations for 3 course meals past 10pm … then agree how ridiculous these comments are

    • Jon says:
      22 Oct22 October 21:26

      It’s not the same. It’s like booking a restaurant and then turning up and them having a paired down menu because they think you would prefer it. If the restaurant is open at 11pm then you should expect them to serve their food. Not a small portion because they seem to think you’d prefer it. Hint: nobody does.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        22 Oct22 October 22:05

        The point is you wouldn’t want a 3 course meals at 10 pm any other day of the week what changes when flying.

        Eat in the lounge it has food for a reason.

    • NorthernLass says:
      22 Oct22 October 21:26

      If that’s your logic, then you should be lobbying BA for a reduction in prices of night time flights! It’s well-known that adjusting one’s eating schedule accordingly is an effective way of managing jet-lag.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        22 Oct22 October 22:12

        99% of the price is for getting you from A to B in a lie flat bed. As a leisure traveller I actively choose night flights because I want to SLEEP not eat and especially not be kept awake by lights and noise of others eating.

        Corporates are being flown business so they can sleep and get right to work not so they can pig out and get drunk.

        I’d much rather have better quality food in the lounge and a single tray light service on board for those that want it.

        • Lumma says:
          22 Oct22 October 22:22

          Wasn’t the point of the old sleeper services that it wasn’t for every flight? So you could choose to be on a flight with limited food service to maximise sleep and not get disturbed by others who want to have the full meal.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            22 Oct22 October 22:49

            No idea tbh I thought every flight after a certain time was sleeper and the meal on board was basically a biscuit and hot chocolate the it evolved to a soup/sandwich/sweet/cheese.

            Got people complaining they didn’t have a meal on their 1am flights in here. It’s as if all ideas of what normal goes out the window when they step into an airport.

            The whole point of these really late night flights is have your dinner get to the airport get on board and sleep.

    • AJA says:
      22 Oct22 October 22:54

      Not the same thing at all. The reality is that they’re two different scenarios. I wouldn’t book a table at a restaurant within 15 minutes of the kitchen closing, no matter how good it is. But a flight departing after 9pm is a regular thing and has in reality been catered 6 hours in advance so it is a conscious decision by BA on the menu offered to its customers. The point is that people are paying for more than just the flat bed. They expect the option of eating a 3 course meal or choosing not to and sleeping instead. The reduction in choice shouldn’t be forced on us – it really ought to be what the customer wants. And what I want in seat 10J doesn’t mean that the passenger in seat 10k or 14A wants the same. We should all have our choices satisfied. BA instead has decided that our choices are limited to a main and desert regardless of how much we paid for the seat or how soon we booked. It’s not how I would run an airline but then again I don’t.

      • TGLoyalty says:
        22 Oct22 October 23:35

        That’s not life.

        The service provider dictates what they’ll offer with the ability to customise ie ask for some edits. If you want personal service take a private plane. Otherwise you’re getting what the service provider believes is the best experience for the majority at that time. If they’re inundated with complaints they’ll back track but for me this is a none issue as a light meal after 9pm is perfectly acceptable.

        Not sure of the relevance of the meal being prepared 6 hours before comment but the whole point is about when people consume their evening meals and generally the British public doesn’t eat this late. I could see the complaints if this was Spain and Iberia but the British public complaining about this is laughable.

        Like I said it’s as if the usual day to day schedule goes completely out the window the minute you enter an airport.

        • meta says:
          22 Oct22 October 23:44

          In many cultures 10pm is normal dinner time since BA is multinational organisation it should act like one and offer people a choice.

          • Andy says:
            23 Oct23 October 07:38

            Thank you ! Common sense prevails

          • TGLoyalty says:
            23 Oct23 October 10:33

            I very much doubt many in the 400 comments here eat past 10pm

            I eat “late” by U.K. standards and even I’m not regularly eating past 10.

          • Andy says:
            23 Oct23 October 11:21

            And… guess what? BA provide connections to their LH flights – not all connections provide food, not all outstations have food in the lounge, people work late and rush to their connecting flight – I could go on. In short – some people will need to eat before being able to sleep.

      • JDB says:
        23 Oct23 October 01:26

        I don’t board a 9pm overnight flight expecting a three course meal likely to be served around 10.30pm. @AJA – I would wager that you would normally eat dinner well before 9pm. Why should it be different because it one is flying? It has been pointed out that eating at 10pm is the norm in some cultures but it’s actually quite rare; Spain is something of an exception.

    • Marcus says:
      22 Oct22 October 23:07

      Ridiculous comment. “9pm” for whom? Connecting passengers, for example, may be on a totally different body clock and who knows when they may or not have eaten last. Perhaps they slept through the meal service on the previous flight. There are many reasons why somebody might choose to eat a full meal and, especially when they are paying handsomely, should be able to do so. I don’t think they should be denied the option by BA or your goodself!

      • TGLoyalty says:
        23 Oct23 October 10:23

        Connecting passengers should have got a meal. And they’re being offered food shortly after their last flight or they had the chance to visit the lounge like everyone else

  • CheshirePete says:
    22 Oct22 October 20:54

    Legally, where do we stand with this if already booked.

    “ In Club World you can choose your main course, served with a starter, dessert and cheese. During your flight you can choose from snacks, plus hot, cold and alcoholic drinks, all delivered to your seat. Our signature afternoon tea features on some routes.”

    https://www.britishairways.com/content/information/food-and-drink

  • LittleNick says:
    22 Oct22 October 21:17

    Still we can all look forward to Global Airlines launching in 2025 who will provide the Middle Eastern food and service we all crave on LHR -JFK lol

  • Oluwole says:
    22 Oct22 October 21:20

    I fly to Abuja (ABV), if the service is cut, I wouldn’t mind going with other airlines.
    If flying out of Lagos (LOS) at 11pm us affected, I will boycott BA all together as a Gold member.

    • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:
      23 Oct23 October 01:56

      You’d forego a direct LHT/ABV flight in favour of one with a connection just because of this?

      BA won’t care no matter what your status is.

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