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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.

  • Ste R says:
    22 Oct22 October 07:30

    Honestly, I don’t understand why if you fly from the east coast after 9pm you would want a 3 course meal when the flight is about 5.5 hours. Breakfast turns up an hour after the lights go off. Very weird this one is creating such complaints. The brunch one sure but the sleeper service is a good idea….

    • Sarah says:
      22 Oct22 October 09:42

      How about when you’re on a near 12 hour flight?

      • Sarah says:
        22 Oct22 October 09:43

        And a sleeper service done well would be fine, indeed as the article points out, BA already offered this to those who wanted it, this new service just leaves no choice, and a bizarre menu.

    • HampshireHog says:
      22 Oct22 October 12:11

      Wait till all they have left is cheese and crackers

  • Dan says:
    22 Oct22 October 07:36

    This sounds like throwing the baby out of the bath water.

    From my experience – BA meal service is SLOW. My last flight we departed in the evening and by the time dinner came – nearly 2 hours into the flight – I just wanted to sleep. I almost cancelled my order. On top of that I was left with the dirty tray for nearly a hour before it was cleared away.

    But instead of BA thinking to improve training and service… they just cut the meal.

    • barry cutters says:
      22 Oct22 October 07:40

      If you are waiting an hour, Try pressing the button and ask them to remove the tray.

      • Philip Firmin says:
        22 Oct22 October 10:12

        BA do not respond to the button in my experience. Your best bet is to take your tray to the galley after 30 mins. If you really want to make a point, do it for a few people if you can. Ask to speak to the cabin manager/purser and hand the trays to them. Ask them to log it as a complaint there and then. Ask them to ensure the complaint identifies the manager as the issue.

        More recently I have found the service on Club Europe to be a lot better than Club World. The Cream Tea I got on flight from GLA-LHR might have been the best BA meal I’ve had.

  • What says:
    22 Oct22 October 07:36

    They really are doing their best to race to the bottom.
    Does anyone senior within BA ever take a flight on another airline ?!

    • Rob says:
      22 Oct22 October 08:26

      Genuinely, no. I always ask at BA events.

      • Alison says:
        22 Oct22 October 09:04

        Unbelievable. But explains a lot.

      • LittleNick says:
        22 Oct22 October 09:45

        Absolutely crazy, they don’t need to go far, just try Iberia long haul, a sister company

        • Rob says:
          22 Oct22 October 09:53

          How can they? Even management are not well paid so can’t afford it from their own money, and BA doesn’t use other carriers when sending staff to meetings etc abroad.

          • Danny says:
            22 Oct22 October 12:05

            There are none so blind as those who can’t see.

          • LittleNick says:
            22 Oct22 October 12:33

            Do BA staff not collect Avios? They can try Iberia thanks to your site Rob 😉

          • ALISON says:
            22 Oct22 October 15:53

            have they not heard of market research?…. mystery shopping?…. voice of the customer?…. customer journey analysis? (that one metaphorically lol) . This is all elementary marketing stuff. I would expect them to have a budget for these activities even before they sign off the powerpoint presentation.

          • yonasl says:
            22 Oct22 October 16:27

            I knew a manger (director level) at IAG. He had $500,000 available to be spent on IAG flights per year at his leisure. He also had status and avios and could fly other One World airlines.

      • can2 says:
        22 Oct22 October 11:00

        That explains a lot — how come they don’t have a “spying” budget!

      • Nic says:
        22 Oct22 October 12:18

        Both unbelievable and totally believable

  • Nick G says:
    22 Oct22 October 07:38

    So if they cut down on meals literally what do the crew do for hours and hours???

  • Daniel says:
    22 Oct22 October 07:40

    On a late flight (especially if I’ve stuffed my face in the lounge) all I want to do is sleep BUT I’d also like some choice – usually, I opt for a starter & dessert – this option has now been removed.

    On flights to London where there is not a decent lounge to eat before this change seems crazy. We are paying premium prices and serving a full meal to those who want it doesn’t seem like a massive ask.

  • What says:
    22 Oct22 October 07:41

    I know it’s terrible form but I (and others) might consider becoming ‘that guy’ and bringing a Burger King Whopper meal on board.
    Oh my fellow biz passengers will love that lingering odour !!

    BA continuing its race to the bottom.

    • mkcol says:
      22 Oct22 October 13:17

      This is not the last Avanti from Euston, keep your Whopper to yourself!

    • Richie says:
      22 Oct22 October 14:41

      I’ve seen a family eating their Whopper meals in the Iberia lounge at ALC!

      • Paul says:
        23 Oct23 October 22:46

        On my last visit to Galleries First in T5 the guy sitting opposite me produced a boots meal deal. I went to the buffet and envied him!!

  • Hugo says:
    22 Oct22 October 07:46

    I -was- going to favor BA on my next return flight to GIG…
    Better take Iberia, don’t really fancy cheese and crackers for my main course…

  • John Harris says:
    22 Oct22 October 07:48

    I flew back from Atlanta in Club World last week and they had this menu in place. To make things worse, the lounge BA provides access to in the Atlanta international terminal is a third party one and its truly dreadful, very limited food choices and they had run out of most things and didnt restock. I thought to myself “its an 8 hour flight so I will eat on board and then have 5 or 6 hours sleep”, got on board and found they had this cut down menu, no appetisers and poor choices. I went for a Chicken Caesar salad and a cheese board, the crew on board were v apologetic and offered me extra dishes but once the food arrived I didnt take them up as it was foul. Over cooked hard chicken and the cheese board had dried out pieces of cheddar, looked like it had been loaded on the plane 24 hours before. Really poor by BA, penny pinching cost cutting nonsense, so frustrating as I am a gold for life member and used to absolutely love BA. Virgin Atlantic or Delta will be getting my business next time.

    • chris1922 says:
      22 Oct22 October 08:52

      All US based catering is grim IMHO. I’ve travelled home in all four classes from various US airports, the food is always terrible.

      • LittleNick says:
        22 Oct22 October 09:29

        I’ve heard this before but why is that the case?

      • JDB says:
        22 Oct22 October 10:25

        It’s not just from the US, outstation catering on BA is even worse than from Heathrow. They must use rotten suppliers and don’t sample what’s actually served to passengers. I’m never sure why they bother with cheese that is passable from London but plastic cheese on the return – out of the dark ages.

      • Nic says:
        22 Oct22 October 12:20

        I had great food on BA First back from New York

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