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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.

  • Misty says:
    22 Oct22 October 09:27

    I suppose the intern will be allowed to start on the CE menus next.

  • FLCL says:
    22 Oct22 October 09:39

    Does this apply to just flights originating from UK or globally?
    Is BA trying to become ZIPAIR in Japan altogether?

  • Richard says:
    22 Oct22 October 09:42

    Before I retired I was a frequent flyer and I used to use BA regularly. However I had several poor experiences with them before COVID and vowed I would never use them again, I haven’t and this just confirms my decision. Off to Singapore and New Zealand on QR next week.

    • Fotunba says:
      22 Oct22 October 10:49

      Good decision… This is law of diminishing return

      This confirms my good decision to end my partnership with BA few weeks ago after experiencing a very poor service and non-challan attitude to my complaints (Also campaigning to my circle of friends to ditch them, and it’s working!). I decided to Transfer my American Express Membership Rewards points to Virgin Points with 30% Bonus offer – offer still available until 21 November – https://www.virgin.com/virgin-red/earn-virgin-points/30-bonus-offer-transfer-american-express-membership-rewards-points-to-virgin-points-549363, and also Buy Virgin Points and get up to 70% bonus points offer between 8 October and 6 November and they’ve not cut down on their meals

      • LittleNick says:
        22 Oct22 October 13:18

        Unless you’re spending your Virgin points quickly, you’re gambling with cash/MR with Virgin given their looming changes which is getting close and don’t know any more detail?

        • Rob says:
          22 Oct22 October 13:32

          No gamble really.

          Transfer now if you want to book by 29th October.

          Transfer in November if you want to book under the new pricing, for a flight not currently available.

          • LittleNick says:
            22 Oct22 October 16:25

            Yes but as I said if you book now it’s not a gamble as you know cost and what’s available. 30th or after we don’t know how much that same flight might cost. Would be interesting to take a data sample of say 100 flights on 29th costs and then compare this sample on 30th with new pricing

  • Russell G says:
    22 Oct22 October 09:46

    I’m with BA on this one again. I’d be all for cost cutting on food and drink on the overnight flights and putting that money in to food and drink in the lounges (departure and arrivals). It’s going to be better food and better value for money. Recently, on TATL red eyes I’ve changed to eating lounge food pre departure and then breakfast on landing rather than eating in the sky. Doing it this way leaves a decent amount of time to sleep on the lie flat bed (which in all reality is the main reason to fly J/F) and leaves you feeling a lot better the following day!

    • Rob says:
      22 Oct22 October 09:50

      BA doesn’t control 95% of its lounges though, so that can’t happen.

      • LittleNick says:
        22 Oct22 October 16:26

        It doesn’t control 95% of the BA lounges or 95% of all lounges BA guests use?

    • Red says:
      22 Oct22 October 09:59

      Thats great for business traveller, for first time leisure travellers you don’t want to sleep you want to experience the luxury. Food is featured in all YouTube reviews, it’s an important part of the experience to justify the excess cost. The very least for someone paying £5k+ for a flight is to have a 3 course gourmet meal imho.

      • JDB says:
        22 Oct22 October 10:12

        If you are serious about expecting “luxury” or a “3 course gourmet meal” you aren’t going to find that onboard any airline and certainly not on BA.

        • meta says:
          22 Oct22 October 15:24

          You’ll find it on some airlines. It’s a bit of grand claim to make as you surely haven’t flown all of the airlines in the world.

          But yes most airlines are incompetent to serve gourmet meals because they hire people who don’t know anything about the taste at an altitude.

        • Mikeact says:
          22 Oct22 October 20:35

          Apart from my flight on AF ‘La Première’.

        • Occasional Ranter says:
          23 Oct23 October 16:23

          “If you are serious about expecting “luxury” or a “3 course gourmet meal” you aren’t going to find that onboard any airline”

          I’m sure someone on here upbraided me for saying I’d found my JAL F meal service to be just so-so, but I can’t remember who.

      • CamFlyer says:
        22 Oct22 October 10:31

        Except it’s not great for business travellers. My experience of the old Sleeper Service was that I tended to arrive too late to eat properly in the lounge (or was working, etc) and would expect to eat dinner on board.

        On leisure, my OH will really question using the BAPP and the vouchers. She only tolerates BA because she knows its the easiest way for us to get into business class on points. Even this one I’ll struggle to justify! At least the vouchers can now be used on Aer Lingus and Iberia.

      • Russell G says:
        22 Oct22 October 16:34

        Lol if you think a first time leisure traveller is paying £5k+ for their own flight! X-D

    • Claytos says:
      22 Oct22 October 10:07

      Then you’re welcome to tell crew you’d like either the express option or forgo food service.
      Your personal preference doesn’t mean the rest of us should have to adopt your service preferences.

      • RussellH says:
        22 Oct22 October 10:24

        On2 2 October at 10:07 Claytos wrote:
        > Your personal preference doesn’t mean the rest of us should
        > have to adopt your service preferences.

        Trouble is, it is not exactly easy to get to sleep when the cabin lights are still on and the cabin crew are wandering around serving meals and pouring drinks to those around you.

        I also accept that for those who like to eat late at night, they can find it very difficult to deal with those who like to eat earlier (I know – my parents used to and my brother still does tend to eat when my partner wants to go to bed).

        Ideally there would be a sleeper cabin and a separate dining cabin, but I cannot see how that could work in practice.

        • Londonsteve says:
          22 Oct22 October 15:07

          I wish to enjoy a full service irrespective of the departure time and length of the flight. If you don’t wish to travel in the company of others that may, or are even likely to have different preferences to you, chartering a private jet is always an option. The business travel market is nowhere near as important as it once used to be. Many of us will be flying back from the east coast after having had a holiday or visiting family and we’ve built in time for recuperation after the flight, we’re not going straight into the office, in fact I can’t think of anything worse after getting off a long haul flight.

          • optomdad says:
            22 Oct22 October 15:50

            Except the business travel market is larger now than pre-covid and will continue to grow. And many business travellers want to get on a night flight and sleep.

          • Russell G says:
            22 Oct22 October 16:28

            Well Steve, if you don’t wish to travel in the company of others that may, or are even likely to have different preferences to you, chartering a private jet is always an option for you! ;-D

      • Lee says:
        22 Oct22 October 11:22

        Except it turns out ba does not give you the choice of preference. There is no food.

    • Sharron Barnett says:
      22 Oct22 October 10:16

      Some of us are in transit, no access to the lounge

  • Jon says:
    22 Oct22 October 09:55

    Sick to death now of folk who “don’t understand why you’d eat at that time” or “just want to sleep”. Who made you the great deciders? You can still do all of that on the regular service, but don’t remove the choice for those who don’t. It’s incredibly selfish and arrogant to think you rule the roost.

    • Red says:
      22 Oct22 October 10:00

      Agree 100%

    • meta says:
      22 Oct22 October 10:07

      Well you can’t do that on a regular service because there is no regular service. This is take it or leave it.

      • Jon says:
        22 Oct22 October 10:20

        You’re correct of course, but I don’t see how the (now) previous service prevented one single person from eating before the flight and sleeping the whole flight. Everyone got what they wanted previously.

    • JDB says:
      22 Oct22 October 10:17

      The problem is that in the olden days, airline food was vastly better partly because there was less choice so airlines could just focus on doing a few things right whereas now many airlines including BA try to be all things to all people and fail. Just look at all the complaints from people not getting their first choice on CE – it was intended as an enhancement but it creates harder logistics and creates complaints (that BA rather absurdly feels obliged to compensate) so they might as well not bother.

      • Jon says:
        22 Oct22 October 10:24

        I imagine you’re right, but then I don’t think a choice of three mains on a 12 hour flight is the hardest thing to do. Just make them all choices that are easy and well done on a plane.

    • Charlie Whiskey says:
      22 Oct22 October 10:26

      Totally agree. Perhaps the Flyertalk DYKWIA thread is appropriate for such selfish sentiments …

    • RussellH says:
      22 Oct22 October 10:26

      Jon, see my post above. You seem just as keen to impose your preference on those who do not follow them as you claim they want to impose their preferences on you.

      • Jon says:
        22 Oct22 October 10:41

        There’s a reason sleeping masks are provided. It allows you to sleep while the rest of us eat and drink as we wish to. Ear plugs for the sounds. It’s literally already accounted for. Nobody and nothing prevents you sleeping the minute you sit in your seat. I’m not imposing anything on you.

        • RussellH says:
          22 Oct22 October 14:03

          TBH, I cannot think of anything worse than having to use ear plugs and a mask in bed.

          • Jon says:
            22 Oct22 October 14:20

            That’s your choice though. The journey isn’t designed to your specific likes and dislikes. It’s as broad as possible. So food is provided, drink is provided, a bed is provided, eye masks are provided, ear plugs are provided, close your window if you want, and heck even on a night service once dinner is done the lights are out and it’s generally quiet. You get 99% of what you want already.

      • HampshireHog says:
        22 Oct22 October 12:46

        Other airlines cabin crew seem to be able to serve meals promptly and without crashing, stomping and chatter

    • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:
      22 Oct22 October 10:40

      What next?

      No one else should be allowed to watch a film because someone else doesn’t ?

  • Sarah says:
    22 Oct22 October 09:58

    Someone on Flyertalk pointed out this interview in the Club magazine: https://theclub.ba.com/october-2024/en/introducing-the-man-behind-your-in-flight-menu/

    The whole thing is pretty laughable in the context of the cuts they are making to the service. “Our primary objective is to provide a personalised culinary experience that is contemporary and memorable, with impeccable service”. I guess the new brunch and supper menus will at least be memorable as it’s not often you see cheese and crackers as a starter or main course.

  • Marwan says:
    22 Oct22 October 10:02

    Just when you think they can’t get any worse, BA surprises you again. I just booked a flight with them to GRU after not flying with them long haul for years. Wish I’d waited. Almost every single flight I’ve taken with them over the last 12 months has either been cancelled (in one case I was put on a flight two days later) or massively delayed at the last minute (they almost always announce an engine problems as of after you’ve boarded). It really is an absolute shambles.

  • David S says:
    22 Oct22 October 10:09

    And for the first time, I’m really happy that BA cancelled its flights to KUL. I only booked BA as I had a 241 to use but I’ll definitely think about a non BA flight in future years.

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