maxy101 - you're right about main base, but you've highlighted another area in that if a service arrives late the missed meals would have to be paid, but this would still equate to huge savings. BA crews are notorious for asking the flight crews to slow down after landing when they are near to the trigger point of another meal. However, the new proposal includes ideas for disallowing trigger times to dictate what is paid, especially as a delayed longhaul service can trigger between £30 - £70/hr per person in cabin crew overtime, depending on sector length!
At the end of the day, it has been established that inflight triggered meal allowances do not serve any particular purpose as crews do not starve when on board, the contrary! The current system, most importantly on longhaul, means crews are being paid meal allowances while in flight, as well as downroute, but the crews have sufficient access to food on board! The inflight triggered meal allowances are therefore redundant and it would cost pennies to provide 15 cabin crew and 3 flight crew world traveller trays for flight meals against what is currentl paid. (although BA flight crews are now on a different hourly rate system...another story).