Originally Posted by INKJET
to a large extent their previous high service level was an own goal, on short haul flights you don't need or want a meal (LHR-MAN/LBA/MME/CDG) so many business users would travel in the economy section having used their 'cards' to use the lounge and happy to take a free drink and nibbles and save a few hundred pounds.
Who says we don't want a meal ? There are many of us (as a quick straw poll round my office just showed) who get up at 05.00, leave home at 06.00 for LHR, which is as LATE as possible so no lounge time, onto the 07.30, half hour hold in the departure queue, get to EDI at 09.30, taxi to client where they are all waiting to start, rushed/no lunch, leave at last moment at 17.15 for the 18.30 departure so no lounge time, Bovingdon hold on the way home (of course), rush out through T1, home at 21.15 where they all ate long ago.
Tomorrow, the same to Brussels.
Yes, who says we don't want a meal in flight, the one chance in the day to do so ? We don't fly in business class because the client will not pay for it, but any (in reason) Y fare is OK, whether £50 or £250. We never see the fare paid, our travel dept does all that side of things. We do maybe 50, maybe 100 such sectors a year. We keep the trunk service carriers in business, not the £19.99 pax on the midday flights. We can choose our own airline. One has full hot meals and drinks both ways, one has a sandwich, one has an overpriced trolley which is often sold out.
Which airline do you think we choose ?