BA - Special Meals

[Aksai Oiler]

I am a very frequent flyer between the UK, FSU, Middle East and within Europe. Most time's I fly in the premium cabins, most times I fly with BA or it's OneWorld affiliates. These day's I wonder why I bother.

For many years I have had a stomach problem which has resulted in me getting a special meal as I cannot eat certain vegetables. Unfortunately BA cancelled by special meal option and offerred me a Vegetarian meal, which for obvious reasons I cannot accept. Despite my protestations, BA will not reply to my various emails and mails. The only fortunate thing is because I travel in the premium cabin the cabin crew do their best to accomodate me.

Obviously I am pretty disgusted with BA. Despite promises from the Executive Club (I'm a Gold Card Holder) to get Customer Services to contact me; nobody ever does. As a result I have pretty well decided to move my $60K worth of annual business to other carriers.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has had similar problems. I spoke to one nameless lady, who was trying to explain the new BA Exec Club in their lounge in T1 Domestic. She told me it was a very common complaint.

[rsoman]

I sympathise with you but I guess the reason for this has been cost.SPML (special meal) had its origins to cater to people who have a little more specific requirement than a mere veg or non veg meal for common dietary (eg Diabetic) and religious (Kosher/moslem) etc. But most of these are now offered as standard options (BA if I remeber has about 12 or even more) in most airlines. The airlines did cater to even more specific requirements as in your case esp for their elite flyers, but when costs and margins on the line something has to go, and it naturally makes more econmic sense to have these frills (which affect a reasonable minority) get the chop first.
I sympathise with you, but taking the business elsewhere doesnt seem to be the answer , For one, it is not going to help BA get any better, and two I doubt whether other airlines will do much better these days (the airlines reasonably unaffected by the earlier downtourn like Cathay and Singapore are now in a big problem due to SARS).

NB : these area few thoughts from a laymans point of view. I am sure BEALINE can comeout with the "insiders" view point.

Regards

[Bealzebub]

Would it not be possible to pack a meal box to your own specialized requirements ? In a light hearted vein ( no pun intended ) I recall that scene at the end of the movie "Hannibal" when said Mr Lechter delighted in tucking in to his own carefully selected and prepared delicacies. He was travelling First Class as well!

I am not suggesting your own dietery requirements are as outlandish, however it is clearly uneconomic for Airlines to provide beyond a limited range of options. I am amazed at the choices the catering companies do provide in any event.

Some of the larger cruise ships pride themselves in their ability to cater for some of the most demanding of individual tastes. Of course these ships have on site galleys with large resources and the ability to specialize. I doubt airlines these days have the desire to cater for individual preferences that do not fit within the budget constraints. Set products and set menus are very much a feature of that and likely to become more so in the future I believe.

As with most things I expect you can get anything if you are prepared to pay the premium, however I don't think travelling Business class or being an "executive" card member elevates anyone into the stratospheric realms of the truly elite, even though the marketing departments may suggest otherwise. No, I still think taking your own meal and washing it down with their "finest" beverages has a certain amount of cachet. :ok:

[wing_nut1]

I sympathise with you but the idea about bringing your own lunch seems quite a reasonable one...they probably didnt mean to cancell your meal on purpose just to spite you..it was probably just a paper work error or something minor like that....but to be honest i cant understand why BA have not replied to you?!....not like them:oh:

[bealine]

Off the record, I suspect cost is the major factor, but another is the fear of litigation if, for example, a meal designated as nut-free contains trace elements and causes an allergic reaction. The airline wants to reduce the range of options available to simplify administration and reduce costs. I don't know the cost of Club World or First catering, but long-haul Economy catering used to cost (5 years ago) in the region of:

Standard Meals - £30.00 each
Baby Meal (BBML) Child Meal (CHML) - £40.00 each
Standard Vegetarian Meal (VGML) - £50.00 each
Vegan Meal (VLML) (No Meat & No Dairy Products) - £70.00 each
Asian Vegetarian Meal (AVML) - £70.00 each
SeaFood Meal (SFML) - £70.00 each
Hindu Meal (HNML) - £70.00 each
Moslem Meal (MOML) - £85.00 each
Kosher Meal (KSML) - £120.00 each


Other Meals priced individually according to requirements and designated (SPML).

Now, one of the mysteries of life is why the airlines never passed on the extra cost to the customer? The number of special meals trashed at the end of a flight was absolutely incredible because the customer "decided on the day, they would rather have the main option".

The catering companies involved have been changed since I was made aware of these costs, and the "visible" expenditure has probably been reduced.

Perhaps a better way would be to ask the customer to pay a contribution towards the extra costs. May I ask how you would have felt, had you been that alternative?

[Rollingthunder]

The following list shows how much each airline spends on food per passenger.

U.S. Air spends $3.04
TWA spends $3.41.
Delta spends $4.10
Continental and Northwest spend just over $4.80
United spends $7.53.
American spends $8.00.
And the big spender, Midwest Express drops $10.05 per
passenger!!

That's economy meals. List is from 2001.

Airline catering is as competitive as airlines are. I have to doubt the special meals costing GBP 70 or so. Totally outrageous.

[Aksai Oiler]

Thanks for the info on the costs. I realise there is always another option and made a packed dinner for my last flight to Almaty (even have been know to eat bacon butties on El Al flights too). I actually wouldn't mind paying the extra.

My other point is that whilst fare's (fuel surcharges and the ridiculous taxes in the UK) have gone up standards have gone down - not just with BA. Anyway, I always thought that these costs were built into cost of the ticket ? Is BA giving things away nowadays, we the passengers never knew about ??

My final point is that it would have been nice for BA to have told me before I travelled, and not when I was sat on the plane asking for my SPML.

[PAXboy]

... and not when I was sat on the plane asking for my SPML That has to be the bottom line on this subject. If a carrier with their massive resources cannot:

1) Set a date by which SPMLs will stop (say 3 months out)
2) Change booking systems so that no new SPMLs can be requested.
3) Identify all SPMLs requested for dates after the cut-off and initiate contact through the booking route that the client used.
4) Saftey: If the client is not contacted before departure, append a note to their booking so that, at check-in, the matter is brought to their attention. If they use automated check-in, compel the client to go to main desk.

As the saying goes, it ain't rocket science. So - why did they fail?

My guess, based on 23 years in telecommunications and IT in commerce, local govt is: BA, as with everyone else has slimmed down so much that you can now get a hand between their ribs. They have taken all the fat out, so that only gristle and the muscle of their staff is holding it together.

Does that sound overly caustic and doom laden? Sorry if that is the case but that is all I see around me from every organisation that I come into contact with. :(

[Wot No Engines]

I can sympathise totally here as someone who also has a food allergy (in my case to cows milk).

BA have never managed to cater for this when asked (including their vegan meal - twice this has contained milk products).

I now always take my own food when travelling long haul, however, I have had this "confiscated" on several occasions when transiting other airports as I was effectively bringing banned food stuffs into another country.

I also never request a special meal (I have had many more upgrades since - I never ask for them), and have found that on most occasions, I can eat most of one of the standard options. Just make sure you let the crew know early in case the only option you can eat runs out before they get to you. Flying J or F is rarely a problem anyway.

Many thanks to the BA crew who got me something from the crew trolley last time I flew with them.

[brockenspectre]

A coeliac is someone who is missing a piece of DNA (i.e. has a genetic disease) which means they cannot process gluten which is found in wheat, oats, rye, barley and their by-products. Diagnosis is only by blood test and biopsy. Eating gluten with coeliac disease can give up to 48hrs unwellness with stomach, joint and other problems and in the long-term has been shown to trigger a particular kind of small-bowel cancer. A coeliac also has a weakened auto-immune system. Coeliac Disease, therefore, is not a fad but fortunately is also not an allergy so doesn't bring with it the appallingly immediate life-threatening histamine reactions that certain allergies can cause (nuts, shellfish etc). A gluten-free diet is not a matter of preference or choice but the way in which the medical profession treats the gut-symptoms of coeliac disease.

I am a coeliac, and was lucky to be diagnosed over 20yrs ago after a back injury in the RAF and the hospital gluten-full diet triggered the disease.

British Airways and other airlines have always been particularly good with a gluten free meal on board but I have to say that in recent years the BA meals from LGW have "slipped" and on many occasions the bread/dessert/snack on the meal tray have been the same as on regular trays. On return flights to the UK BA is great and on flights out of LHR the BA special meals have been fine for me. Other airlines have, without exception, been fine. Across the board there have been times when the meal is missing and cabin crew have always done their best to find something (although these days, with the increase in people choosing not to eat certain foods, I feel I am often regarded as a faddy eater NOT someone with a disease!!). I tend to carry on my own snack for the aperitif and on short flights hunger is never really an issue!

It is therefore my submission that it is the company catering BA meals at LGW that are trying to cut corners - the special trays always have the main course OK but the rest of the items are randomly OK and/or totally unsuited!!

Just my 2 cents!

:D

[bealine]

Rolling Thunder - the prices you quote are for the US domestic market and for flights of very short duration. The prices I gave were for long-haul catering, and 5 years ago before BA were really serious about controlling costs.

Additionally, prices in the US, generally, are at least 60% lower than the UK due largely to the artificially held-down fuel prices and the massive subsidies the US government has given to bail out its airlines!

I can only apologise to wotnoengines and brokenspectre for the GFML problems experienced from our replacement caterer - (especially as one problem is LGW cos I feel almost personally responsible!!!) Please do write to our Customer Relations department and let them know - this issue does need to be addressed urgently, otherwise someone with an allergy may become very ill as a result of being given inappropriate food!

[brockenspectre]

Dear bealine I would never consider you responsible (unless you ARE responsible for choosing the BA caterer at LGW) and I wish to thank you personally for the attention you pay to all the pax comments in this forum. I do hope that your employer appreciates the service you are providing in your "down time"!!

:)

I have submitted the occasional comment but I really don't want a box of chocolates (I can't eat!) as an apology, I would prefer the meal service to work.

To be honest, if the airline said it couldn't cater for special dietary requirements it would probably make my life easier - I could just bring my own ... as it is I like to receive a meal service (warts an' all) and would love to be "one of the crowd" ... just sorry I am not.

:D

[Rollingthunder]

Bealine.

They are average pricings. Midwest Express is the only pure domestic carrier.

Pricing is based on a meal - not flight duration, whether short-hop, trans con or international. Typically there is not much difference between an economy meal served between LAX and JFK (close to 3,000 miles) and one served between JFK and LHR.

Pricing at GBP 70 per meal is about USD 105.00. There is no way on earth that airlines are paying the caterers that kind of money for the product, even in first. Yes, I've seen the bills for my own mob and they are mostly in-line with the pricing I quoted.

On another note a miniature of scotch for international service costs about the equivalent of USD 0.25 (bonded).

[forward jumpseat]

Aksia Oiler

Sorry to hear you will be taking your business to another airline due to you not getting your SPML. I'm a BA purser and this is something we hear all the time, nearly every flight we have some sort of problem with SPML's. Recently the SPML code has been withdrawn and replaced with standard meal types, anyone with a SPML request on their Executive Club Card has been assigned with the nearest meal type that we offer which isn't always wanted, as you know.

I'm not sure what the answer is but I hope it is sorted out soon as I'm sure we will be loosing more customers like yourself.

[bealine]

Rolling Thunder - The costs I quoted were trotted out by our "bean-counters" and will undoubtedly include intangible costs such as the administration work involved etc etc!

The long and the short of it is that our airline is shaving costs as much as it can, regardless of the desires of our customers and broken spectre, Aksia Oiler etc are "premium" customers.

It just goes to show that some "bean counters" know the cost of everything and the value of nothing! I just hope they see the error of their ways before it's too late!

Incidentally, the reason that I feel a certain personal sense of responsibility is because:
(a) I chose BA as my employer and I still believe in maintaining the highest professional standards, and I know that BA has that commitment at heart!

(b) I love working at Gatwick Airport. Truly, I believe I work with the finest bunch of people you could wish for whether it be BA, BAA (GAL) - the Green-jacketed brigade, ADI (sorry, Securicor now), OCS (wheelchair pushers), Aviance (formerly Gatwick Handling), Servisair and, now, Groundstar. The concessionaire people are great too!

If something's wrong with BA or LGW (or both) i feel it my duty to alert the management to the problem. What they decide to do (procrastinate usually!) is their affair, but they can't deny having been warned!

[slim_slag]

These figures are hilarious.

We now have had £40 to print a ticket at check-in, £80 for lounge access, and £50 for a vegetarian meal.

Lets put this into context, how much are the meals at Marks and Sparks, retail.

Then how much does BA charge for a club world ticket? And they are saying its too expensive to provide a special meal for the punters up front?????

Sorry, but if that is their thinking, they deserve to go out of business. Sounds like the sooner the better.

BA meals have really gone down hill over the past five to ten years. Pasta or chicken???

[MarkD]

slim_slag and others who reckon BA has gone downhill:

Which long-haul carriers *are* providing better treatment than BA these days, or is it a symptom of the industry as a whole?

[A question, not fighting talk :D ]

[bealine]

slim slag - you can scoff all you want (pardon the pun!) but the reality is that the aviation industry is changing very rapidly! The time was not that far distant when a full First Class and Business Class cabin paid for the costs of the flight, all the fares from those in the Tourist cabin were pure, unadulterated profit! (That's why all those low fares for the back-packers and students were introduced)

Unfortunately, we have a legacy of a Nationalised Industry with certain agreements that we can't legally break (£85,000 per year rent for each check-in desk at Gatwick for starters, £2m a year rent just for the First Class lounge (and we're committed to keep it for at least the next 5 years!) Additionally, the CAA and GAL/HAL charge £300 for each minute an aircraft is late leaving the stand at Gatwick or Heathrow. (Agreed when BA and the CAA/BAA were National assets).

Our management struggle daily to control costs, and are doing a reasonable job on the whole! This is reflected in the fact that we are making profits and our share price is steadily rising. So, we're not going to go out of business yet awhile, I hope!

However, as you mention the costs of Marks & Sparks meals, let's get a few things into perspective:

1. M & S have no special security clearances to pay for
2. M & S have no specialised scissor-life vehicles to buy (bespoke vehicles that can only converted by one supplier in the UK!)
3. M & S charge varying prices for their meals - BA are expected to absorb extra costs.

Finally, you mention the cost of a Club World ticket. Very few pax out there are actually paying the normal First or Club World fares any more. Most are either corporate discounted, redemption tickets, mileage awards etc etc. Now, I'm not being critical........it's just that if the profit margins are tighter, we've got to reduce the costs which we are able to control.

I hope I can give you an insight into the reasons behind some of the things we're doing. I don't necessarily agree with everything we do, but I have to live with it!

[slim_slag]

MarkD,

I haven't flown the vast majority of the world's airlines, so cannot speak from personal experience on them. Also, I don't think I fly enough to be able to "average out" all the good/bad experiences. I fly a reasonable amount, over 75k actual miles this year already, on airlines I track. I don't know about Southwest or the other rinky dinky low frills carriers in Europe but they don't serve food.

But, for grins...

Over the last twelve months I flew long haul (over eight hours per my definition) on BA, LH, UA, TG, SQ and VS. Vast majority on UA as they op-upgrade me a lot and have decent legroom in economy :) Comparing all these carriers to how they were five years ago, they have all gone downhill.

I would say BA's drop has been the most precipitous, but that is from personal data which might not survive statistical analysis :) I'd also say from those airlines, BA has the worst food in economy, yes even worse than UA.

You bring up a good point though, hope that helps.

Bealine.

Marks and Sparks has overheads too, how much is rent on their Oxford Street store? I simply don't believe £40 per vegetarian meal, thats all.

Regards.

PS Bealine, meal quality has no weighting when I select an airline to travel on. I also tend to take my own sandwiches nowadays to top up. I will also eat most things, but do find myself leaving economy class airline food a lot more nowadays. Also, just out of interest really as it only happens rarely. The only times I was unable to eat the economy airline food served in the past twelve months was on BA out of London, and UA out of Taiwan. I still have no clue what they put in there :)