BA's Meal Choice, what Meal Choice?

[USA_flyer]

*agreed*

I don't understand what people expect in the way of airline food these days. If you want good food, eat before you fly or take your own, or buy a business class ticket, it's that simple. I plan to start taking my on lunch on board, that way I can choose exactly what it is I want to eat.

[Globaliser]

Athena5: On the return flight many got unrequested vegetarian i.e special meals whether they wanted them or not. Why the disparity?

I'm afraid I also don't understand this. Why do you describe that cannelloni dish as a "special meal" just because it had no meat? It seems to me to have been one of two perfectly good alternatives for anyone.

The business of predicting how many pax are going to want each meal type is as unexact now as it was when choices were first introduced into airline catering. Some flights it works, some flights it doesn't. The best ways of ensuring that you get the choice you want are to sit at the forward and aft ends of the cabin, which is greatly assisted by acquiring some frequent flyer status. On BA, buying a W class seat helps enormously too.

[PAXboy]

Thanks christep for idea about Gluten Free, I might try that, even though Gluten is not the problem. But this is not the medical forum!

Reminds of a time when I was in VS Upper and found all three food selections to be no good for me. One had a lot of spice, one was pasta and I cannot recal the third. They went and got me a meal from Economy ... which was very pleasant. They took the trouble to turn it out of the plastic onto the pre-warmed china plate.

Hmmm, does this mean that I'm not truly an Upper Class sort of PAX and ought to make my way back to where I belong??

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"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

[zed3]

Paxboy.....no sir, as an Upper Class pax , that's called service and style , although I haven't yet tried the Virgin experience that's only what one should expect for the price ..... ducks for inbound flak!

[jerrystinger]

I can't help but mention you really do get what you pay for Athena5! You may still be a customer, but you pay pennies and you are only entitled to peanuts!

[Xenia]

Play the ball and not the player ...

[PAXboy]

I don't like peanuts. Must be why I'm broke, as I have to pay more for everything.

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"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

[B Sousa]

I must be getting old. I remember when one could actually get past a trolley in the aisle, and could get out of a window seat without disturbing the other people.
Food also did not come in plastic containers.
Life moves on, things change.

[PAXboy]

Ahhh, Sousa, you've been looking at those things in museums again haven't you?? I said that it would only upset you. OK, grandad, tell us about it again ...

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"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

[radeng]

Last week, turned up at LHR to go to NCE. Previously booked aisle seat not there, previously booked special meal not there. Check in very apologetic, 2 hours later get on plane and lo and behold! in 2 hours, BA had managed to get the special meal organised.

Not bad going...........pity on the return, the delay was over 2 hours because of tech problems. Cabin crew said it was delayed coming off maintenance. Another case of 'Engineers Want Spares' computer problems?

[Athena5]

Back into the fray, excommunicado till now. Thanks for all your replies. Did someone mention peanuts, I love peanuts.

I thought vegetarian meals were regarded as special meals. If I ring up to book a flight they always ask do I have any special meal requirements such as vegetarianism. I always say no! Yes I was reared in a land where the staple fare was meat, spuds & veg, I find it hard to shake a lifetime of habit.

That menu of Rollingthunder made my mouth water, actually I think one of the options is what I got i.e. cannelonni with ricotta, there you do I've something in common with the British PM & his entourage getting VIP food like that LOL.

[groundbum]

a variation on choosing your meal

the earlier post about choosing from a menu when booking over the web made me think.

Why not have large glass door chillers at checkin, with all the hot meal choices, and you put your sticker with your seat number it on the tray you want, which is then loaded onto the plane to be heated and served!?

That way far less waste, as once the flight has departed all the leftovers can be wheeled to the next gate, etc and replenished during the day. No wastage due to no-shows etc.

I saw this at Chicago where there was a deli for the entire airbridge, you showed your boarding card and then made your own deli bag to carry onboard. Works for cold food,so extend it for hot food.

ta-da!

[Globaliser]

Athena5: I thought vegetarian meals were regarded as special meals.

It's perfectly acceptable to offer a meal with no meat to anyone who's not asked for a special meal. If you need a meal with no meat, you can ask for a special meal accordingly. But there's nothing special about a meal with no meat in itself - IIRC, the last times I flew VS there was always a generally=available meal option with no meat in it.

groundbum: I saw this at Chicago where there was a deli for the entire airbridge, you showed your boarding card and then made your own deli bag to carry onboard. Works for cold food,so extend it for hot food.

If the quality's anything like the stuff in the deli bags that are sitting around at the top of the jetway for you to pick up and carry on yourself, I'm going early to eat at the airport, thanks.

[ExSimGuy]

take your own sandwiches believe it or not ... Crew do the same!!!

A member of my family assures me that the CC get spare F class meals - but then she wasn't with BA

services, in some airlines start from the rear section

(another post from me, as I\'ve just read all 3 pages!)
I can never understand why the aircraft takes off, nose-up, and the hosties push a heavy cart full of booze all the way UP the slope to start the drinks run from the front? Much easier to start serving from the back, and lighten the cart as they go! (especially if I\'m in the back row )

Special meals - suggestion; "lots of bloody red meat"!

"Rare Beef, spuds and veg" - yes - but who\'s going to introduce it? (and get the Frequent Flyer membership!)

"Up Front" - had some great meals with US in "Envoy" (Business), choice of good food, Cali wines, superb service. Pity they\'re not "linked" with GF who I travel with in the Mid-East! (AA - not so impressed, but then I travel US mostly for Trans-At and have only tried them twice!)

Yes, you "pays for what you get" (or gets what you pays for) but when captive for some 10 hours (check-in, flight, immigration and collecting baggage) it\'s surely a duty (or at least a marketing opportunity!) for the airline to see that you don\'t get hunger pangs, in addition to terminal boredom (\'cos the airport bookshop only has books you\'ve read before and the self-congratualtory "in-flight mags" are so crass!)

3rd pint- end of rant - feeling better!

(but never mind the "Fringe Religeous Person" - just don\'t sit me next to the fat busterd with elbows that knock my teeth out during the meals - or behind the s0d who insists on fully reclining his seat (in Y) as soon as the meals come out ) Some peeps can be total @soles (did I say "end of rant"?)

[Globaliser]

ExSimGuy: I can never understand why the aircraft takes off, nose-up, and the hosties push a heavy cart full of booze all the way UP the slope to start the drinks run from the front? Much easier to start serving from the back, and lighten the cart as they go!

Can't speak for all airlines, but one reason in respect of some of them is that their better customers tend to be at the front of the cabin. I get the benefit of this from QF, who do their utmost to put their more frequent flyers in the first half a dozen rows or so.

[sixmilehighclub]

The reason is simple, I cannot eat pasta - of any type. And I would not have been interested in being told 'tough luck'. It would not have been air rage but it would have been 'letter rage' when I got back.

If you have an intolerance to some foods, and dont have a crystal ball which enables you to see what will be served to you on the day, the solution is simple. Do on a smaller scale what Ozzy is suggesting: Order your meal in advance!!!!!!!

Wheat free
Gluten Free
Lactose free
Vegan
Vegetarian
Asian Vegetarian
Low fat
Low calorie
seafood meal
diabetic meal
low purin meal
etc
etc
etc.....

Athena5, you were unlucky, most crew would endeavor to put together a picnic of something more suitable, some would even swap the pasta dish for their own meal. If the FA was so good looking, couldn't you have eaten him??

[10secondsurvey]

You know, as a punter, who often goes economy (very often) I am getting seriously hacked off with this daft idea circulating that if you fly economy, you only got a cheap ticket, and so don't deserve good food (any food!), or decent treatment.

Look folks, my company travel policy is economy all the time every time (no matter how far), and sometimes flying longhaul at short notice the tickets are NOT CHEAP, often full fare/changeable/refundable.

Also daft is the notion of bringing your own food. Whilst this may be just dandy for short single flights, say AMS-LHR or such like, when you are making multiple international connections of say three or four flights over a 20 hour flying period it just doesn't work. Getting enough water to drink is hard enough.

Whilst some people book well in advance and do get very cheap economy tickets, frequent flyers like myself are often paying full fare economy. So, can we put an end to this notion that economy class is ****ty person class.

What amazes me, is that some of the folks on this website who spew this guff, actually work for airlines (allegedly).

[Bumz_Rush]

what about a bucket o chickin

What would the airlines view be of a KFC take-away......a good deal for the new Monarch service from Luton... (pax boy....comments please...)...or any other airline...

On a similar tack...the buy it on board meals from Monarch x Luton, are quite qood value £5, for a three course meal, plus three or four teas, or coffee.... Not yet tried the Breakfasts...are these as good as the free breakfasts...????

[Omaha]

My Gawd, this thread has sure been revived!

Athena5, you were unlucky, most crew would endeavor to put together a picnic of something more suitable, some would even swap the pasta dish for their own meal.

I think there were alot of fellow pax in the same situation as me, it would have taken alot of crew meals to cover them all.

If the FA was so good looking, couldn't you have eaten him??

I wish I could have mate & I dearly wanted too but unfortunately I haven't quite got to the stage of cannabilism & he wore that wedding ring like a huge deterrant to ward off errant pax like me.

[apaddyinuk]

Some people i swear!!!
Athena....did it ever dawn on you that YOU WERE RUDE to the FA by giving him a filthy look???? I personally wouldnt entertain you if I was being treated with such disdain over a bleedin pasta!Its not the crews fault to just be polite about it! Remember the starving children in africa who dont have the choice of pasta or beef and also, people who cliam that the airlines dont care about them because they are sitting in"cattle class" are as bad as people who shout "racist" whenever they dont get something they want!!!