Poor inflight meals on BA -LHR to GLA
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Join Date: Sep 2000
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Poor inflight meals on BA -LHR to GLA
I recently had to fly up to Scotland and as usual flew BA from LHR to GLA.
In the past I have enjoyed a proper plated meal, either a cold meat & salad or a hot meal depending on the time of day and a dessert with cream. On both legs this time all that was on offer was a "packed lunch" in a bag consisting of a chicken salad roll and a piece of fruit cake. Now given that internal flights are not exactly cheap I was less than impressed. Do I have to bring my own sandwiches, pork pies, etc in future as I would do if travelling by train?
Can any "Nigel" comment on this cheapskate catering or should I fly British Midland next time?
In the past I have enjoyed a proper plated meal, either a cold meat & salad or a hot meal depending on the time of day and a dessert with cream. On both legs this time all that was on offer was a "packed lunch" in a bag consisting of a chicken salad roll and a piece of fruit cake. Now given that internal flights are not exactly cheap I was less than impressed. Do I have to bring my own sandwiches, pork pies, etc in future as I would do if travelling by train?
Can any "Nigel" comment on this cheapskate catering or should I fly British Midland next time?
Gatvol
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Quit Whining, your lucky your not here in the states. They throw Peanuts at you......
A hot meal means they spilled coffee in your lap......The excess lunches are given to the Salvation Army who promptly discard them........
A hot meal means they spilled coffee in your lap......The excess lunches are given to the Salvation Army who promptly discard them........
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I agree with the option to choose BMI. Over around a half of a year, I had to regularly travel LHR to EDI, and consistently found BMI cheaper, always comparing like with like in terms of flexibility. Also found that sometimes BMI business class to EDI was cheaper than best economy, and then you get a stonking good meal (most times).
I remember some other airline started this 'snack in a bag' nonsense, but I can't remember who, just that it was cr@p. Like tartan said, for the amount of money it costs, you really do expect something decent.
God, it's hot.
I remember some other airline started this 'snack in a bag' nonsense, but I can't remember who, just that it was cr@p. Like tartan said, for the amount of money it costs, you really do expect something decent.
God, it's hot.
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Seems on 'UK Domestic' - where has 'Shuttle' gone? - you now get a hot breakfast on flights departing before 10am, all other times it's the 'Deli Bag' - which is quite nice in itself, but not the best value for money when you pay £100+ for a ticket.
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Agree with above, done a few (ie not many) Europoean sectors on BA and BMA i the last yuear-sih, and the food was consistently better on BMA, Club and economy. I was actually surprised at how good BMA were....
WT
WT
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I am a celiac (can't tolerate gluten) which was discovered when I was in hospital in the RAF a bunch of years ago and since then I have been pretty diligent about keeping to the gluten free diet - no wheat/oats/rye/barley or their by-products. Subsequent to the diagnosis, I had the good fortune to fly a lot on business and found that BA is particularly poor in catering for "special meals" (makes me sound like an oddity - 1:450 in the UK is celiac whether they know it or not!!). I have ended up, even in transatlantic Business Class with a sad rice cake, margarine and not butter (excuse me! did I ask for non-lactose?) and something equally sad and undressed for food. When I was travelling in Biz cabin crew were always wonderful and let me snoop at what was left over from the regular meal service and usually there was something there for me! In Economy, however, it is "take the rice cake or nothing". Other airlines, Lauda, SAS, Air France, American, Virgin to name a few, historically have never had such a problem and I just wonder why BA catering is so poor - the fares are not the cheapest!!!
K....sorry for the "w(h)ine" but it amazes me that in 2001 folks don't know how easy it could be to cater for medical meal requirements!!
K....sorry for the "w(h)ine" but it amazes me that in 2001 folks don't know how easy it could be to cater for medical meal requirements!!
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You're lucky to get that piece of cake.
I've flown from Birmingham to both Paris and Frankfurt a couple of times recently. Each time the 'meal' in cattle class has been a sandwich or one of those excresences called a 'wrap' Admittedly, the sarnie is not bad but for what an insult.
Breakfast in the morning is not bad though.
I've flown from Birmingham to both Paris and Frankfurt a couple of times recently. Each time the 'meal' in cattle class has been a sandwich or one of those excresences called a 'wrap' Admittedly, the sarnie is not bad but for what an insult.
Breakfast in the morning is not bad though.
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My dad is flying down GLA to LHR on BMA Sat 11th August so I'll compare notes on the food with him and, if its better I'll change from BA to BMA. I take the point about some of the cheaper no frills carriers but I dont want to have to go to STN, using public transport how do I get there from Reading? LHR is easy, Railair Coach or Train to Paddington and Heathrow Express, likewise LGW, train from Reading, but Stanstead? As a matter of interest are there flights from London City to GLA?
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Lucky you aren't on the late World Airways. Meals were optional (pay extra in advance please) and weren't very good at that. Soon learned to bring own picnic lunch...watched the poor inexperienced souls drool at my corned beef and pastrami on rye, Dr Browns and bag of Chips Ahoys. Couldn't bring my own beer, though, darn it.
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Sad to say but I have to agree with you! The food is gash, particularly the 'All Day Delhi-Belly'. A great idea thought up by marketing, an appalling idea in the air. Cabin crew report a large increase in meal refusals. Even I won't eat that crap! And don't you like the way they're stylishly served from a blue cardboard box! Curried egg sandwich anyone?! 
That said, I was once disturbed by the way the BMA cabin crew asked some BA cabin crew commuting home to sniff the bev pots because they couldn't remember which was tea and which was coffee. I certainly couldn't taste the difference!
[Edited for fairness]
[ 01 August 2001: Message edited by: Carnage Matey! ]
That said, I was once disturbed by the way the BMA cabin crew asked some BA cabin crew commuting home to sniff the bev pots because they couldn't remember which was tea and which was coffee. I certainly couldn't taste the difference!
[Edited for fairness]
[ 01 August 2001: Message edited by: Carnage Matey! ]
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TG
re Reading to STN by train is quite possible (via paddington and Liverpool Street), however it does take 2 hours; but when I was planning my trip to the Ash Bash there was a train that headed towards East Anglia but connected to STN by bus
re Reading to STN by train is quite possible (via paddington and Liverpool Street), however it does take 2 hours; but when I was planning my trip to the Ash Bash there was a train that headed towards East Anglia but connected to STN by bus
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If you think regular meals are bad, try the veggie meals on the evening BMI flights. The pax beside me gets smoked salmon, pasta salad and other goodies. I get a plate of crudities: dried up carrot, pepper and celery. No salad, no dressing, nothing. This is in business, at least the pax in the back get a decent choice of butties, which I now ask for.
To add insult to injury you now need to order meals 24 hours in advance. That’s a full 24hrs. Book a flight to for the following day and miss the exact 24 hour gap and it’s no veggie breakfast – the only meal I really need on a flight if it’s an early start. Methinks it’s the management at BMI massaging the stats of undelivered meals by cutting the service to customers, rather than making the catering suppliers work for their money. Compare this to BA (where the Club Europe food has improved recently) who managed to get veggie food on a flight at 17:00 from AMS when I made a reservation at 11:30 the same morning. BA providing better service than BMI – what’s the word coming to?
This is in business, at least the pax in the back get a decent choice of butties, which I now ask for.To add insult to injury you now need to order meals 24 hours in advance. That’s a full 24hrs. Book a flight to for the following day and miss the exact 24 hour gap and it’s no veggie breakfast – the only meal I really need on a flight if it’s an early start. Methinks it’s the management at BMI massaging the stats of undelivered meals by cutting the service to customers, rather than making the catering suppliers work for their money. Compare this to BA (where the Club Europe food has improved recently) who managed to get veggie food on a flight at 17:00 from AMS when I made a reservation at 11:30 the same morning. BA providing better service than BMI – what’s the word coming to?
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cabinkitten:
Fly British midland? admittedly, i haven flown since they changed to "BMI" but last thing i got on BM domestic (to channel islands) was a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit! still, it was very nice service, just maybe a sanwich would have been better..
cf
Fly British midland? admittedly, i haven flown since they changed to "BMI" but last thing i got on BM domestic (to channel islands) was a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit! still, it was very nice service, just maybe a sanwich would have been better..
cf
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Sorry guys £ girls - I know this topic is completely tongue-in-cheek, after all, who cares on a domestic what the hell you get offered, if anything. I'm usually fast asleep from the demo to touchdown.
The reason I have no sympathy is because I have to eat the CREW food every DAY and it is far worse, I can assure you. Sometimes we ASK for the stuff you eschew just to break the monotony.
The reason I have no sympathy is because I have to eat the CREW food every DAY and it is far worse, I can assure you. Sometimes we ASK for the stuff you eschew just to break the monotony.
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Hate to pop your bubble folks, but I had an unforgetable great meal with the most excellent service a few years ago on a BA flight from LHR/JNB business class. The lady recognized that I had already flown from SFO to LHR and got me a wonderful meal almost as soon as the wheels were in the well. She then finished me off with a full glass of Cognac. I didnt see anything until the sun was burning my face the next morning. What a flight. Snored so loud that three seats around me had to move......
Next story please......
Next story please......
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You are lucky you are not here in the States. None of the large carriers give a meal unless it is over a four hour sector. I traveled east coast to Las Vegas this winter approx. five hours and got one drink. Crew were not impressed when call bell pushed to request a second drink. Insinuated I was an alcoholic. Do you really need a meal on a one hour flight anyway?
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Dear Mr Cudgy
Was this channel island epic from LHR/LGW by any chance?
For the uninitiated this is a bit of a speedy sector. About 25 minutes to be exact. For crew even giving out the basic deli bag/biccy/complaint card can be a struggle. Wo betide the crewmember that has something else to deal with like an ill pax/fluid leak/unidentified noise because the service simply won't get finished...even if that 'service' is just a couple of hob-nobs and half a beaker of tepid nescafe...
Rather than putting my back out trying to haul a couple of stone of sub standard perishables up a near vertical cabin, rather than having to contend with 160 or so grimacing faces as I hand out the tiny curling croissants/spam sandwiches/ single own brand biscuit. Would it not be better if we scrapped food on flights under an hour altogether.
Think about it. No more overstressed crew galloping up your aisle splashing molten Brooke bond as they go. No more bruised elbows, stained shirts or random crumbs...I'm not advocating complete dereliction of duty just a calmer quiter sector....maybe some pret a manger type sandwiches in the lounge...drinks on request when on board....a small bottle of evian at check in...
Come on people I'm sure you could manage 20-50 minutes without feeding!!
[ 07 August 2001: Message edited by: cabinkitten ]
Was this channel island epic from LHR/LGW by any chance?
For the uninitiated this is a bit of a speedy sector. About 25 minutes to be exact. For crew even giving out the basic deli bag/biccy/complaint card can be a struggle. Wo betide the crewmember that has something else to deal with like an ill pax/fluid leak/unidentified noise because the service simply won't get finished...even if that 'service' is just a couple of hob-nobs and half a beaker of tepid nescafe...
Rather than putting my back out trying to haul a couple of stone of sub standard perishables up a near vertical cabin, rather than having to contend with 160 or so grimacing faces as I hand out the tiny curling croissants/spam sandwiches/ single own brand biscuit. Would it not be better if we scrapped food on flights under an hour altogether.
Think about it. No more overstressed crew galloping up your aisle splashing molten Brooke bond as they go. No more bruised elbows, stained shirts or random crumbs...I'm not advocating complete dereliction of duty just a calmer quiter sector....maybe some pret a manger type sandwiches in the lounge...drinks on request when on board....a small bottle of evian at check in...
Come on people I'm sure you could manage 20-50 minutes without feeding!!
[ 07 August 2001: Message edited by: cabinkitten ]