British Airways has done a great job selectively investing in its passenger experience, especially in premium cabins. For example, in business class, the Club Suites product is a huge upgrade over the old Club World experience.
However, just as the airline is investing in some areas, it’s pulling back in others. British Airways has just made some massive changes to its meal service in first and business class on long haul flights, involving brunch and supper, as reported on FlyerTalk. While the airline claims that this is due to customer feedback, it’s hard to view this as anything other than cost cutting.
In this post:
British Airways replaces lunch with brunch
As of October 15, 2024, British Airways has changed its meal service in first and business class on long haul flights departing before 11:30AM. Specifically, the airline is now serving a brunch menu on long haul flights departing between 8:30AM and 11:29AM. Previously, the airline served breakfast for flights departing up until 8:30AM, and lunch on flights departing after 8:30AM.
It’s worth emphasizing that this is based on the published departure time of the flight, and not when the actual meal is served. For example, on a long haul flight, you’re probably only going to be served your meal around 90 minutes after the scheduled departure time, since it can take 30 minutes till you’re airborne, an hour till the main course is served, etc. So with a departure around 11:30AM, many people may only be eating around 1PM.
While the brunch menu features some options that are more breakfast focused and some that are more lunch focused, the menu definitely leans more heavily into the former. For example, one business class menu shows the three main course options as being cornish chicken breast, ricotta and grilled mushroom omelet, and blueberry pancakes (here’s a sample menu).
What’s even stranger is that this is still being served with traditional starters and dessert, so you can have pancakes and then chocolate cake, for example.
Honestly, it’s hard to view this as anything other than cost cutting. Suffice it to say that eggs and pancakes are cheaper than most lunch and dinner courses that could be served.
It’s also worth pointing out just how many breakfasts some passengers will have. For example, if you’re connecting from a short haul flight within Europe to a long haul flight departing before 11:30AM, you might have breakfast in the outstation lounge, then breakfast on the first flight, then some sort of breakfast in the lounge at Heathrow, and then brunch on the next flight.
British Airways replaces dinner with supper
British Airways isn’t just changing meal service on its early morning flights, but also on its late night flights, with changes having kicked in as of October 15, 2024. For long haul first and business class flights departing after 9PM, British Airways is no longer serving dinner, but is instead serving supper.
With supper, there’s no starter or soup, but instead it goes straight to the main course. The main courses are also greatly scaled back, with options like salads, sandwiches, pies, or cheese plates (here’s a sample menu).
What’s wild is that this doesn’t just apply on short overnight flights, but also on long ones, as long as they depart after 9PM.
I’m curious if these British Airways changes stick
I love how airlines always love to describe changes as being due to customer feedback. Wouldn’t you be curious to know how exactly they tested these concepts with focus groups?
For the brunch changes, how do we think British Airways approached this?
- “On a flight departing at 9AM, would you appreciate the flexibility of being able to order brunch, rather than just lunch?”
- “On a flight departing at 11AM, where you’ll probably only eat at 12:30PM, how would you feel if two of the three meal options were breakfast items, like pancakes and scrambled eggs?”
I’d be even more curious about how the supper changes were described in focus groups:
- “On a flight departing after 9PM, would you like to have the option to have a quicker meal, so that you can get to sleep as soon as possible?”
- “On a flight departing after 9PM, how would you feel if we eliminated starters, and limited our main courses to things like salads and sandwiches?”
Something tells me that these changes were described somewhere along the lines of the first bullet point in each section, rather than along the lines of the second bullet point.
I am curious to see if these British Airways service changes last, because these really are some pretty drastic cuts that make British Airways’ inflight service uncompetitive in many long haul markets. Then again, when you dominate Heathrow, you don’t actually have to compete that much.
I’m guessing that British Airways thinks that people won’t like these changes, but won’t dislike them enough to book away from the airline. All too often, that’s the sweet spot for airlines.
Bottom line
British Airways has adjusted its meal service on long haul flights in a major way. On flights departing between 8:30AM and 11:30AM, the airline now serves brunch rather than lunch, where two of the three options are breakfast focused. Meanwhile on flights departing after 9PM, the airline now serves supper, which means there’s no starter, and even the main course options are things like salads and sandwiches.
But don’t forget, folks, this is due to customer feedback. This is what we wanted. So thank you, British Airways!!
What do you make of British Airways’ long haul flight meal changes?
Nowadays British Airways equals B***s**t Airways, They're constantly cancel the flight without liability or always delay due to out of their control.......I have stopped flying with them since last year.
This is the final straw for us in terms of previously being long-term loyal BA passengers taking 4-5 long haul flights a year. Ever since they put the dreadful Alex Cruz in charge it’s been cut after cut, whilst the fares have continued to rise. Those cuts in service offering have continued post his departure.
We are now charged premium fares for a service offering that would embarrass even some low cost operators.
I...
This is the final straw for us in terms of previously being long-term loyal BA passengers taking 4-5 long haul flights a year. Ever since they put the dreadful Alex Cruz in charge it’s been cut after cut, whilst the fares have continued to rise. Those cuts in service offering have continued post his departure.
We are now charged premium fares for a service offering that would embarrass even some low cost operators.
I recently paid £900 to upgrade from WTP to CW on a late night flight from ATL to LHR on the basis that we would be able to get a proper meal on the plane (the BA shared lounge at ATL is the worst I’ve ever been in & it’s impossible to get any proper food in there). Next step is to write to BA complaining and requesting a refund for the advertised service that they will no longer be offering.
Everyone is thinking of this from just a hub-LHR, direct flight, with business class lounge access, POV. What if you're connecting and a tight connection means no pre-flight dinner in the lounge? What if your departure airport doesn't offer a lounge with food worthy of being a dinner before a long-haul flight? What about late evening departures that aren't short transatlantic hops, but rather 10-14 hours long?
BA obviously subscribing to the Lufthansa method of "passenger enhancements". They tried this 20 years ago with their "sleeper service", it was a disaster and hastily rolled back. Expect the same here.
its sounds very very weird to me....
I ask if this is all long haul flights affected from all London Airports ? or just London Heathrow. We fly in middle November at 10.50, so we will be 'brunched'?
Thanks! :)
Upon reading some of the posts herein, one could easily conclude that some people are simply BA bashing, with little or no knowledge of the airline or services they offer.
They appear to have little or no knowledge of east/west transcontinental air travel in any cabin class.
Furthermore, have no respect for a world renowned airline rating organisation.
Many of the comments posted are worthless to anyone expecting a common sense opinion...
Upon reading some of the posts herein, one could easily conclude that some people are simply BA bashing, with little or no knowledge of the airline or services they offer.
They appear to have little or no knowledge of east/west transcontinental air travel in any cabin class.
Furthermore, have no respect for a world renowned airline rating organisation.
Many of the comments posted are worthless to anyone expecting a common sense opinion from supposedly seasoned travellers.
In essence, one appears to be reading occasional coach class comments from some who are unlikely to have travelled beyond their national borders.
Sorry but that is nonsense. I have been flying BA long haul 4-5 times a year for the past 20 years. I therefore am fully aware of their service offering. I’ve also experienced first hand how the likes of Cruz implemented cut after cut in a penny-pinching approach to the service offering, whilst prices have continued to increase.
BA fully deserve every bit of criticism that they’re getting for this disgraceful move.
I always order a meal, regardless if the menu has something I want or not. A flight attendent or airline employee flying on a pass may get it. Better them then nobody.
Most of the comments here seem to be referencing North America-LHR late evening flights, where many people do indeed prefer to eat in the lounge and maximize sleep. However, 14+-hour westbound flights from HKG or SIN to LHR, that leave between 10PM and midnight, are a totally different story - are they really going to offer a sandwich as the main meal? I kind of doubt it, but if they will, the blowback will be...
Most of the comments here seem to be referencing North America-LHR late evening flights, where many people do indeed prefer to eat in the lounge and maximize sleep. However, 14+-hour westbound flights from HKG or SIN to LHR, that leave between 10PM and midnight, are a totally different story - are they really going to offer a sandwich as the main meal? I kind of doubt it, but if they will, the blowback will be swift and hard, given the better alternatives on those routes.
We flew Economy from Austin, TX to LHR, 3 weeks ago. Our flight took off at 615 PM Local. We were served a lousy dinner upon takeoff....and 9h later as we came in to land at LHR, a tiny cup of lousy "coffee". No breakfast.
We were famished, and made a dash for the M&S Food store at LHR and got ourselves yummy M&S sandwiches, a carton of mango juice and a bag of delicious...
We flew Economy from Austin, TX to LHR, 3 weeks ago. Our flight took off at 615 PM Local. We were served a lousy dinner upon takeoff....and 9h later as we came in to land at LHR, a tiny cup of lousy "coffee". No breakfast.
We were famished, and made a dash for the M&S Food store at LHR and got ourselves yummy M&S sandwiches, a carton of mango juice and a bag of delicious chips.
We won't make the same mistake on our flight back next week. This time, We'll stock up on M&S sandwiches, a carton of mango juice and a bag of delicious chips for the return journey. BA can keep it's crappy "food".
The BA meal promises to be yucky!
I saw this much earlier on Oct 8 from a late night departure from BOM to LHR in CW. Didn’t make much of a difference as I’d loaded up in the GVK lounge before
I regularly fly BA in First or Business. I always decline the hot breakfast going east to LHR. There is Concorde Dining at the arrivals lounge after all.
But offering that as my main on a lunchtime westbound flight?
I would love to meet these people who provide the feedback. Reminds of a few years ago when Lufthansa said customer feedback was why they wanted to start charging people for sodas in economy class ("Sure, I would love to pay for a cup of Coca-Cola when flying!").
The repeated breakfasts problem is already pretty bad, frequently occurring while flying West regardless of airline. With these changes it's practically guaranteed on BA. If plane eggs and omelets weren't so universally terrible I'd not mind it, but there are rarely any truly good breakfasts regardless of airline. Unfortunately I suspect it'll stick as price and time dictate which route many companys allow their employees to fly.
You make it sound like having pancakes and chocolate cake is a bad thing!
"What about second breakfast? Elevensies?"
Thanks for the warning! I’m flying BA YVR to LHR next month. Guess I’ll eat before I board, though it’s not clear if I’ll have lounge access through my ticket OR Priority Pass. Maybe a restaurant?
BA84 from YVR leaves at 20:50, so I don't think these changes will impact you
@Ben Ive been told they are not replacing the dinner with supper but its an additional option for those who want a quick meal then goto sleep or dont fancy a full dinner service very much what VS do on overnight flights with the express options.
Sorry but that is nonsense. I have been flying BA long haul 4-5 times a year for the past 20 years. I therefore am fully aware of their service offering. I’ve also experienced first hand how the likes of Cruz implemented cut after cut in a penny-pinching approach to the service offering, whilst prices have continued to increase.
BA fully deserve every bit of criticism that they’re getting for this disgraceful move.
They already off the tray option (starter and desert) for those who don’t want a full meal and just want something quick before sleeping. Rest assured, this is yet another penny-pinching cut.
It’s called the great British Brunch but it offers pancakes.
Unless I’m missing something when werepancakes a great British brunch item?
Granted they are in USA but UK …….
Try flying Manchester (uk) on a first class ticket with a connecting flight to jfk. There is no BA lounge just an escape lounge which BA contract to. Their hot food option last week was chicken wings.
Great value
Take this as a REAL customer feedback.
I was giving this exact feedback for the last decade to BA.
I just want to pre select my meal option.
End this bull**** feedback from customer that doesn't even exist.
As a very regular paying BA customer, my feedback was freely given along with many of my friends, colleagues, etc.
The changes were requested by passengers and our opinions have been duly noted.
Talk about “Bull**** feedback” is inappropriate, inaccurate and sounds very much like sour grapes from someone who has probably never set foot inside a BA aircraft.
BA did introduce pre order in CW and First then the pandemic hit and they stopped, it was supposed to be starting again early last year but BA keep pushing back the date due to IT issues.
We just flew to Chicago yesterday - what a hot mess.
They ran out of chicken by the time they got to us (£ paid business ticket!) so offered the omelette … that we’d just had coming in from Dublin !
At least differentiate between long haul and short haul if you’re going to do this.
I’ll be avoiding BA long haul now, wish we’d chosen the schlep round to T3 to go on American (never something I thought I’d say!)
My experience on the BA flight from IAD - LHR that departs after 9pm is that nearly everyone in business class ate in the lounge and goes to sleep as soon as possible. Most skip breakfast, too.
JAL has a "no meal" option when booking, and for shorter overnight sectors like TATL where almost everyone sleeps the whole way that sounds like a good idea. It must surely reduce food waste.
I am reminded of my last BA trip, where I read BA's bragging about their superior DO&CO catering. I would dub them Don't and CO. The current bit is just BA notching down again and calling it an improvement.
How can we dispute customer feedback if we haven't seen the data? BA must be lying.
This is the same as Southwest reporting that customers prefer assigned seating. Like I'm gonna believe an airline that is eventually going to go bankrupt smh.
British Air is a bar in the sky. They should focus on booze, as it's their strong suit.
It is an edge versus the puritanical US airlines (pay for wine in Coach?).
That is another self-fulfilling prophecy by BA.
Provides poor quality food + mostly 5-8h flights + slow service -> passengers choose just to eat on the ground -> customer relations concluding that people don’t want to eat on board -> cut cost again on catering. Not a big fan of onboard food, but some airline’s plane food is clearly more appetizing than others.
The supper is ridiculous, you can use it for an intro Europe flight, but long haul? How can you serve a sandwich or a cheese plate as the only meal before a 12hs flight. Besides if some customers want that, then you can have the supper option between the dinner ones, like a normal and serious airline would, not force all your customers to a quick meal.
I actually like the supper concept for a late evening flight. Not all of us need to be stuffed at 10pm. Business class passengers have access to lounges and are likely eating a first dinner then.
Not every airport has a lounge which offers dinner options. Try flying out of ATL on a late departure. The non Delta lounge "The Club" offers mediocre cheese cubes..that's it.
And a lot of lounge food is dreadful
I’m with Andrew on this, Tom, not all lounge food is as you describe.
One of the major selling points of business class used to be flexibility...if you want a full meal at midnight there might be very good reasons why and BA shouldn't be choosing for you based on some arbitrary time.
@Andrew
Give customers the choice then. Let those who want the full meal to have it, and let those who want the express dinner to have that.
I can kind of understand the supper tbh. Even if a flight is 10 hours+, chances are that most people have eaten in the lounge and are not really interested in a full meal that late in the evening. And many prefer to get the lights out ASAP on late evening flights to maximise sleep. BA is not known for the swiftest meal service (unlike AA!).
The brunch is a total joke though. Even...
I can kind of understand the supper tbh. Even if a flight is 10 hours+, chances are that most people have eaten in the lounge and are not really interested in a full meal that late in the evening. And many prefer to get the lights out ASAP on late evening flights to maximise sleep. BA is not known for the swiftest meal service (unlike AA!).
The brunch is a total joke though. Even with a 10am departure, no one wants pancakes/omelette coming up on midday. Granted, it is a bit early for lunch, but it's still a better option than brunch. Personally, I'd prefer the light meal (usually served at the end of the flight) to be served at the beginning of the flight, and then have a full dinner before landing.
Agreed. I like the supper change. It's for flights departing after 9pm, which means you're eating at 10pm at the earliest. Most people don't want a large extended meal at that time, and having an extended service disturbs those trying to sleep.
The "brunch" change really sucks, though.
Yeah I also like the supper change but BA are following VS on the brunch concept which is receiving mixed reviews, have noticed a deterioration in the hot breakfast offerings though over the last few months, they have gone cheap on the sausages for sure.
I would like to have the option, and let me decide if I want an extended meal, I tend to fly LHR-GRU which is a 12hs flight that leaves at 21:15 and I’m really not interested in a cheese plate as a main course
I believe the supper is an option if you don’t fancy the full service.
Agreed especially cause LHR cuts a solid an hour or so of most transatlantic flights coming from North America
I’ve recently been affected by the cancellation of the LHR-KUL resumption. Out First back Club originally, but now rebooked on Qatar. Although downgraded to business on the outbound, it appears to have been an upgrade with these changes! As has been mentioned, BA doesn’t have to try too hard with its dominance at LHR. If BA really wants to be recognised as a leader it should simply ask itself, what would Singapore Airlines do?
"It’s also worth pointing out just how many breakfasts some passengers will have."
I bet some hobbit got hired to do this job at BA. "Yes, we had one breakfast. How about second breakfast?"
What is annoying is that they are marketing themselves as being a premium airline while doing many things like this. Like I'm not mad at Ryanair for being extremely cheap because it market's itself that's way.
"Then again, when you dominate Heathrow, you don’t actually have to compete that much." - Don't you though? First of all, you're usually competing with airlines from the destination country (e.g. SQ on SIN), but more importantly, BA still has a huge share of connecting traffic and these people can easily switch to AF for example. LHR O&D traffic is just a part of BA's business model.
My apologies, that was supposed to be posted in its own thread, not as a reaction.
Just when I thought BA was becoming more customer focused after the previous penny pinching it seems BA are up to their old tricks.. and it's a trick they never learn....'why spoil the ship for a h'penny of tar'
looking at my old First Class and business class menus, and the timing of the service, this is a badly thought through policy. Maybe Jo Public is paying for their Rolls Royce/Boeing issues.
Much...
Just when I thought BA was becoming more customer focused after the previous penny pinching it seems BA are up to their old tricks.. and it's a trick they never learn....'why spoil the ship for a h'penny of tar'
looking at my old First Class and business class menus, and the timing of the service, this is a badly thought through policy. Maybe Jo Public is paying for their Rolls Royce/Boeing issues.
Much as I want to stay loyal, I think the time has come to fly with a code share/One World member other than BA.
I can just shrug my shoulders. Saving in premium cabins in long-haul...
I would really like to see customer feedback-forms that suggested this.
Well, if it proves to be a bad idea in the long-term, those manager geniuses that introduced this will be on some other positions anyway.
Comms/PR people are so stupid, they expect gaslighting of this severity will be accepted by the rest of us. If you have a college aged son or daughter, and they major in communications, stop paying their tuition bill. Unless they agree to go to law school immediately afterward with the intent of becoming an associate at a top firm such as Paul, Weiss.
I’m OWE (BA Exec Club Gold) and often get survey forms. The last one was a few weeks ago and, once again, I complained that the quality of business class food had markedly deteriorated since those far-off sunny days when Do&Co was first awarded the catering contract. The quality is already pretty dismal.
Of the three carriers I use most frequently — BA, Iberia and KLM — BA is in a league below the...
I’m OWE (BA Exec Club Gold) and often get survey forms. The last one was a few weeks ago and, once again, I complained that the quality of business class food had markedly deteriorated since those far-off sunny days when Do&Co was first awarded the catering contract. The quality is already pretty dismal.
Of the three carriers I use most frequently — BA, Iberia and KLM — BA is in a league below the other two. I have cut back flying with them so much that KLM is now easily my most frequent choice, the other two equal second. When I fly east BA never gets my business: it’s usually Qatar. Again, it’s the excellent quality of the food, on top of everything else.
BA has a near-monopoly on Heathrow, but it forgets that the majority of the British don’t live in London. For most of us, KLM provides more shuttle service to AMS from more UK airports than BA does to LHR. BA is in danger of creating a burning platform for itself.
BA = Bloody Awful
Interestingly KW, according to SKYTRAX your rating of BA is somewhat at odds with their world rankings.
BA was actually rated 13th out of 100 in the world.
As a matter of further interest, no North American airline achieved a higher ranking than BA.
Bleeding Amazing I hear you say, yes?
Are you seriously citing Skytrax?
Aka, "Skytrash".
Pete, if you wish to be taken seriously you really do need to be more forthcoming with your statements.
Do try to explain to those who read the comments exactly why you posted such trivia?
Yes, you are correct, I read the SKYTRAX reviews and annual airline ratings, doesn’t everyone?
Are you seriously discounting the SKYTRAX customer surveys?
If that is the case then perhaps you might enlighten the readers with your reasons why?
Yawn. So original.