British Airways has unveiled a new Speedbird Café pre-order menu for customers in Euro Traveller and I must admit the menu looks quite appealing.
British Airways Unveils Speedbird Café Pre-Order Menu For Short Haul Flights
During the pandemic, British Airways has eliminated its buy-on-board service in an effort to reduce interaction between crewmembers and passengers. It has hinted that its onboard menu will return at a future point with a different menu and has now unveiled that menu.
Partnering with Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, British Airways will offer a number of British comfort foods including:
- Warm Steak & Ale Pie
- Ham Hock & Smoked Cheddar Sandwich
- Spiced Cauliflower Tortilla Wrap
- Chicken, Bacon and Celery Brioche
- Brie Ploughman’s Sandwich
You can view the full menu here. Kerridge explains why he chose the menu items he did here:
(if you didn’t watch the video, it is because the hot items chosen best heat without becoming soggy)
Food must be pre-ordered at www.highlifeshop.com no less than 12 hours prior to your flight. The point of pre-ordering is to reduce food waste. New packaging will also cut down on plastic waste.
Importantly, British Airways has not announced a start date for the new service yet. Full meal service is returning to Club Europe (business class) and longhaul cabins on January 20, 2021, but BA has indicated only that this new meal service will be available during the first quarter.
Furthermore, British Airways will not eliminate the free water bottle and snack currently offered on all Euro Traveller (shorthaul economy class) flights. This will continue to be available, with snacks appropriate to the time of day.
CONCLUSION
The new menu looks tasty and is reasonably priced at under £5 per item. I also give British Airways credit for keeping bottled water and a small snack complimentary, though it would be nice if coffee and tea were also included at no extra cost.
What are your thoughts on the new British Airways menu?
These look infinitely better than the Carbo-bombs UA is offering
You seem to have a typo in “interaction between crew members…”
This should be introduced by Delta on domestic flights. Pre order what you want: free for First Class / Diamond members and reduced cost for Comfort+ and other elites. No food wastage, little crew/passenger interaction and everyone is happy.
Agreed!
This definitely a move in the right direction for BA to be able to distinguish itself from it’s LCC competitors.
Two issues jump to mind…
1: IRROPs – what happens when someone misses their connection and they’re put on, say, the next shuttle to Edinburgh. Quite sure they won’t be running around transferring that person’s pie over. As they won’t be selling anything on board the pie will go on the original flight and then presumably be binned. What about that person’s refund? Will they even get a refund?
2: You probably won’t be able to get a second G&T or an impromptu bag of Haribo. AirAsia delivers the pre-ordered first, then runs the cart down with a smaller selection and the drinks. Some version of this would be most sensible.
I cannot imagine BA would not load extra beverages and shelf-stable snacks onboard to run though a couple services with the cart. That would just be money left on the table.