British Airways ‘downgrades’ in-flight brunch service as passengers accuse airline of cutting costs

British Airways has introduced a new brunch service on long-haul flights, and frequent flyers have accused the airline of scrambling to cut costs.

From 15 October, the extended breakfast for lunch meals will be served on flights that depart between 8.30am and 11.29am.

Menu items for the primary inflight meal across seat categories now include cheese frittatas, Belgian waffles and poached eggs on sourdough.

Previously, grilled halibut, chicken wellington and a vegetarian korma were main course options in First Class.

An appetiser, dessert and wine will reportedly all still be offered with the breakfast tray.

As meal services cannot start until an aircraft reaches cruising altitude – 30,000 feet or higher – Club World passengers sitting towards the back of the aircraft on flights taking off after 11am may not be served until around 1.30pm.

BA said that the new brunch service was implemented in line with positive customer feedback on classic brunch dishes and lighter lunch options.

The flag carrier airline has also cut back on meal options for late-night flights.

On departures after 9pm, BA passengers will no longer receive appetisers or have a choice of dessert. Main meals will now feature items such as paninis, soup and salads.

The lighter ‘goodnight’ menu is designed to help customers maximise their onboard sleep according to the airline.

A full meal service will still be included on some of BA’s long-haul flights.

Several frequent flyers said they considered the changes “cheap” and a “major downgrade” of the service.

In a thread on Flyer Talk, on BA passenger said: “This looks like simple cost-cutting to me, reducing canapés from 3 to 1 and adding in some cheap nuts and olives.”

Another wrote: “The contents of brunch aside I don’t really get the 11.29am cut off. For any flight after 11 I very much doubt you will be getting a main course until well after Noon in First, likely a lot later if there is any ground delay.”

A spokesperson for British Airways said: “We’re incredibly proud of our premium dining experience, which includes a wide range of meal options to suit the preferences of our customers depending on the time of day they’re travelling. We trialled our new brunch offering with thousands of customers across numerous routes and received extremely positive feedback on both the quality and variety of options offered.”

Simon Calder, travel correspondent at The Independent, always flies in economy class on British Airways – but recognises the importance of happy business- and first-class passengers to travellers in the cheap seats.

He said: “During most of November, I can fly from London Heathrow to New York JFK for £456 return on British Airways. The cheapest Club World (business-class) return ticket I can find is £3,528 – nearly eight times as much.

“With a full Club cabin, BA is not too concerned about what it can earn from economy class. Let’s hope the airline is sensitive to the preferences of those business passengers who bankroll the operation.”

British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) claimed in February that it will spend £7bn overall on BA over the next three years on areas such as IT – after a string of systems-related operational meltdowns – and new aircraft.

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