British Airways travels further down the 'low-cost' route by taking away the recline on it's short-haul route network. Soon passengers will not have that little touch of comfort when the new fleet of aircraft based at Heathrow will be installed with the non-reclining seats.
The 35 Airbus A320neo and A321neo planes that are scheduled to arrive soon will be without the recline button but instead, have a fixed "gentle recline".
It put British Airways more on an equal footing with other low-cost carriers, such as easyJet and Ryanair who already utilise seats that cannot be adjusted/reclined, which save money in the long run.
As well as the new arrivals having no recline, British Airways will also completely refurbish all its existing Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, where the reclining seats will be removed. However, the airline will introduce in-seat power points as well as introducing onboard wi-fi, for sky high fees
It's the latest cost-cutting measure British Airways is taking on its road away from traditional legacy flag carrier to both short and long-haul budget airline. Other moves have included the ending of free meal and drinks on short-haul flights. The cramming of an extra seat in each row of its 777's to form a 10 abreast configuration rather than the usual 9.
BA is also changing its long-haul meal offerings introducing a four-course meal (if you include the two crackers and a bite-sized chunk of cheese.)
From the 17th of January, in addition to the four-course meal, passengers may also be getting -
· Second meal or substantial snack depending on the length of the flight
· Regional meal options served according to destination
· Magnum ice-creams
· Tuck box with chocolates and crisps
· Hot breakfast on longer overnight flights
· Graze movie-snack box on longer* flights
· Complimentary drinks from the bar
Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ director of brand and customer experience, said: “Our customers tell us that when they’re taking a long-haul flight, great food and beverages make a real difference to them. It’s a huge driver of customer satisfaction so we want to make sure we deliver a great experience. With this multi-million pound investment, we’ve focused on introducing more quantity and quality to the catering, delivering tasty meals and great snacking options throughout the flight.
“Our new four-course main meal has been developed by our team of chefs to be full of flavour at 35,000ft and we’ve created regional options depending on the route. The second meal option is either a tasty sandwich or a more substantial pizza wrap, both served with additional snacks, depending on the length of the flight.”
“Our customers have also told us they want to be able to save some items for later in the flight, so we’ve replaced the water cup with a bottle of Highland Spring on the first meal, and added Graze snack boxes on our longest flights. We’re also offering Magnum ice-creams on daylight flights from London and a Tuck Box on inbound and overnight flights.”
The airline’s customers will be welcomed with pretzels and a drink. Once they are settled in, they will be served a four-course meal such as a starter of couscous salad, followed by a main course of chicken casserole with an ale sauce, colcannon mash and seasonal vegetables, or a vegetarian tomato, farfalle and vegetable dish. Dessert will be a Pots & Co salted caramel and chocolate mousse, followed by biscuits and cheese. The meal will be accompanied by a bread roll and a bottle of Highland Spring water.
On the shorter daylight long-haul flights to destinations such as New York and Dubai, fliers will also receive a sandwich such as egg and cress with a chocolate or Nutri-Grain bar. Those on longer daylight flights to destinations such as Cape Town and Hong Kong will receive a hot meal, such as a pizza wrap or a regional option, with a pot of pasta, a chocolate brownie and a drink as well as a smokehouse BBQ crunch Graze movie-snack box. A hot English breakfast will also be served on these longer flights that operate overnight.
Customers on daylight flights from London will be offered a range of Magnum ice-creams, while those on night flights will be offered a tuck-box with options such as Dairy Milk Buttons, Twix, Kit-Kats and Mini Cheddars, which will also be available in the galley for them to help themselves to.
The airline is also serving regional main meal options around its network, such as chicken in spicy cheng du sauce on flights to and from to China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea, kathrikai milagu seeragam and channa dal on flights to and from Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai and acchari veg and dal palak on flights to and from Bangalore and Delhi. On flights to the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia,) customers can enjoy chicken in spicy Arabic sauce.
Special meals will also be available from £15. The airline has yet to announce when it will start making a charge for its long-haul meal service, although industry insiders have indicated it could be as soon as the start of the winter season this year.
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