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

British Airways has introduced a new brunch service on long-haul flights, with frequent flyers accusing the airline of trying to cut costs.

Beginning October 15, expanded breakfast and lunch will be served on flights departing between 8:30 a.m. and 11:29 a.m.

Onboard main meal menu items for all seat categories now include cheese frittatas, Belgian waffles and poached eggs on sourdough.

Previously, the main course in First Class was grilled halibut, chicken Wellington and vegetarian korma.

An appetizer, dessert and wine will reportedly continue to be offered with the breakfast tray.

Because meals cannot begin until the aircraft reaches cruising altitude (30,000 feet or higher), Club World passengers seated in the rear of the aircraft on flights departing after 11:00 a.m. cannot be served until approximately 1:30 p.m. .

BA said the new brunch service has been implemented following positive customer feedback on classic brunch dishes and lighter lunch options.

The flagship airline has also reduced the number of dining options on overnight flights.

When departing after 21:00, BA passengers will no longer receive a choice of snacks and dessert. Main courses will now include items such as paninis, soup and salads.

The lighter goodnight menu is designed to help customers maximize their sleep time on board, the airline said.

Full meals will continue to be included on some long-haul BA flights.

Several frequent flyers said they felt the changes were “cheap” and a “significant downgrade” in the quality of the service.

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

Another wrote: “Brunch content aside, I really don’t understand how to switch off before 11:29am. For any flight after 11, I highly doubt you’ll get your main course much later than noon on First, and most likely much later if there’s any delay on the ground.

A British Airways spokesman said: “We are incredibly proud of our premium dining experience, which offers a wide range of food options to suit our customers’ preferences depending on the time of day they travel. We have trialled our new brunch offering with thousands of customers across multiple routes and have received overwhelmingly positive feedback on both the quality and variety of options on offer.”

Simon Calder, travel correspondent Independentalways flies economy class on British Airways, but recognizes the importance of happy business and first class passengers to travelers on cheap seats.

He said: “For most of November I can fly from London Heathrow to New York (JFK) for £456 return on British Airways. The cheapest return Club World (business class) ticket I can find costs £3,528 – almost eight times more expensive.

“With a full club cabin, BA isn’t too worried about how much it can make on economy class. Let us hope that the airline is sensitive to the preferences of the business passengers who fund this operation.”

British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) said in February it would spend a total of £7 billion on BA over the next three years in areas such as IT (following a string of systems-related operational failures) and new aircraft.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast.