DURBAN - European airline British Airways has announced a multi-million pound investment in their World Traveller catering that we see South Africans be treated to restaurant style dining when they travel to London.
World Traveller (long-haul economy cabin) catering will have an expanded menu that will offer quality and quantity snacking and meal options throughout the flight.
The changes are a part of the airline's £4.5 billion investment for customers over the next 5 years.
Before customers were only served a complimentary snack, a three course meal or a light meals (depending on the time and length of the flight) and a complimentary bar service of hot and cold drinks.
Some of the airline's new options include the following:
- Pretzels with a welcome drink
- Tuck Box with chocolates and chips
- Hot breakfast on longer overnight flights
- Complimentary drinks from the bar
The new menu will start from January 17th and will change every 6 months.
British Airways new Club World bedding and amenity kit by The White Company
Photo: Supplied
The British Airways Director of Brand and Customer Experience, Carolina Martinoli 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”.
According to Martinoli, the new four-course meal has been developed by the airline’s team fo chefs to be full of flavour at 35000 and they have crafted regional options that depend on the route.
The Magnum ice-creams will be available on the day flights from London while a Tuck Box will be available on inbound and overnight flights.
The four-course meal will start with couscous salad followed by a main of chicken casserole with ale sauce, colcannon mash and seasonal vegetables, or a vegetarian tomato, farfalle and vegetable dish. The dessert will be Pots & Co salted caramel and chocolate mousse and thereafter biscuits and cheese.
The new food service and curated wine selection will be available on all direct flights between London and Johannesburg and Cape Town as well as the new direct London/Durban route.
Along with the food service and wine selection, the multi-billion pound investment will also cover the installation of Wi-Fi and power for every seat.
The airline is also improving the Cub World experience on its South African routes by introducing new bedding by the White Company. The new bedding has been available since February for Johannesburg and March for Cape Town routes.
The cost of these services is included in ticket prices and ticket prices vary according to the date of travel.
Airline improvements
This week fastjet announced that they will include the first item of checked luggage and the snack or refreshment in all the tickets that are sold.
Nick Bezuidenhoit, the Chief Executive of fastejet said, "we have listened to our customers and redeveloped our product to better match what travellers on our network expect from a value-airline".
FlySafair added also added a new feature in 2018 that made it easier for passengers to pay for in-flight refreshments. According to Fin24 Tech, the airline launched AviaPay a mobile point of sale payment system that allowed passengers to buy in-flight refreshments using their debit or credit card.
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