Let them eat free snacks: British Airways brings complimentary food and drinks back
British Airways (BA) has decided to reintroduce complimentary food and drinks aboard its short-haul flights after removing them as part of a cost-cutting policy that was set up six years ago.
“You’ve told us you appreciate the complimentary water and snacks we’ve been offering on short-haul flights in our Euro Traveller cabin, so we’ll be continuing with these too,” said BA’s chief executive Sean Doyle in a letter to customers sent yesterday, the Telegraph reported.
Doyle added that the move, which was introduced by his predecessor Alex Cruz, was a mistake.
“I’m not seeking to make excuses for things that should have gone better. What I am doing is making a personal commitment to you that we will build a better British Airways,” he added.
BA’s decision was welcomed by customers. One said it was “about time BA upped its game”, while another tweeted: “For me getting rid of snacks and drinks in euro traveller was a big turn off. We used to save avios over the year and then use them to fly to Malaga from gatters in peak season.”
In the last few years, hundreds of people have complained of BA’s standards, accusing the airlines of offering a poor service to compete with low-cost carriers. Customers recently lambasted BA’s call centres for its hour-long waiting times, the outlet reported.
“My number one priority is to address the customer call centre issues many of you have experienced and may still be experiencing,” Doyle added.