It turns out that most travelers do not know what they want as a snack more than 24 hours prior to their travels. British Airways appears to have learned this lesson as the carrier will enable in-flight ordering from its buy-on-board menu for departures from its Heathrow base.
We think that this new digital ordering proposition, coupled with our pre-purchase option is a winning combination, catering for everyone’s needs.
– Tom Stevens, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience
The revised ordering process covers only shelf-stable food items, as well as drinks. Passengers who want a more substantial fresh food selection must still pre-order well ahead of their travel. That means less waste, but also still limited flexibility for travelers.
Read More: British Airways revamps Speedbird Cafe, requires advance purchase
The new ordering system also requires that travelers order and pay digitally through the on-board WiFi portal rather than simply asking the crew for a drink. On the plus side, this is enabled through a simple web interface rather than the more onerous option of requiring a traveler to use the carrier’s app on their mobile device.
On the down side, it is still a digital-only experience. While increasingly rare, this approach still excludes some passengers from time to time.
In-flight ordering remains unavailable on the company’s shortest “express” routes, including:
- Manchester
- Jersey
- Paris (CDG and ORY)
- Amsterdam
- Brussels
- Dublin
- Newcastle
- Newquay
The service also remains unavailable on flights inbound to Heathrow and all short-haul flights to and from Gatwick.
Delivery of the on-board purchases will follow the complimentary drinks and pre-flight orders.
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