LONDON- British Airways (BA) has downsized its Club Europe Business Class meals on domestic routes such as London Heathrow (LHR) to Edinburgh (EDI), replacing hot breakfasts with lighter cold options.
The move stems from BA’s supersized Club Europe cabins, where crew struggle to serve hot meals to 50+ passengers within short flight times.
Photo: British AirwaysBritish Airways Changes Meals
British Airways has changed the traditional Full English Breakfast and vegetarian omelette from its short-haul domestic Business Class meal. Passengers now receive fruit, yogurt, and a pain au chocolat, a meal of around 501 calories.
The change caught passengers by surprise, as there was no formal announcement. Many only discovered the reduced service upon boarding flights from London (LHR) to Edinburgh (EDI) or Aberdeen (ABZ).
Menus posted online by disappointed travelers confirmed the new offering. Cabin crew explained this is a trial designed to save time and reduce meal complexity.
Reported by PYOK, the trial directly addresses the difficulty of delivering hot meals in enlarged Club Europe cabins on short domestic sectors.
Photo: British AirwaysCabin Configuration and Service Challenges
European Business Class cabins differ from US premium cabins. Instead of wider seats, passengers sit in regular Economy seats with the middle seat blocked for comfort. Airlines can shift a divider to expand or shrink the premium section based on demand, maximizing revenue.
This flexibility allows BA to sell more Business Class seats, but it also creates pressure on the crew.
On short routes such as London to Edinburgh (335 miles), serving hot meals to an expanded cabin within 50 minutes of flight time is nearly impossible. Simplified meals are therefore more practical.
BA Chief Executive Sean Doyle has noted that Club Europe is “more popular than ever,” but this popularity has created new service challenges.
British Airways Airbus A320 G-EUYV | Photo: Alexander Lang / FlickrClub Europe on Domestic Flights
Until 2017, British Airways did not offer Club Europe on domestic routes. Its introduction aimed to give long-haul Business Class passengers connecting through London a consistent premium experience for their entire journey.
This change came shortly after BA removed free food and drinks in short-haul Economy, making Club Europe the only way to enjoy complimentary refreshments on domestic flights.
The downsized breakfast is the latest in a series of controversial catering experiments by British Airways:
- Serving breakfast for lunch on long-haul Club World flights
- Offering paninis as hot dinner on transatlantic flights from the East Coast
- Removing bottled water from World Traveller (Economy) meal trays
All of these sparked backlash and were later reversed, but the new Club Europe change reflects BA’s ongoing attempts to balance cost, efficiency, and service.
International Comparison
When compared globally, BA’s offering remains competitive. In the US, many carriers provide little more than snack baskets on sub 900 mile flights. By contrast, even the reduced Club Europe meal is still more substantial.
However, for passengers accustomed to a hot breakfast service, the downgrade feels like a significant step back in BA’s premium offering.
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The post British Airways Changes Hot Meals in Club Europe Domestic Flights appeared first on Aviation A2Z.
