British Airways Hits Turbulence With ‘Buy On Board’ Food And Drink Program

Long gone are the days where you would be guaranteed a meal (or two) on your flight. Many airlines have done away with meals and are charging incremental fees, like for checked bags and food for purchase on board. While many airlines have simplified options down to a free bag of peanuts and a charge for an adult beverage, others have opted to charge flyers for a sandwich or snack box should they feel hungry. Very few still will provide meals for passengers.

According to Forbes, this week, British Airways (BA) — one of the last ones to keep those full meals and bellies aboard its flights — is now also charging for food and drinks aboard its European flights. The announcement came back in September, but the airline started its new buy on board (BOB) program this week.

And, already it’s received some turbulence.

The reasoning behind the new program is, of course, related to saving money, which many airlines have been trying to achieve.  BA now falls under International Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling. And indeed, there are a slew of conditions that airlines have to consider and deal with, from jet fuel prices, to terrorism’s affect on traveling, to weather — all which can have a significant and quick effect on the bottom line.

BA claims that its food and beverage options won’t be high like some low-cost competitors, many of which have had BOB programs for a number of decades.

Of course, American domestic flyers in coach are used to major airlines providing only the basics — coffee, tea and soft drink — with a side of pretzels or peanuts (the latter if there isn’t a food allergy aboard the plane) for free. There have been some airlines that have attempted to charge for those free drinks but have received angry customer feedback and thus reestablished that free offering. Those passengers in first or business class have generally held onto a meal or snack.

However, under BA’s new model for domestic flights, even those paying an arm, leg or both for a first-class ticket will still have to pay for that desired meal, beverage, those peanuts or even that bottle of water.

Flight crews have already showed their frustration, stating that they have received little training on the new program. At the same time, the food options on board haven’t been sufficient — some flights were not loaded enough, some not at all. And on top of that, the payment card system hasn’t worked seamlessly, with the airline not accepting cash. Customers on social media have pinged BA asking if it’s still considered a “full-service” airline or not.

Of course, this is still the first week, but analysts speculate that this is not BA’s best idea for revving its revenue engine. Over time, goodwill and reputation could suffer. Customers who pay expensive high fares and can’t receive a free bottle of water or coffee may take their business elsewhere. Analysts question how much revenue it is worth to save less than a few dollars on a customer to lose even more.