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For some years now, British Airways has stopped offering free snacks and drinks in Euro Traveler, as Economy Class is called on flights within Europe. The airline worked with Marks & Spencer to offer snacks for sale in Economy Class.

This changed a little during the Corona crisis, so that in Economy Class a free bottle of water and a small snack like a chocolate bar were again offered free of charge. In autumn 2020, British Airways also announced that the cooperation with Marks & Spencer would end shortly. The airline is now presenting its new catering concept, the British Airways Speedbird Café.

British Airays Speedbird Café – pre-order food

The most important innovation in the new Euro Traveler Catering on board is that the snacks can only be ordered in advance. From January 20, 2021, this can be done online up to 12 hours before departure. Apart from the British Airways Speedbird Café, however, the airline will continue to maintain the free refreshment with a small snack that was introduced last year, which is a significant improvement over recent years. By pre-ordering, on the one hand, it is intended to ensure that passengers actually get their preferred meal, on the other hand, this strategy helps to reduce waste and thus become a bit more sustainable.

The new catering offer was developed together with Tom Kerridge, an award-winning chef from England. The new offer includes a Ham Hock & Smoked Cheddar Sandwich (approx. 4.50 euros), a Chicken & Bacon Brioche (approx. 5.00 euros), the Steak & Ale Pie (approx. 5.00 euros) or a spicy cauliflower tortilla wrap (approx. 4.70 euros).

Aside from the new dishes from Tom Kerridge, passengers can also order various drinks and of course other smaller snacks such as chips, chocolate, etc. via the Highlife Shop . Wines start at around 5.50 euros, a 0.2l bottle of Freixenet Prosecco costs around 7.20 euros and a gin and tonic costs just under 9 euros. Duty-free items can also be pre-ordered.

WiFi on board the Airbus short-haul fleet

The new catering concept is only part of British Airways’ new quality offensive for short-haul flights. The airline is now offering WiFi for sale on all Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aircraft used in Europe. The costs vary depending on the route: the price for one hour is around 5.50 euros, and up to 11 euros for the entire flight, depending on the route.

From January 20, 2021, a new catering concept will also be introduced for Club Europe and on all long-haul British Airways flights. After the catering on board was significantly reduced and offered in cardboard boxes due to the Corona crisis in 2020 , the quality should be significantly improved this year. In collaboration with DO&CO, new dishes for passengers in Club Europe and on long-haul flights were developed. In addition, the service will again include regular dishes and glasses.

Photos: (c) British Airways