MORE Onboard Service Cutbacks to save money update

[mitchja]

Having just flown economy here's what was on my sparse looking tray on the VS045 to JFK:

Main hot meal
Very very small portion of cold pasta (we are talking one or maybe two mouthfuls - that's it!!!)
Chocolate Gu desert
Bread roll & butter
Foil capped small water cup

So it looks like the desert is going as there's already no other sweet items on economy trays.

I should say though, the food was actually quite good, better than I've had for some time now.

Overall on-board cabin service in Y was fantastic especially considering the A346 was full in all cabins except for 2 Y seats, which was great to see [y] Full TR on it's way.

Regards

I will reiterate that there will be no change to the meal trays out of London, the GU pot, will remain, it is only on some of our other routes back into london where there is, in addition to the desert a chocolate or sweet, it is this that is being removed.

[HighFlyer]

quote:Originally posted by Sealink
quote:Originally posted by McMaddog
Forgetting for a moment comparisons with other airlines, my mother travelled on PE for the first time last month. She remarked that the service reminded her of economy back in the 70s. It does make me think - if you remove tax, has economy ever been cheaper? Perhaps that's what has happened. As economy continues to get cheaper the product diminishes and another product, in VS's case PE, steps into the breach, and is perhaps at a price more related to that of economy in the 70s.


AFAIK, in real terms there has been no change in the price of economy tickets for years...
[/quote]

And to me, that is the crux of the problem. Scheduled airlines prices have not really changed over the years, despite the tax growing and growing, because of the introduction of LCC carriers who continually push the price down. Its 'great for the consumer' so we are told, but you can see how frighteningly difficult it is for an airline to make any real profit when costs are going up but they are charging the same prices as many years ago.

Thanks,
Sarah

Hmm, reminds me, it's been so long since I've been on an earlier flight from LHR to NYC (I normally get the last one of the day to either JFK or EWR), I've been meaning to ask do they still serve ice cream a few hours after the main meal? A flight I took in April coming back to NYC, there were maybe 50 or 60 of us in economy, one of the lightest loads I've seen in a long while, and I was talking to one of the cabin crew, and mentioned I really fancied some ice cream, did they have any stashed away somewhere. She said the 'night flights' don't get ice cream anymore, but she wished they did, as a lot of people do ask for it. I remember the first time I flew VS, back in 2000, I was so overly excited when they came round with ice cream. Ahh those were the days!

[honey lamb]

According to mitchja's trip report from Friday, they still are serving ice cream