Both Star Alliance member Avianca and Oneworld stalwart British Airways announced changes to their business class in the past days. The Colombian airline reversed course on its two-year-old decision to stop selling short-haul business class tickets. While this is a positive development, there is worse news from the other side of the pond. British Airways officially announced it will extend brunch and supper services in their premium cabins. What seems like a nice touch actually means that serving times for hot meals will be cut down drastically.
Avianca Re-Introduces Regional Business Class
Two years ago, Avianca decided to retro-fit large parts of their Airbus A320 fleet to an all-economy-class layout. It allowed them to increase capacity by plane from 150 (12 business + 138 economy seats) to 180 seats across their Airbus A320 fleet. These planes are mainly deployed on domestic routes, but also operate trips to Mexico, the United States, Brazil or Argentina – flights that surpass the five-hour-mark.
That move did not sit well with customers. Business class connections from and to Europe became especially unattractive as a result. Spending four hours in economy class following ten hours in a lie-flat does not seem that pleasant by itself. It further minimized mileage earnings for the regional feeders. Unsurprisingly, customers turned to the competition for travel beyond Colombia.
The mix of cabin classes also complicated ticket sales on prestigious routes from Bogotá to destinations like Miami or Mexico City. On these connections, the airline deployed both their Boeing 787 and Airbus A320 fleet, thus selling business class tickets, but not for every flight. While the new regional business doesn’t live up to the long-haul business of the wide bodies, it is at least a distinct travel class.
Similar to what European airlines offer in their short-haul fleet, Avianca’s new regional business class consists of economy class seating with a blocked middle seat. Guests also receive better (and free) catering and enjoy priority services at the airports. While it’s currently mainly available from Bogotá, Avianca once again sells business class tickets for departures from its other hubs Medellín and San Salvador in 2025. While the additional comfort is not too much to talk about, it makes Avianca a more viable option for mileage runs in the region.
Source: OMAAT
British Airways Cuts Meal Times in First and Business
While Avianca is rolling back a mistake they made 2 years ago, British Airways is ready to make a new one. The airline has announced it will be extending its breakfast service in business and first class until 11:30 departures, calling it brunch. It may sound like passengers having the choice between lunch and breakfast items, but they don’t. The options are three brunch items or nothing. Furthermore, departures after 21:00 can expect supper instead of dinner. The result is that both appetizers and hot main courses are missing from the menu.
So the real news is that people spending quadruple digits on a premium ticket now have to depart between 11:30 and 21:00 in order to get a warm, three-course meal to start their flight. Outside this window, either an entire course is taken off the menu or main dishes are scaled back in size and variety. Sometimes both is the case.
At least the change in the evening makes somewhat sense, as eastbound flights are short and sleep is valuable. Though, it would be nice to at least have a choice instead of British Airways choosing for you. It’s even harder to defend British Airways’ decision to serve brunch instead of lunch, as it seems absolutely ludicrous. Especially if a flight leaves after 11:00, it usually takes about 90 minutes to prepare and serve the food. So you either have pancakes for lunch (probably after devouring something hearty in the lounge); or start your premium experience with baked beans and hash browns. And while there is nothing wrong with crispy potatoes and sweet tomato sauce – it’s not exactly how you’d imagine yourself starting your trip to New York on an expensive ticket.
Changes are Already Implemented
The changes are already in place, as the airline started switching menus on October 15, 2024. This FlyerTalk member shared a picture of his brunch selection from London to Washington on October 17. The pancakes as a business class lunch brunch option did not receive much love on that flight.
All things considered, this is a well disguised cost-cutting measure from the airline. It generated less buzz or outrage than eliminating free bags (like Finnair) or cutting lounge access (like Qatar Airways). However, it devalues British Airways’ most expensive tickets – and makes their first and business class products less competitive. Because of that, the criticism among frequent flyers is quite vocal.
Source: OMAAT