British Airways has introduced a new digital ordering platform that allows guests to purchase food and beverages from the Speedbird Café menu directly from their seats. The service will roll out on select flights from July 19th, and then on most short-haul flights from LHR.
On Wednesday (July 14, 2021), British Airways announced the launch of a new digital ordering platform which will allow guests to order food and drinks from the Speedbird Café menu directly from their seats in the air. The new service will complement the carrier’s existing ‘Buy Before You Fly’ offering, which includes the full Speedbird Café menu as well as items from the Tom Kerridge range. Pre-flight orders can also be made via highlife.com up to 12 hours prior to departure, or 24 hours in advance for inbound flights to Heathrow and Gatwick. The new onboard ordering service will initially be available on select routes from July 19th, before being rolled out to all short-haul flights on departure from London Heathrow.
In Wednesday’s announcement, British Airways’ Director of Customer Experience, Tom Stevens, said,
“The feedback we have had from customers who have been able to travel and have ordered from our new Speedbird Café has been extremely encouraging. The Tom Kerridge range, in particular, has gone down a treat. We know that customers like being able to purchase their food in advance of travel and guarantee their first choice, however we also understand the importance of an extra cup of tea or a gin and tonic, in the moment. We think that this new digital ordering proposition, coupled with our pre-purchase option is a winning combination, catering for everyone’s needs.”
The new digital onboard ordering system will allow customers to add to an existing pre-order, and for those who didn’t place an advance order to do so at any time during the flight. To place an order, guests will simply connect to the onboard Wi-Fi service free of charge via shop.ba.com and click on the ‘shop’ option, which will display a virtual menu with the range of drinks and snacks on offer. Orders can be completed with all major credit and debit cards or with Avios.
British Airways will continue to offer a complimentary bottle of water and snack to all customers onboard. The new in-seat ordering option follows the successful launch of ‘Your Menu’ in British Airways’ London Heathrow lounges, which enables digital table service by simply scanning a QR code. Due to extremely short flight times, the service will not be available on express routes, including flights to Manchester, Jersey, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Newcastle and Newquay.
Source: British Airways