Why British Airways should bring back free food.

In the latest of our British Airways series, we look at why the decision to end free food in economy has contributed to their downward spiral. British Airways said that the decision to end free food on short haul Economy flights was not based on cost saving, but on customer choice – they wanted to allow customers to choose what they wanted to eat and some people would not want to eat so why should they have to essentially pay for free food that they didn’t want.

Great idea in theory – however it was very badly sold.

But if British Airways had researched this idea from a Behavioural Economics point of view they would have found that  what people think they want, what they say they want and what they actually want are 3 very different things. And the most important factor overlooked here is the power of free.

People love free stuff. FACT. Whether it’s good or bad stuff, it’s free.

If you take away something that is free, people feel like they are missing out.

If you then add a limited choice where they can pay for something, you are making it a double whammy

Removal of free and the pain of paying. Ouch, that was never going to end well.

The choice of M&S sandwiches may have seemed like a good idea at the time – a ‘premium’ brand. But that further upsets people, because 1 They are priced higher than in the shop and 2 It’s a limited choice, if I was getting a sandwich for lunch, it would not be a £4.50 M&S one. And £2 for a cup of tea – it’s a tea bag in hot water. With every transaction, customers are feeling ripped off.

You are taking something away that was once free and you are making them pay for something they wouldn’t particularly choose.

Maybe if the marketing had been better – treat yourself in Economy or something that would have helped.

But if it wasn’t about cost then they should have played it so much smarter.

Lots of people complained about the quality of food when it was free. Use that – better quality, your choice, and still free. WooHoo.

Go one step further – don’t fancy a sandwich – here’s £5 off your next BA flight.

Was the cost of providing sandwiches any more than the cost of providing those free meals?  – surely not. They should have stayed free. Should free food be brought back on British Airways economy short haul flights? Yes we all know they will add the ‘free’ element into the flight cost but the pricing is so unfathomable, who would notice?

Making the customer happy and giving them a good experience should be the number one priority – customers will return and recommend to friends, family and colleagues.

Often it’s not what you do but how you do it. Lessons need to be learned from Behavioural Science.

What do you think? Is it too late for British Airways? Would going back to ‘free’ food help take them out of the ‘Expensive Budget Airline’ Category?

Check out our other articles in the series, including what they do well, what they need to do better and why we paid £386 to prebook seats (yes and how we got these non-refundable seats refunded). We still love British Airways, mainly due to their Air Miles Program (Avios) taking us to San Francisco and Toyko in style for massive savings. Our updated beginners Air Miles guide gives you an introduction. Enjoy. T