The evidence points to mixed customer effects, not proof that cost savings caused every service problem. Which?’s 2025 survey found weak ratings for BA’s long-haul flights and customer contact, while reporting on a premium-cabin brunch change described passenger dissatisfaction. But BA and parent company IAG also report investments and digital tools intended to improve service and disruption handling. The available evidence does not isolate the customer impact of individual savings measures.
What counts as a cost-saving measure?
BA’s turnaround has included both efficiency work and customer-facing investment, which should not be treated as the same thing. In March 2024, British Airways described a £7 billion investment programme over two years covering technology, aircraft, cabins, customer care and sustainability. That figure is investment, not savings. BA’s announcement also outlined online self-service, operational automation, airport customer-experience roles, new cabins and lounge refurbishments.
Separately, IAG’s FY2024 results identified zero-based budgeting as a major planned efficiency driver for 2025 and described £700 million in BA IT investment. Neither figure measures savings attributable to a specific customer-facing decision. IAG’s results describe company plans and initiatives, not an independent assessment of their customer outcomes.
What customers reported
Long-haul and short-haul ratings
Which?’s 2025 annual airline survey placed BA joint last among 19 airlines for long-haul flights, with a 62% customer score; Air Canada was also joint last. Singapore Airlines led the long-haul results at 81%. BA ranked 12th of 16 airlines for short-haul. The survey covered 7,828 travellers’ reports on 9,325 flights. These are survey results, not a controlled test of whether cost reductions caused lower satisfaction. Which?’s survey results provide the rankings and sample.
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Contacting BA and getting refunds
Which? reported a +40 net satisfaction score for BA’s customer service when passengers tried to contact the airline, below the sector average of +52. Ryanair scored +42 on this separate contact-service measure. Which? also reported one customer’s account of waiting nine weeks for a refund after being repeatedly told to expect it within 7–10 days. That example illustrates an individual experience; it is not a measure of all BA refunds. Which?’s report covers both the score and the account.
Premium-cabin brunch instead of lunch
The Guardian reported that BA replaced lunch with a cooked brunch on late-morning long-haul departures, prompting anger among frequent business-class travellers who expected a meal aligned with the time of day. The report said the trial was being phased out by December 2024, although BA said it had received good feedback. Some critics interpreted the change as cost cutting, but the report does not establish that this was BA’s confirmed motive. The Guardian’s account also quotes Barclays transport analyst Andrew Lobbenberg criticizing BA’s post-pandemic product and operations; that is his assessment, not an audited finding.
Rank #2
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What BA and IAG say they are changing
Digital self-service and disruption recovery
BA’s transformation announcement described website and app functions intended to let customers manage and change journeys online, alongside operational automation and data tools. IAG said BA introduced a digital rebooking tool intended to move disrupted passengers onto other airlines faster and reduce calls to contact centres. IAG also described a Connected Teams system intended to help ground customer-care teams and cabin crew resolve issues. These are company-reported initiatives and intended benefits; the cited sources do not independently measure how much they have improved outcomes.
Investment alongside efficiency
BA chief executive Sean Doyle described the £7 billion programme as an investment in the airline’s transformation and its customers. That distinction matters: a large investment plan does not show that service has already improved, and it is not evidence of a particular amount saved. The available figures and reporting do not pair each efficiency decision with a measured customer result.
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Rank #3
- Officially Licensed & Kid-Friendly (3+) – Designed for young aviation fans and collectors, suitable for ages 3 and up
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- Perfect Size for Play & Display – Measures approximately 5.75 inches long, ideal for kids or collectors alike
- Iconic Supersonic Jet Replica – Detailed model of the legendary British Airways Concorde, one of the fastest commercial aircraft ever built
What the evidence can—and cannot—show
Passengers have reported dissatisfaction with BA’s contact service and long-haul experience, and the brunch change drew criticism. Those findings make the customer concerns concrete, but they do not establish that a particular cost-saving measure caused the survey results, refund delay or broader operational problems. The available sources do not quantify savings for individual decisions or compare those savings with controlled customer outcomes.
The fairest conclusion is therefore limited: some customer-facing changes were unpopular, and BA’s survey results show areas where customers rated the airline poorly. At the same time, BA and IAG describe technology, staffing and service investments intended to improve customer handling. Whether those initiatives offset or outweigh any effects of efficiency measures is not established by the cited evidence.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
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- Brand Excellence – From SkyMarks by Daron, a trusted leader in collectible aircraft models, delivering officially licensed replicas that celebrate modern aviation design and engineering
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