Irony of ironies, British Airways’ “afternoon tea” available for purchase in economy class does not include tea!
British Airways has a new summer buy-on-board menu. Included in that menu is “afternoon tea” with the following description:
AFTERNOON TEA
Enjoy our celebratory edition of a true British classic
An indulgent sultana scone served with traditional clotted cream and delicious strawberry preserve – pair it with a hot cup of Tea Pigs Everyday Brew for an authentic cream tea experience. Or why not add a bottle of Champagne to make it that little bit more fancy?
£5.00 / 715 Avios
I encountered this menu item on my recent flight from London to Basel and had planned to write about it this week, heralding BA for offering a nice afternoon tea option in economy class. But it turns out I misread the description. I read “pair it” as including tea (versus “adding” a bottle of Champagne). Clearly, I read it wrong. And I wasn’t the only one…
If you want tea, it will cost you an extra £2.50…
BA has been blasted with clever retorts like the one below on Twitter:
Let me guess, @British_Airways, you removed the tea from afternoon tea based on customer feedback in order to enhance the afternoon experience? pic.twitter.com/HQsgMnYT4i
— Ben Fletcher (@BenSFletcher) May 1, 2019
One Flyertalk member said,
For us Brits it’s almost the law that afternoon tea includes tea. I dare say it’s the equivalent of an American buying a beefburger then being told it doesn’t include the bread roll which has to be purchased separately.
To my British readers, is that also your understanding of afternoon tea?
British Airways told the Independent:
Whether it’s a traditional cup of tea, our new espresso martini or a bottle of champagne, we offer a wide range of beverages to allow customers to choose which option they pair our popular afternoon tea with
Nice dodge…
BA has said that it will provide complimentary hot water if you bring your own cup and teabag. But don’t even think about asking for any milk or lemon…
CONCLUSION
This whole story is not much ado about nothing. It has gained traction precisely because British Airways comes across as so comically cheap. 5GBP for a scone and you don’t even throw in a cup of coffee or tea that probably costs 2o pence?
Since gin complements many mixers, will a “traditional” gin & tonic on BA include tonic?
Shock! Horror! LALF author, Matthew Klint, suggests we at British Airways provide “tea that probably costs 2o pence.”
Why do that when we can charge £2.50 for a cuppa! If only those penurious cattle, sorry – people, we transport would just go along and not whinge!
I don’t think that’s the point. Why is BA advertising something as an afternoon tea when the tea is not included? It’s really an afternoon sandwich, not a tea. Why not just call it a sandwich or increase the price to actually include the tea?
This is typical of the mean spirit of BA today. Afternoon tea is probably something most European travelers hate with a vengence and some people even alter their flying patterns to avoid it.
This really truly is a great example of what’s wrong with BA these days. What was once a full service offering that moved the benchmark on customer care has turned into a pale imitation of itself. Once upon a time BA could make an argument that you would and should choose to fly on them based on the product they offered. Now their is no reason at all to choose them other than schedule and price. Which is where the European LCC’s live.
That a British Flagship Airline would offer an afternoon tea without tea is the ultimate absurdity.
Maybe they’re afraid the Americans will throw it into the harbour.
An airline run by bean-counting philistines. Of course tea must be included as part of the package of afternoon tea. The idea of drinking champagne with it is so déclassé it almost defies belief. While I prefer a pot of tea , I don’t engage in the vilification of tea-baggers or the fake snobbery of tea rituals. I gather from comments elsewhere that passengers take their own bags and ask for a cup of hot water, which Is provided gratis.
Good Morning, I just tried to upgrade my BA flight from DFW-LHR from business to first yesterday. I did an award search and there was 1 seat available in first. I called BA as it wouldn’t allow me to do it online. The lady said she could see the space, her manager could see the space. Spent 45 minutes on the phone for her to say they were having “issues” and she would call me back within the hour. She did call back within the hour, only to say that they were unsuccessful in being able to do the upgrade saying the space really wasn’t there. Any advise?
That’s annoying! Just keep trying. Call back if you have the time. You’ll likely need a person to override the system.
Tried the call back method and it worked this time. Thank you. He initially tried to charge me 34k miles though. I told him the person I spoke to yesterday had said it was only 25k. After a couple minutes on hold he came back and said that they had made a note in my reservation and that he would honor the 25k price. After an initial denial, he made some changes and it saved and I was upgraded. Thanks again for the help.
It’s like buying a car but the keys aren’t included…