Selling off the china: BA puts bespoke items from first class on sale

BA has begun selling the champagne flutes, fine china and slippers it uses in its first-class cabins, reflecting the impact of Covid-19 on its business as it operates a reduced fleet. The bespoke items, which have been mothballed in storage because of the pandemic, are a mixture of new and secondhand, some of which have circled the globe hundreds of times in the airline’s premium First Class and Club World cabins. The unusual move comes as coronavirus continues to batter the airline sector, and just a month after BA’s owner, AG, slashed its flight schedule for the rest of the year and posted a E1.3b loss for Q3. As a consequence, BA has found that some of its inflight crockery and glassware is surplus to requirements. There is also an inventory pile-up caused by fewer flights, and therefore fewer breakages. Customers and collectors are being invited to buy items such as William Edwards plates, soup bowls, cups and saucers, all introduced on planes only 18 months ago. BA said the sale allowed buyers to create what the airline called an “authentic first-class flying experience at home over the festive period”. Day blankets – a snip at £9 – have already sold out, although Club World slippers used on flights to and from east and south-east Asia fare still for sale at GBP10. Also available are bespoke metal bread baskets, champagne flutes, coasters and even a Club World casserole dish. However, Alice Temperley-designed amenity kits and first-class pyjamas are excluded from the sale.<br/>