British Airways Selling First Class Service Items

If you want to recreate the British Airways first class experience at home, you now have the opportunity to do so. To be clear, we’re talking about the former British Airways first class experience, and not the current one, which includes picnic boxes and plastic cups.

British Airways selling items from first class

As of today, British Airways has started selling items from first class and beyond to the general public (though unfortunately it looks like they don’t ship internationally). We initially learned about this through an internal note to employees, which read as follows:

“From Monday 23rd November we’re giving customers, colleagues and aviation fans the chance to recreate the First Class experience from their own home as we begin selling a limited number of items that are used in our onboard service.

Although the at-home experience is no match for the real thing, customers or collectors can pick up items such as William Edwards plates, soup bowls, cups, saucers and even a butter dish.”

Well, dozens of items are now for sale through the website whatabuy.co.uk. The selection of items is huge. We’re not just talking about first class service items, but there’s also stuff from business class and beyond.

First class items for sale range from hot towels, to blankets, to plates, to mugs.

There are similar items available from business class.

You can even buy a waste trolley.

This isn’t the first time that British Airways has gotten creative with trying to raise money through non-flying means, as the airline has done everything from selling its lounge artwork to selling the gin usually served onboard.

British Airways recently sold gin directly to consumers

For that matter, the airline isn’t the first to be selling items from its onboard experience — Qantas has sold 747 bar carts, while Thai Airways has sold everything from napkins to toothpicks.

What’s British Airways’ motive here?

Why is British Airways suddenly selling first class service items? Is this a desperate attempt to raise money, or something else? Well, I’d guess it’s a combination of factors:

• British Airways’ first class and business class footprint will be significantly smaller in the future, given that the airline has retired all of its 747s
• With a smaller first class and business class footprint there will also be less need for various service items, so the airline might as well make some room in its warehouse and raise some cash; however, I have a hard time imagining the amount will make much of a difference to British Airways’ bottom line

British Airways has retired all of its 747s, which featured first class cabins

Bottom line

British Airways has started selling first class service items. This comes as the airline is reducing the size of its fleet, with the retirement of 747s (these planes have huge first and business class cabins).

The airline really is going all out here with that’s being sold, as you buy anything ranging from a plates to blankets to waste trolleys.

Anyone buying some items from this British Airways sale?