I’ve gotta say, this strikes me as being particularly cheap (thanks to WingTips for flagging this and Gastrocnemius for the title inspiration)…
In this post:
British Airways tries to cut corners on hydration
On long haul flights, it’s pretty standard for airlines to offer passengers individual bottles of water, so that they can stay at least a little hydrated. British Airways is always looking for new industry leading ways to cut costs, and this is the latest example of that.
According to a FlyerTalk thread, for a period of at least two weeks (ending on June 22, 2025), British Airways is trialing cutting individual water bottles in economy on select long haul flights. Specifically, this is being trialed on Airbus A380 routes to Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), and Miami (MIA).
The airline is loading more extra large water bottles along with new paper cups, and if a customer requests water, that’s how it will be served.
British Airways is of course running this trial to asses passenger feedback, and presumably analyze how consumption changes. Some people don’t realize this, but those post-flight surveys matter a lot to airlines. So if you’re on a flight impacted by this change, be sure to fill out that survey and share your negative perception of the change, or else this might become permanent.
This kind of service cut doesn’t seem practical
I can totally appreciate that bottled water isn’t very environmentally friendly. Then again, having big bottles and cups isn’t ideal either (neither is flying on a plane, I suppose). Still, I think this is a service cut that will really be noticed over time.
Not having bottled water will increase the workload for the crew, it’ll make it tough for passengers to stay hydrated, and it’s just going to lead to unhappiness. There are going to be so many more spilled drinks when everyone has two cups on their tray (water and something else), rather than getting the bottle on the tray, and being able to fill it up later.
Also, can I just point out the humor in British Airways leading the way here? Look, I don’t think anyone actually thinks that British Airways is premium, but let’s remember that in 2022, CEO Sean Doyle touted how British Airways was going to become increasingly premium:
“There is room for optimism that we are on the way out. Putting the premium proposition into the heart of what we do is going to be key. We want people to come off a British Airways flight and talk about it as if it’s something different. Any airline can go out and buy products off the shelf and put them on a plane. It’s actually the confidence and the style and the intimacy that we deliver in service that is going to be a differentiator.”
Bottom line
British Airways is running a trial on select long haul routes, whereby the airline is no longer providing water bottles in economy. Instead, water is just poured into paper cups. I don’t think any of us are actually surprised that British Airways is trying to get away with this. I’m curious if post-flight surveys are taking a hit on these flights.
More and more people seem to have their own water flasks that they fill at fountains at airports. Wouldn’t it make sense to install drinking water fountains like that on planes? I know water in planes isn’t usually drinkable but surely that could be changed. We really need to get away from consuming materials unnecessarily.
Hydroflask is easily the best secret Santa gift I've ever received. Light and durable. I pack it in my backpack and fill up in the terminal for domestic flights. Peeing like a racehorse at night though. Maybe that's just old age.
Sad development, but tbh they (like very other European airline) never offer enough water to begin with, so I don't rely on them for water anyway. won't affect me only bc the Europe service standard has long been pathetic when it comes to water.
*every
FYI Ben ….
https://www.worldairlineawards.com/qatar-airways-is-named-the-worlds-best-airline-at-2025-world-airline-awards/
Seems BA is going for the Ryanair treatment.
Delta cut this a few years ago for everything but premium cabins. Is BA cutting from First and Business too?
This is one of the minor changes for an airline that has major negative impact on passenger experience and general well-being. Let's also not pretend that the BA flight attendants are staffed enough to individually bring a paper cup to each requesting passenger. This is enough to make me avoid flying BA if they make this change.
And? Take your OWN! Not sure why people turn into newborns as soon as they board a plane, incapable of rational thinking or looking after themselves.
It's 11 hours from LHR to LAX. No way 1 litre of water I carried on is enough for me all day!
I'm happy to wander to the back to stretch my legs & get some more water in a plastic cup. BA have been putting trays out of OJ and water to help yourself for about a decade already.
Take your own? Idiot.
In other words: "Let them eat cake"
Spoken like a true bourgeoisie
….. and now for one which I prepared earlier ….
One has just landed at LHR following my last BA flight from DEN, I am now all but retired for the final time. Please be assured that there was no shortage of cold water in J, the FA’s were as delightful as ever, with service befitting the airline which was once again placed at number fourteen in the World Rankings by the passengers.
The...
….. and now for one which I prepared earlier ….
One has just landed at LHR following my last BA flight from DEN, I am now all but retired for the final time. Please be assured that there was no shortage of cold water in J, the FA’s were as delightful as ever, with service befitting the airline which was once again placed at number fourteen in the World Rankings by the passengers.
The lemons have been distributed and one now awaits the sour grapes to be thrown by the Walmart checkout staff …. :-)
Sean Doyle is a spineless puppet for IAG.
He's been CEO of BA for almost 5 years, and I can't think of a single initiative he's actually had himself.
for a short while they improved, by giving water and snack on all short hauls.
but then they did things like brunch rather than actual meals on long haul and now this.
If you're a full service long-haul airline and you can't afford to hand out water bottles on 7-11hr flights - you shouldn't be in business. Every time i start thinking "BA is actually solid" they pull a stunt like this.
Anyone tried to fill their own water bottle from one of the two, super-slow filling stations in T5 that serve disgusting lukewarm-warm mains water? You likely almost missed your flight!
Rather spend £3 in Boots and get a couple of 500ml plastic bottles of cold water.
Not sure that reducing this amount of plastic is a bad thing, taking the stance that flying is bad anyway means you are not prepared to even try. From what I see most people that are not flying at the front of the plane carry their own water bottles these days which of course you can’t take through security but if you have water filing stations near the gates you can just fill your water...
Not sure that reducing this amount of plastic is a bad thing, taking the stance that flying is bad anyway means you are not prepared to even try. From what I see most people that are not flying at the front of the plane carry their own water bottles these days which of course you can’t take through security but if you have water filing stations near the gates you can just fill your water bottles which and get on with it. Even when I fly at the front of the plane I take a water bottle for the multi hour passport control queues! Whilst BA are notorious for silly cost cutting perhaps this one is not just about the cost cutting.
On my BA flight from Doha to LHR last week, they had loaded 4 trays of pancakes for the entire economy section for breakfast. Service was a shambles.
I don't think many airlines serve water bottles in economy anymore or ever did for that matter (other than with meals sometime). If I remember correctly Lufthansa does but Air France and KLM don't. Delta used to until Covid. Water bottles are nice in economy but don't think its very common anymore
I agree. From my experience, most airlines do not serve water bottles in Economy on long haul flights. So no big deal in my view. I also think that it does not necessarily increase the workload for the crew. Water is just served in the galley (self-service).
@CSP18 - Are passengers at window/middle seats expected to ask their neighbour to let them out every hour so they can go get a new small glass of water? That's ridiculous, especially on night flights.
AC doesn't offer individual water bottles but FAs go through the cabin, more than once, offering to pour a cup of water for passengers. Any airline that forces their passengers to go to the galley just for some water is definitely a cheap airline.
Qantas do.
I flew IAD to LHR and back in United economy 3 times last year. FA's walked up and down the aisles handing out bottles of water on each flight at least two times.
i agree, i had the misfortune of flying BA economy from LGW to Orlando last year and i don’t recall any water bottles being given out except for a small maybe 300ml one on the main meal tray
Watergate. Brilliant. Proof, not that it was needed, that Ben doesn't just get his news from TikTok.
After all the "gates" we've had over the decade it's wonderful to see the return of the original.
For anyone who doesn't get the joke Google "Nixon Watergate."
To add: BA headquarters office near Heathrow is called Waterside…
Why bother serving free water at all to those ungrateful passengers in the back who only choose based on price and schedule
I bet you're the life of the party and chicks dig you.
@Jack,
You have clearly missed Will's sarcasm.
Practically, a self imposed public relations disaster.
Cutting back on water AND making crew work harder?
BA, please give your collective head a shake. This is NOT acceptable.
Hard seats, inadequate meals, now the prospect of dehydration? For real?
you can always fly with another airline.....
ba have an unfair monopoly at heathrow so most alternatives will be more inconvenient
Great idea.
Way too much drama over a water bottle. They're small bottles anyways.
Don't many airlines do the standard larger bottle cup offering. So why the drama??
The only ones that might be grumpy about this are the FAs.
Lol great line ‘British Airways is always looking for new industry leading ways to cut costs’
Guess that "Brit", who is a BA apologist but cares about Delta so much, is gonna defend this stupid change.
Isn’t this how water is served on any US airline already?
It is on US domestic flights, and for the longer ones is really insufficient. I've gotten in the habit of bringing 1-2 32oz hydroflasks any time I fly because of the practice, but that's also because flight attendants have gotten so sparse in the last 8 years that it's hard to get more than 2 cups of water on a flight. And god forbid you hit the call button.
Great! Maybe this will finally move people to start voting with their wallets and book other airlines. And BA can be happy too. With no passengers, they can also save cost for food, crew, and fuel.
Isn't it bad enough that they're 1) flying British Airways 2) on the disgusting Fatbus? Now you're taking away water? Of course, this is coming from a country that's allowed pretty much every waterway to become an open sewer, so maybe it's no surprise.
Do you any personality in life other then to talk negative about Airbus?
@Eve, oh, that worthless f-ckwit talks negatively (hatefully, in fact) about many things. Non-white people, non-Americans, people from certain parts of the USA, women, various minorities, the list is pretty much endless. He has literally wished death on his own family members. He’s got a lot of issues, clearly.
It’s rather disgusting that Ben hasn’t banned the piece of sh-t actually but a click is a click I suppose.
@ ORD_Is_My_Second_Home
Your brain (what’s left of it) is an open sewer. The world will be better when you’re rotting in the ground you worthless piece of filth. Seriously, do the rest of us a favour and kill yourself.
Eve: I talk negatively about a lot of things other than Airbus. Delta, for instance. Just read Pupu Platter's statement in which he categorizes the things I speak negatively about. And as for you, Pupu Platter, get an account if you have the stones, and I couldn't give a rat's keister what you think. You first criticize me for negative opinions, then you wish death on me. Frankly, I've been wasting oxygen on this world...
Eve: I talk negatively about a lot of things other than Airbus. Delta, for instance. Just read Pupu Platter's statement in which he categorizes the things I speak negatively about. And as for you, Pupu Platter, get an account if you have the stones, and I couldn't give a rat's keister what you think. You first criticize me for negative opinions, then you wish death on me. Frankly, I've been wasting oxygen on this world for a long time now and expect to waste a lot more. And as for you, consider your life choices if you're wishing death on someone who, in your view, has wished death upon his own family members. It would be easy for me to end your misbegotten life, with no moral qualms on my part.
There is indeed a disconnect between what the CEO of BA said in 2022 about bringing BA back to its former glory and some of the actions actually taken (Executive Club changes, continuing to charge for seat selection in Club World, misfortune with brunch, and now water bottles).
All this goes to show that British Airways's decline is continuing to this day, and this path has started from the extreme cost cutting mentality of Alex...
There is indeed a disconnect between what the CEO of BA said in 2022 about bringing BA back to its former glory and some of the actions actually taken (Executive Club changes, continuing to charge for seat selection in Club World, misfortune with brunch, and now water bottles).
All this goes to show that British Airways's decline is continuing to this day, and this path has started from the extreme cost cutting mentality of Alex Cruz. I still remember them charging for hot water, and only providing airplane tank water free.
Definitely not the BA I remember of 20-40 years back, or even a decade ago. What would I give for better padded seats and an English breakfast served on a short haul flight in World Traveler? Hard to believe this airline was the Worlds Favorite Airline at one point, and was top ranked as recently as 2006. British Airways just isn't British these days. More like a return to "Bloody Awful".
You'd think an airline like BA would take it upon herself to show the best of British values and culture to the world, but yet it shows the culture of mediocrity, stagnation, and a can't do mindset that has taken hold of the country.
I used to think BA were better than the US airlines or even many European carriers. But compared to some of the other carriers actually setting the standard, they seem only marginally better than Easyjet or Ryanair.
The main problem is, BA needs to get the "cheapos" on board to help fill the seats. So when these idiots get a survey about their flight, the first thing they do is complain about a full service airline, giving them "things I didn't want so why should I pay for them?" mentality. They should look at the seat the person as in, and how little they paid, and ignore them. Those who KNOW what...
The main problem is, BA needs to get the "cheapos" on board to help fill the seats. So when these idiots get a survey about their flight, the first thing they do is complain about a full service airline, giving them "things I didn't want so why should I pay for them?" mentality. They should look at the seat the person as in, and how little they paid, and ignore them. Those who KNOW what a full service airline should be are the ones they should listen to. Chances are these people who usually fly the likes of Ryanair are only on a BA flight as it was the next one going where they wanted to go.
A lot of other airlines already do this. Like AC and UA. WestJet and Porter also do this.
They should actually put a jug in the galley and let people pour the water into cups and reusable bottles.
Alaska asks people to bring thier own bottles filled with water at the airport and they will refill it in flight. This is a sensible thing to do. What did we do prior to bottled...
A lot of other airlines already do this. Like AC and UA. WestJet and Porter also do this.
They should actually put a jug in the galley and let people pour the water into cups and reusable bottles.
Alaska asks people to bring thier own bottles filled with water at the airport and they will refill it in flight. This is a sensible thing to do. What did we do prior to bottled water in flight. We stored it on board and served with a paper cup. This is an easy way to reduce waste here.
Clearly an influencer sharing outrageous demands here. ;).
Even in biz (on any airline) water always seems to be in short supply. Most airports have water fountains near gates.. I think every pax should fill up a 1litre bottle before they board, both for the environment and just good hydration.
BA at T5 should invest more in initiatives to drive water filling pre flight
People should just bring their own food too....and pillow for seat padding....and a bucket to shit in.
I’m dead at that last bit. LOL.
Well 1 passenger X 1litre on their person means on a fully laden A380 (BA config, of course ;))
.. that's 469 litres less water that needs to be carried. That's almost half a tonne of stuff they don't need to load (we'll get to format of loading in a second), and is effectively variable with the passenger load.
Storage of that water on an airplane? that's two large washing machines combined of space...
Well 1 passenger X 1litre on their person means on a fully laden A380 (BA config, of course ;))
.. that's 469 litres less water that needs to be carried. That's almost half a tonne of stuff they don't need to load (we'll get to format of loading in a second), and is effectively variable with the passenger load.
Storage of that water on an airplane? that's two large washing machines combined of space if they are just water tanks (which don't exist btw), but anyway as another poster has mentioned, they wouldn't even drink because.. they want bottled water. So...
If using standard 500ml water bottles:
You'd need 938 bottles
Each bottle (including its plastic walls and shape) takes up roughly 600-650ml of space
Total space needed: approximately 580-610 liters (0.58-0.61 cubic meters)
If using 1.5-liter bottles:
You'd need about 313 bottles
Each bottle occupies roughly 1.8-2.0 liters of space
Total space needed: approximately 565-625 liters (0.57-0.63 cubic meters)
To visualize this:
Instead of needing a 77cm cube, you'd now need roughly an 84cm cube (2.75 feet on each side)
That's about 25-35% more space than the liquid alone
Think of a large chest freezer or a small walk-in closet.
--
And just for arguments sake, if everyone brought 'their own bucket' I think you dont need me to explain having specific toilet cubicles on board is a much better use of space.
@Vandhk
EK carries enough water on is A380 for showers so planes can handle the weight. If it is an issue with space, how about handing them out to pax as they are boarding in the jetway or at the gate and then have a few on board.
@Vandhk
I have never seen water fountains at any of the aiports I have travelled out of recently. I'll check next time.
@justin dev
Definitely each gate in Singapore
Hong Kong has them near most gates
SFO Harvey milken just after security..
I'm sure there's more that's just from memory
On the shower point, thats a very nice fitout where they've devided to allocate storage for shower (non potable) water
It seems like if an aircraft cannot hold back water per person, then the sensible approach is find a way for pax to...
@justin dev
Definitely each gate in Singapore
Hong Kong has them near most gates
SFO Harvey milken just after security..
I'm sure there's more that's just from memory
On the shower point, thats a very nice fitout where they've devided to allocate storage for shower (non potable) water
It seems like if an aircraft cannot hold back water per person, then the sensible approach is find a way for pax to bring on board or as mentioned hand out on boarding (less environmentally friendly assuming all single use plastic)
They need to start making mineral water available then. Im not touching filtered water.
Ben, you are absolutely wrong. This is ASTONISHING cheap. My wife and I have flown on BA for going on fifty years and what has happened over the past 10+ years is nothing short of sad. The current CEO had pledged to restore BA's reputation for quality. He hasn't. Indeed, BA asks whether it represents the "best of Britain." I can't help but answer "no."
Agreed. Even 10-20 years ago, at least it felt like they were getting somewhere. By the end of the 2010s, the destruction was complete.
You know this is going to happen cos 1) theyre a horrible, cheap (but not in cost) airline and 2) it lets then bleet on about blah blah plastics.
Is 310ml (from the photo) really the size of the bottle they give out? Given the dry, pressurized environment on a plane that's barely enough to stay hydrated for an hour, let alone the whole flight. And they plan to make that worse?!
Lol, they usually give smaller bottles. The normal size bottle is only given out in business class.
I would rather they have a water cooler by the gallery and I can serve myself whenever. Even better, put in a coke freestyle machine
You should understand that the aircraft you travel on might very well have been anyplace in the world 18 hours prior. Water quality differs in different cities.
I will only drink water from a bottle that I opened.
Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines has been the industry leader for cost cutting practices by keeping it’s passengers dehydrated with never any bottled water (for Economy) and 1.5hr turnaround time to respond to a call for a CUP of water.
It’s something that struck me with SQ too. I don’t know if they still do it, but there was a time they would not automatically provide water bottles on long haul in eco (except to PPS). I found this very odd for a supposedly premium airline.
some british consulting firm: "well if you stop serving water, not only can you cut costs by purchasing less water, but you can also remove bathrooms onboard and squeeze in more seats and increase revenue per flight"
BA: "wow. Einstein-level thinking. take a million pounds"
Probably the same idiots that advised them to do the changes to their tier points.
Influencers and consultants.
Can't decide today which is worse.
I’m pretty sure delta stopped the a while ago. There are many environmentally friendly bottled water options.