British Airways Changes Up First Class Champagne

British Airways is making some changes to its much beloved champagne, and people will likely have mixed opinions on this…

British Airways first class loses Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle

For many years, British Airways has served Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle as its primary champagne in first class. The airline was incredibly consistent about this — not only was it served onboard in first class, but it was even served in the Concorde Room.

There aren’t many airlines that offer such consistency in the air and on the ground, so that was always nice. For that matter, there aren’t many airlines serving top quality champagne in lounges, so that has long set British Airways apart.

The airline has now revealed that it’s dropping Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle in first class altogether. The airline explains that this is because the champagne “is no longer available as they focus on other markets away from travel.” Clearly British Airways couldn’t get a good deal on the champagne anymore, as clearly Laurent Perrier didn’t feel it was necessary to offer this kind of marketing anymore (in the form of providing champagne at a discount).

Instead, British Airways’ champagne selection will be significantly less consistent:

• As of February 2024, British Airways will serve Pommery Cuvee Louise 2006 in the Concorde Room
• As of March 2024, British Airways will serve Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2015 in first class, but exclusively between London (LHR) and New York (JFK)
• As of March 2024, on all other routes, British Airways will serve a rotating selection of champagne throughout the year, with the first champagne being Lanson Noble Brut 2005

Rather hilariously, in its marketing, the airline explains that it will be serving a “selection of award-winning champagne from across the globe.” I’m guessing the marketing intern who wrote that doesn’t understand how champagne works. 😉

My take on British Airways champagne changes

Whether this change is positive or negative really depends on who you ask. I’ve always respected British Airways’ consistency when it comes to champagne, as it’s nice to know what you’re going to get. For well over a decade now, the airline has been pouring the same stuff.

That being said, assuming British Airways selects good champagnes, I actually think it’s kind of fun to see the airline mix things up a bit. It’s nice to be able to try one kind of champagne on the ground, one kind of champagne in the air, and to also see the selection change over time.

All three champagnes that British Airways has revealed so far are excellent in their own right, and they all have comparable retail values to the Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle they’re replacing (not that price is necessarily indicative of quality). Now, of course the question is whether British Airways maintains such a high quality selection over time, given that the labels will be rotating.

Bottom line

British Airways will be losing Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle champagne, which has been served for years in first class and in the Concorde Room. Instead, British Airways will serve different champagnes — there will be one kind of champagne in the Concorde Room, one kind of champagne on the New York route, and a rotating selection of champagne on other routes.

Whether you consider this to be a good or bad change depends on whether you value consistency or variety more.

What do you make of British Airways’ first class champagne changes?