British Airways is set to join the likes of Australian flag carrier Qantas by offloading surplus First Class pyjamas, along with crockery, silverware and even the hot towels handed out by flight attendants just before departure – pretty much anything that the airline used to serve to its most well-heeled passengers before the COVID-19 pandemic decimated the airline industry.
Qantas has shown how it can be done, setting the trend back in August when it sold spare Business Class pyjamas, amenity kits and in-flight nuts as part of a care package when Melbourne was forced into a strict lockdown.
A month later, the airline took things up a notch by flogging fully stocked bar carts from its now-retired Boeing 747’s. Such was the demand from eager frequent flyers who have found their wings (albeit temporarily) clipped that the bar carts sold out in less than two hours.
Until now, however, British Airways has been a little more reserved and has tried to stick to its core business of flying people from A to B. Sadly, there’s not much demand for actually flying anywhere at the moment, so if you can’t beat them you might as well join them.
Prices start from £5 for a three-pack of coasters, going up to £50 for a six-pack of William Edwards dinner plates. Blankets, slippers and even galley half boxes are also included on the list of items available for anyone to buy. The full price list can be found here.
For now, though, it doesn’t look like British Airways will join Qantas in designing its very own line of luxury athleisure-wear. Nor does the airline have any plans to launch sightseeing ‘flights to nowhere’ after ruling out the idea because of Coronavirus restrictions and environmental concerns.
