Two fingers for Club Europe afternoon tea, British Airways? I’ll give you two fingers…

Afternoon tea, that quintessentially British tradition, is one feature of the British Airways service. There have been some changes to the offering – first, no ploughman’s lunch and second, only two fingers when it comes to the sandwiches.

When travelling from London to Dublin, the afternoon tea services are my favourite. I have a sweet tooth and like scones, so it makes for a happy little experience for me.

Afternoon Tea In Days Past

Over the years, there have been some variations with the afternoon tea service, but not that many. Here’s a look at two flights I took in 2018 to show you how things were.

Now you are well versed in the British Airways Club Europe service in 2018. Let’s have a look at a flight I took in November 2021 for comparison.

A Double Whammy!

Once gate A4 popped onto the screen, I left the lounge and headed over. It was a bus gate, something I haven’t had on a Dublin flight for a very long time. Into the bus we went and we drove all around Heathrow before arriving at our aircraft.

The second whammy is that we were on an ex-BMI A320. No big deal, the interior is not as polished as the BA one, but it also meant a long delay. No-one was around to load our bags and these aircraft are not containerised. We had quite a bit of a delay before heading off.

BA826 – London Heathrow to Dublin (LHR-DUB)
15 November 2021
Airbus A320 – G-DBCG
Seat: Club Europe 1A
Departure: 15:15 Arrival: 16:55

Once loaded, we had the usual safety demonstration and headed off into the late afternoon London sky. In short order, the crew got organised and started the service.

Two Fingers?! Oh no!

There is no longer a Ploughman’s Lunch offered (why, oh why!) so it was the finger sandwiches for me. Imagine my unbridled joy when it arrived and there were only two fingers on the plate.

Of course, I did take two scones, slathered them with jam and cream and washed them down with Champagne. Some things are still alright on this service, sandwiches notwithstanding. Once done, it was drinks top ups and we descended and landed in Dublin without incident.

Overall Thoughts

Look, I’m well aware that airlines have had to cut back on some of the frills over the last couple of years. That is understandable and I’d rather have a British Airways in my life than not.

Even so, two fingers on what is a generous plate looks remarkably stingy for a business class meal. The more colourful and interesting afternoon tea sandwiches are also gone and it’s back to plain bread. Customer feedback? Cost cutting? Who can say.

Thankfully the food quality remains very good. The scones, now individually wrapped in plastic (my heart goes out to Mother Earth), are still heated and still delectable.

Would you be happy with this amount of food on a flight that could last two hours or more? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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