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.
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- On a flight from Berlin to London in March 2018, there are three finger sandwiches and cake.
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- Experienced BA flyers know to choose the Ploughman’s as I think it’s more interesting than sandwiches.
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- Later on in 2018, the sandwiches got a little fancy, which was great! Certainly nicer than before and a feast for the eyes.
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- You also get scones with jam and cream – this remains the same as today. We’re not here to talk about the scones, though I could go on about them for days (and have!)
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.
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- Trays for the A seat are in the bulkhead on the ex-BMI aircraft.
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- Looking across row 1.
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- The centre table is not quite as nice as the BA ones.
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- Toilet before takeoff!
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- Here’s the basin, nice and clean!
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.
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- An egg finger and a cucumber and cream cheese one. Groundbreaking!
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- The superfluous bowl comes in handy for a scone.
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- These bad boys are the main event for me!
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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I know you like BA. Do you not find them poor on time-keeping from Dublin? I had many incidences of 10-20 minutes DEPARTURE every time, which Ryanair don’t, Aer Lingus, usually OK except for Heathrow landing…
That’s a fair call. There often seem to be delays on the services. Airlines don’t take anything under 15 minutes as being an actual delay – they have that wiggle room available to them. This one was ages and ages, closer to an hour than not. You’re correct with Ryanair and Aer Lingus, they are very good at time keeping. I do find the fares on BA to be cheaper than Aer Lingus more often than not though, when it comes to EuroTraveller.
Sad that the sandwiches have reverted back to their old form…I loved the (now former?) Do & Co selections…such a good prelude to hot scones and clotted cream!
Completely agree with you there!