High life for the housebound? BA begins sale of first class stock
You might not be able to fly first class at the moment, but you could slip into some first class slippers this Christmas after British Airways announced a sale of thousands of stock items.
Housebound passengers missing the high life will be able to splash out on the full range of BA items, from champagne flutes to casserole dishes, butter dishes to bread baskets.
Other first class staples, such as slippers, blankets and hot towels are all available – although the airline made it clear that the latter would be arriving cold.
And for those whose devotion to the UK’s flag carrier goes above and beyond mere creature comforts, there are a limited number of drinks trolleys from the newly retired Boeing 747 also for sale.
Shoppers have already swooped down on the historic sale, with sets of William Edwards dinner plates – retailing for £50 – already sold out.
The sale comes just months after the airline decided to sell off some of its art collection – including pieces by Damien Hirst and Bridget Riley – as the coronavirus pandemic decimated its finances.
With international air travel engulfed in its worst ever crisis, BA has been hemorrhaging cash, and is due to lay off over 10,000 staff.
Last month the carrier said that it had made a £5.1bn loss for the first nine months of the year, compared to a £1.6bn profit for the same period in 2019.
But the sale is not only an attempt to save cash, but reflects changing fleet conditions at the UK’s flag carrier.
Carolina Martinoli, BA’s’ director of brand and customer experience, said: “This is an incredible one-off opportunity for people to bring the magic of flying with British Airways in to their own homes.
“We know that these special items will fly and we are delighted to be able to offer them in time for Christmas to give people the opportunity to make it memorable during a difficult year.”