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Scottish Sun
23-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
British Airways scraps free bottles of water for economy passengers in new eco trial
Plus, how you can still fly like a gold member with the change to British Airways Executive Club WATER WORKS British Airways scraps free bottles of water for economy passengers in new eco trial Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRITISH AIRWAYS has conducted a trial of its in-flight drinks service - and it's bad news if you like your free bottles of water. The trial that took place last week affected certain passengers travelling from London Heathrow to Miami, Boston and Los Angeles who were not provided with plastic water bottles during their flight. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Passengers in certain cabins were given paper cups rather than plastic bottles Credit: Alamy 4 The trial lasted just one week Credit: Alamy Thirsty passengers wanting to hydrate were provided with water in paper cups instead. The change was for those on long-haul flights heading to the three US cities who were sitting in economy and premium economy. It did not affect flyers in BA's Club World or First Class. British Airways confirmed the one-week trial was reduce single-use plastic onboard, and it took place from June 16 to June 22. A spokesperson for British Airways told The Independent: 'This is a one-week trial on three routes as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste. "The views of our customers are very important to us, and we'll be listening very carefully to their feedback.' On FlyerTalk, passengers took to the forum to express how they felt about the changes. One wrote: "I read about this trial, seems ridiculous I know but BA are looking for ways to save plastic, I can't see it being accepted." Another however added that it was a "good idea" to get rid of plastic bottles with someone else adding they had never used one on a flight. Last year, British Airways scrapped three-course meals in its business cabin on late take-offs. British Airways launches new safety video that people are likening to a mini Bridgerton 4 As part of the trial, plastic water bottles were not handed out Credit: Alamy Starters have gone and the choice of main courses and desserts has been reduced. Two of the four mains on a Club World menu after 9pm are cheese and crackers, and soup. One of the puddings on offer is chocolate chip cookies. British Airways sources said passengers receive the same premium food and drink offering on board. It was said that the menu changes on flights leaving after 9pm was aimed at helping passengers who were keen to get to sleep. About the changes to the in-flight service, a spokesperson for British Airways told The Sun: 'We're incredibly proud of our premium dining experience, which includes a wide range of meal options to suit the preferences of our customers depending on the time of day they're travelling. 'We trialled our new brunch offering with thousands of customers across numerous routes and received extremely positive feedback on both the quality and variety of options offered.' British Airways recently made a big change to its Executive Club - but here's how you can still fly like a gold member. And one holidaymaker discovered how to buy a British Airways flight for just £1. Plus, the six times you should never recline your plane seat, according to ex-BA flight attendant.
Daily Mail
22-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
British Airways trial introducing a major change to in-flight drinks
British Airways have introduced a controversial change to in-flight drinks as part of a sustainability trial. Economy passengers travelling from London 's Heathrow Airport to three major US cities, Miami, Boston and Los Angeles, will no longer be provided with water bottles while onboard. Instead, those travelling on the select routes will be served paper cups of water in a bit to 'reduce plastic waste'. The change does not affect BA's Club World and first class passengers. On a FlyerTalk forum, a passenger travelling from Miami to London's Heathrow was highly critical of the new trial, describing it as a 'cost-saving exercise under the guise of saving the polar bears'. Stating that they were 'not a happy camper', they added: 'All I asked for was a bottle of water and the response astounded me. I thought I had heard it all. Clearly not. 'I was told there were no bottles of water they could give me as BA is trialling not offering any bottles of water. Unbelievable'. British Airways confirmed that they are running the one-week trial reducing single-use plastic onboard from June 16 to June 22. A spokesperson for the airline said: 'This is a one-week trial on three routes as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste. The views of our customers are very important to us, and we'll be listening very carefully to their feedback.' It comes after British Airways controversially chose to stop serving three-course meals in its business cabin for late takeoffs in October last year, sparking significant backlash from seasoned flyers. Starters were completely stripped from the menu, while the choice of main courses and deserts was also significantly scaled back. A source close to British Airways says it cut three course meals on its Club World departures after 9pm to help passengers sleep on late-night flights. In a similar move to other airlines, they said most passengers had already eaten in the Club Lounge - and found that at that time of night most customers wanted to sleep rather than eat. However, several BA passengers were upset by the move - and expressed their disapproval at the decision. One said: 'I would love to see the amount saved per passenger from these cost cutting measures. It surely cannot be worth the damage?!' Another hit out about the 'cost cutting exercise by BA'. British Airways confirmed that they are running the one-week trial reducing single-use plastic onboard from June 16 to June 22 (file image) He added: 'Just because I am flying after 9pm from Miami doesn't mean that I want to sleep. 'If I want to drink I will – problem is now there is very little food to go with it. 'I guess they don't want the crew to work too hard.' A spokesperson for British Airways said: 'We're incredibly proud of our premium dining experience, which includes a wide range of meal options to suit the preferences of our customers depending on the time of day they're travelling. 'We trialled our new brunch offering with thousands of customers across numerous routes and received extremely positive feedback on both the quality and variety of options offered.'
