Passengers hit out at British Airways for serving a £5 afternoon tea… that does not come with tea
- British Airways added the afternoon tea item to its short-haul menu this month
- The afternoon tea costs £5 and it includes a scone, clotted cream and jam
- Passengers were stunned to find they must pay an extra £2.50 for a cup of tea
British Airways has caused a real stir among its passengers, by introducing an afternoon tea – that doesn’t actually come with a cup of tea.
This omission has generated several irate outbursts on Twitter, with one user calling it ‘appalling’.
BA added the ‘centenary edition afternoon tea’ to its short-haul menu earlier this month.
The centenary afternoon tea offered by British Airways. For £5 you get a scone, jam and clotted cream – a cup of tea is another £2.50
According to BA’s menu description, it’s an ‘afternoon tea, a celebratory edition of a true British classic’ that comes with ‘an indulgent sultana scone served with traditional clotted cream and delicious strawberry preserve’.
But the menu then adds: ‘Pair it with a hot cup of Tea Pigs Everyday Brew for an authentic cream tea experience.’
It costs £5 and an extra £2.50 for a cup of tea to go with it.
The menu does hint that the tea is extra, but many fliers have taken umbrage.
One passenger, Jon Campling, wrote online: ‘FYI @British_Airways you don’t get to call it #Afternoontea if it doesn’t include the tea! Pretty appalled by your entirely misleading menu sleight of hand.
Storm in a tea cup? Passengers took to Twitter to slam the airline for not including a cup of tea with the afternoon tea offering
‘You owe me £2.50 I paid cos felt sorry for the staff who had to explain and apologise for the poor price info.’
Another, Mark Whiteside, said: ‘Um, @British_Airways does your afternoon tea onboard not actually come with tea? I’m paying a fiver just for the scone and the tea’s extra? …. What?’
Daniel Seiderer tweeted: ‘An afternoon tea that doesn’t come with a cup of tea is a rip-off.
BA added the ‘centenary edition afternoon tea’ to its short-haul menu earlier this month
‘I can’t believe that @British_Airways is seriously offering this – this represents misleading advertisement. #fail.’
And Ben Fletcher wrote: ‘Let me guess, @British_Airways, you removed the tea from afternoon tea based on customer feedback in order to enhance the afternoon experience?’
MailOnline’s etiquette expert William Hanson said: ‘Really BA should be terming this a “cream tea” as that is all they are offering – a scone with cream and jam. “Afternoon tea” implies the full works of sandwiches, scone and a selection of small cakes. But in either instance it could seem churlish to not include a cup of tea to pair with the sweet treats.’
A British Airways spokesperson said: ‘Whether it’s a traditional cup of tea, our new espresso martini or a bottle of champagne, we offer a wide range of beverages to allow customers to choose which option they pair our popular afternoon tea with.’
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