No More Fever Tree on British Airways?

Just as often as not, it’s the little things that make an airline your favorite: knowing they’ll have pepsi onboard, that they give you access to a lounge with showers, or that a Fever Tree and gin will be waiting on you when you board your flight. Take away one of those things and it can lead to the kind of first world problems FlyerTalk is famous for and deeply relatable threads like No more Fever Tree!!! in the British Airways forum:

In a desperate attempt to save a few more pennies, Fever Tree is being ‘enhanced,’ out of all remaining areas of British Arways, including First Class and Club World. Just when it looked as if Schweppes had all but vanished from the UK it’s back with a vengeance… good old Coca Cola.

Hopefully enough people will be ‘outraged’ enough to submit complaints… at least they’re not even claiming this move is ‘thanks to passenger feedback’ saying ‘we want cheaper-tasting mixers.’

Postulates one FlyerTalker:

In the British Airways lounges, they’ve changed from Fever Tree to Coca Cola’s premium product, Schweppes 1783, which isn’t a direct switch back to what was offered before Fever Tree…

This is pure speculation, but I suspect that Coca-Cola has offered British Airways a very good deal to gain back the significant market share they’ve lost to Fever Tree and others over the last few years (and to get their 1783 range off of the ground).

British Airways Hears You

While we haven’t been able to say for certain whether or not British Airways will get rid of Fever Tree, someone in the forum did suggest that Fever Tree is indeed on the chopping block and that British Airways knows that it’s making you upset:

Speaking to someone who knows someone working in BA and apparently HQ have already been surprised by the volume of feedback received about this change and it’s apparently definitely on management radar. More feedback could be helpful if you wish to see Fever Tree back on board.

spotted during deep gin talk in the thread.">

A gin “aroma tester” spotted during deep gin talk in the thread.

An In-Flight Drinking Guide

While we wait to learn the fate of Fever Tree, we’ve enjoyed some first class drinking advice in the forum. So far we’ve learned that:

• Fever Tree is best paired with cheap gin because it tastes good enough to make up for the flavor of cheap(er) alcohol. When you pair it with good gin, it masks its delicate botanicals.
• The Oxford Artisan Distillery makes wonderful gin and they use Fever Tree as their standard tonic.
•  Check Ginventory if you’re tired of arguing about what gin Fever Tree does and doesn’t mix with.
• Tanqueray and Fever Tree don’t go well together at all, no need to check Ginventory .

Perhaps British Airways plans on improving it’s gin selection to make up for the tonic downgrade. Until then, one FlyerTalker recommends just switching to champagne. Maybe then British Airways will bring back the less-expensive pleasure of a simple G&T made with the T passengers want.