Afternoon tea....without any tea
May 14, 2019, 12:43 pm
#181
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,212
What BA is offering here is more 'Cream Tea' this is generally scones, clotted cream, jam and should be served with a pot of tea.
Proper Traditional Afternooon Tea should consist of at least 4 assorted finger sandwiches, 2 scones with cream and preserves, 3 or 4 assorted cakes and be served with a pot of tea in either with the choice of Earl Grey, Lapsang or Darjeeling. This is how it is normally done in most top end London 5 star hotels and cost around £60 per person plus service charge.
Proper Traditional Afternooon Tea should consist of at least 4 assorted finger sandwiches, 2 scones with cream and preserves, 3 or 4 assorted cakes and be served with a pot of tea in either with the choice of Earl Grey, Lapsang or Darjeeling. This is how it is normally done in most top end London 5 star hotels and cost around £60 per person plus service charge.
Just to be clear is it one scone you get for your fiver?
May 14, 2019, 12:44 pm
#182
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC GGL/GFl, HH Diamond, BW Diamond, Virgin Voyages Deep Blue Extra, Blue Peter Badge Holder
Posts: 3,937
May 14, 2019, 12:52 pm
#183
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 10,709
What BA is offering here is more 'Cream Tea' this is generally scones, clotted cream, jam and should be served with a pot of tea.
Proper Traditional Afternooon Tea should consist of at least 4 assorted finger sandwiches, 2 scones with cream and preserves, 3 or 4 assorted cakes and be served with a pot of tea in either with the choice of Earl Grey, Lapsang or Darjeeling. This is how it is normally done in most top end London 5 star hotels and cost around £60 per person plus service charge.
Proper Traditional Afternooon Tea should consist of at least 4 assorted finger sandwiches, 2 scones with cream and preserves, 3 or 4 assorted cakes and be served with a pot of tea in either with the choice of Earl Grey, Lapsang or Darjeeling. This is how it is normally done in most top end London 5 star hotels and cost around £60 per person plus service charge.
I am also, still surprised that not many people are really worrying about the optional champagne. Why anyone would want tea is one matter, but having tea instead of a nice glass is another matter.
May 14, 2019, 12:54 pm
#184
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,546
There is also however a certain irony in the fact that this negative exposure for BA is arguably mostly due to a certain eagerness in arguing that BA’s descriptions could not be faulted here. Without such an insistence on how ‘clear’ things were and how unfair the unease expressed by the op and those who shared his/her doubts about BA’s ambiguous phrasing were, I very much doubt that the topic would have reached more than 20 answers, let alone trended and got picked up by a journalist.
Last edited by orbitmic; May 14, 2019 at 3:55 pm
May 14, 2019, 2:06 pm
#185
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, IC Spire Ambassador
Posts: 5,229
Not really - you could price it together and still offer a choice of tea. No need to exclude a cup of tea from the price of “afternoon tea” in order to offer choice. As you say, one assumes by Earl Grey they mean ‘a cuppa’ by which I assume you mean a cup of tea (including the hot water, reasonable quantities of sugar or sweetner if requested, a reasonable quantity of milk, a means of stirring, and a cup or similar receptacle from which to drink the drink). Or even, radically, a cup of coffee!
May 14, 2019, 2:12 pm
#186
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC GGL/GFl, HH Diamond, BW Diamond, Virgin Voyages Deep Blue Extra, Blue Peter Badge Holder
Posts: 3,937
Not really - you could price it together and still offer a choice of tea. No need to exclude a cup of tea from the price of “afternoon tea” in order to offer choice. As you say, one assumes by Earl Grey they mean ‘a cuppa’ by which I assume you mean a cup of tea (including the hot water, reasonable quantities of sugar or sweetner if requested, a reasonable quantity of milk, a means of stirring, and a cup or similar receptacle from which to drink the drink). Or even, radically, a cup of coffee!
May 14, 2019, 2:17 pm
#187
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, IC Spire Ambassador
Posts: 5,229
I think the disagreement is about whether the menu is misleading. I don’t think anyone is saying BA can’t sell a scone (and cream and jam and presumably a little knife to spread the jam etc) for a fiver if they want.
May 14, 2019, 3:54 pm
#188
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
Deceptive. End of.
BA could argue that their description doesn't include 'a cup of tea' but it is in the title. Misers!
Afternoon Tea
Sultana Scone (90g), Strawberry Preserve (28g), Clotted Cream (28g)
Any cafe I have been too would have that on the menu as a scone with jam and cream.
BA could argue that their description doesn't include 'a cup of tea' but it is in the title. Misers!
Afternoon Tea
Sultana Scone (90g), Strawberry Preserve (28g), Clotted Cream (28g)
Any cafe I have been too would have that on the menu as a scone with jam and cream.
May 14, 2019, 4:34 pm
#189
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Glasgow, UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 635
But, if tomato juice isn't acceptable, how about Appletise? Many years ago, at college, I had a friend who insisted a mix of Appletise and Coke really was the drink of choice. Disgusting though it may sound, in actuality it wasn't too bad - so perhaps we shouldn't actually rule any such combinations out.
Steering moderately back on topic, I’m genuinely screen-grabbing snippets of this thread as training material for my team. I’ve often said we have to sweat the small stuff when creating content for our consumers, and need to be sure that what’s in our mind is also what is in theirs, as poorly chosen headlines or sloppily chosen copy can erode trust in our brand. I can’t think of a more appropriate thread than this!
May 14, 2019, 4:38 pm
#190
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,546
May 14, 2019, 5:01 pm
#191
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 451
Well I didn't expect this much interest!
Perhaps BA could consider a solution based on status:
- Gold: Afternoon tea (with cup of tea included)
- Silver: Afternoon tea (cup and hot water included - passenger needs to remember to bring tea bag from lounge)
- Bronze: Afternoon tea (tea bag included- Tesco value perhaps - but cup and hot water extra)
- Blue Afternoon tea (tea extra)
Perhaps BA could consider a solution based on status:
- Gold: Afternoon tea (with cup of tea included)
- Silver: Afternoon tea (cup and hot water included - passenger needs to remember to bring tea bag from lounge)
- Bronze: Afternoon tea (tea bag included- Tesco value perhaps - but cup and hot water extra)
- Blue Afternoon tea (tea extra)
May 14, 2019, 5:26 pm
#192
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 10,159
Well I didn't expect this much interest!
Perhaps BA could consider a solution based on status:
- Gold: Afternoon tea (with cup of tea included)
- Silver: Afternoon tea (cup and hot water included - passenger needs to remember to bring tea bag from lounge)
- Bronze: Afternoon tea (tea bag included- Tesco value perhaps - but cup and hot water extra)
- Blue Afternoon tea (tea extra)
Perhaps BA could consider a solution based on status:
- Gold: Afternoon tea (with cup of tea included)
- Silver: Afternoon tea (cup and hot water included - passenger needs to remember to bring tea bag from lounge)
- Bronze: Afternoon tea (tea bag included- Tesco value perhaps - but cup and hot water extra)
- Blue Afternoon tea (tea extra)
Premier - 2 Scones and a pot of tea
GGL's - 1 Scone and a pot of Tea
Personally, if buying Afternoon Tea I think it would have been a good PR move, and a simple one at that, to just include the tea with a £5 Scone.
May 14, 2019, 5:30 pm
#193
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London
Programs: BAEC (Gold), Hilton (Diamond), Le Club Accor (Platinum)
Posts: 171
I think it’s probably safe to say that the next iteration of the menu won’t have quite the same “afternoon tea” offering, which will speak volumes about the merits of the current advertising.
I happen to think that the current version is misleading, but that’s subjective. What is not subjective - based on the size of this thread and the fact that a national newspaper has picked up the story - is that the clarity of the current version is at least debatable. That should never really have been the case.
I happen to think that the current version is misleading, but that’s subjective. What is not subjective - based on the size of this thread and the fact that a national newspaper has picked up the story - is that the clarity of the current version is at least debatable. That should never really have been the case.
May 14, 2019, 5:57 pm
#194
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
A uni friend of mine used to swear by a mixture of Irn Bru and orange juice. Though it may sound like a truly vile, luminous yellow/orange concoction (it is!), it’s also not a half-bad hangover remedy.
Steering moderately back on topic, I’m genuinely screen-grabbing snippets of this thread as training material for my team. I’ve often said we have to sweat the small stuff when creating content for our consumers, and need to be sure that what’s in our mind is also what is in theirs, as poorly chosen headlines or sloppily chosen copy can erode trust in our brand. I can’t think of a more appropriate thread than this!
May I give a simple sweat the detail ? When a used car is traded in, license plate goes with the brand new, polished car. I used to insisit that that the number plate be washed before transferring it to the new car..
May 14, 2019, 6:36 pm
#195
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,212
Well I didn't expect this much interest!
Perhaps BA could consider a solution based on status:
- Gold: Afternoon tea (with cup of tea included)
- Silver: Afternoon tea (cup and hot water included - passenger needs to remember to bring tea bag from lounge)
- Bronze: Afternoon tea (tea bag included- Tesco value perhaps - but cup and hot water extra)
- Blue Afternoon tea (tea extra)
Perhaps BA could consider a solution based on status:
- Gold: Afternoon tea (with cup of tea included)
- Silver: Afternoon tea (cup and hot water included - passenger needs to remember to bring tea bag from lounge)
- Bronze: Afternoon tea (tea bag included- Tesco value perhaps - but cup and hot water extra)
- Blue Afternoon tea (tea extra)
Now that I'm much clearer as to what the 'Afternoon Tea' actually consists of I have come to the conclusion it's a rip off no matter how good in quality the scone/cream and jam are. Having said that, if enough silly people are buying it then you can't blame BA for offering it.