British Airways Alters First Class Champagne Offering & Luanches Lunar New Year Menu

British Airways has announced changes to its onboard food and drink offering, with one marking the end of an era and another celebrating a new start. While the UK flag carrier is set to change its First Class champagne after more than a decade, it is also introducing a new menu on certain flights to mark the Lunar New Year.

Time to change

Readers who have been lucky enough to travel in BA First will know that its champagne has been Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle for quite some time now. Indeed, Business Traveller notes that LPGS, which retails for around £200 ($255) a bottle according to Majestic, has been served in First since 2011. However, as Turning Left For Less notes, Laurent-Perrier has now chosen to focus on non-travel markets.

This means that British Airways will no longer be able to serve it. The news comes less than a year after the UK flag carrier announced changes to its Club World offering, which saw the introduction of English sparkling wines, as pictured below. But which champagne will fill the considerable gap left by the departure of Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle? As it happens, BA is taking a multi-faceted approach.

Related

Cheers! What Is The Most Expensive Champagne Served Onboard Aircraft?

Catering is just one way in which airlines distinguish themselves, especially in premium cabins.

According to One Mile At A Time, March 2024 will see BA begin to serve a rotating selection, starting with Lanson Noble Brut 2005, with the exception of its route from London Heathrow (LHR) to New York JFK. This corridor will feature Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2015. Meanwhile, passengers who have the privilege of accessing the Concorde Room will be served Pommery Cuvee Louise 2006.

On the food side of things, BA also announced yesterday that it will be launching a special menu to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This takes place on February 10th, and, during the week of the festival, the carrier will serve traditional dishes to passengers on flights from London to Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore.

The dates for these differ depending on the route. Hong Kong and Singapore-bound passengers will get the menu between February 10th and 13th, followed by Shanghai (13th-16th) and Beijing (13th-18th). As an added treat, passengers traveling to London during the festival have the chance of being upgraded to Club World if they were born in the Year of the Dragon (every 12 years from 1928 onward).

Photo: British Airways

The dishes that British Airways is serving as part of this initiative are said to signify luck and prosperity. As pictured above, passengers in the Heathrow-based oneworld founding member’s luxurious First Class long-haul cabin will be served a “black pepper spiced fillet of beef with Chinese seven spiced broccolini.”

Other classes of travel

As it happens, the Lunar New Year menu isn’t just for First Class passengers. Indeed, those traveling in Club World (business class) will have the option to select a spicy Kung Pao prawn dish, as well as the white chocolate tangerine mousse that is also being served in First. Meanwhile, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller guests will get ‘Lion’s Head’ meatballs (steamed pork in oyster sauce).

What do you make of British Airways’ catering changes? Have you ever had Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle or a festive menu on one of its flights? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!