Selling Outside China: The Bibliotheca Alexandrina Offers First Class Custom Goods for Sale | Business

British Airways has it The sale started The champagne flutes and fine china are the slippers they use in first class cabins, mirroring the impact of Covid-19 on its business as it operates a discounted fleet.

The custom-made items, which have been frozen in storage due to the pandemic, are a mix of new and used items, some of which have flown around the world hundreds of times in Premium First Class and the airline’s Club World cabin.

This unusual step comes as the Corona virus continues to hit the aviation sector, and only one month after the owner of British Airways, International Airlines Group (IAG), Reduced its flight schedule for the rest of the year and incurred losses of 1.3 billion euros (1.16 billion pounds) in the third quarter.

As a result, British Airways found that some of its crockery and glassware on board the aircraft exceeded the requirements. There is also a backlog of inventory resulting from fewer flights, and thus fewer crashes. Customers and collectors are invited to purchase items such as William Edwards plates, soup bowls, mugs and saucers, all of which were introduced on airplanes only 18 months ago.

British Airways said the sale allowed buyers to create what the airline called “an authentic first-class flying experience at home during the holidays”. The day blankets – a clip at £ 9 – have already sold, although Club World slippers used on flights to and from East and Southeast Asia still sell for £ 10.

Also available are custom-made metal bread baskets, champagne flutes, coasters and even a Club World casserole dish. However, the comforts of Alice Temperley and first-class pajamas are excluded from the sale.

Limited-edition items such as insulated metal boxes to transport hot food and container wagons from Boeing 747s – now retired from service – are also part of the sale.

“We know these special items will fly, and we are thrilled to be able to present them just in time for Christmas to give people the opportunity to make them memorable during a difficult period of year,” said Carolina Martinelli, Director of Brand and Customer Experience at the Library of Alexandria.

The airline has also sold £ 2.2 million worth of valuable artwork from its collection – including Bridget Riley’s Cool Edge – after Sotheby’s hired a business appraisal.

Rob Burgess, editor Headforpoints.com, The UK’s frequent flyer site, said: “This is not the first time British Airways has sold excess inventory … but this gives the airline the opportunity to raise some extra money given how few people are flying now.”