“Wasting their resources on these trivial issues”: British Airways reverses bizarre drink policy for its staff after outcry

British Airways walks back its controversial new drink policy for flight crew just days after its implementation.

What was the British Airways drink policy?

British Airways announced that flight crew could not drink any beverage where members of the public could see. That means that flight attendants were essentially banned from grabbing a coffee in the airport after a long flight.

Instead, British Airways instructed staff to reserve drinking beverages for when they were in designated crew areas.

However, the policy was controversial. According to View From the Wing, crew members don’t usually have enough time to access crew-only areas in between flights. Therefore, the policy could prevent them from consuming any beverage for hours on end. The policy made an exception for water, but the crew was advised to consume it “discreetly.”

Crew and unions pushed back on the policy, and British Airways reversed it on Sept. 13. However, crew still may not walk through the airport with a coffee. They must be seated, according to Aviation Source News.

How did travelers react to the policy?

On the r/BritishAirways subreddit, travelers react to the policy the airline tried to implement.

“Some of this might have been in the rules for a long time, but it really feels like BA’s head office is trying to alienate their staff further. I really don’t see drinking coffee or water as ‘unprofessional’ behaviour,” one commenter writes.

“The best thing about BA is their staff on board. For God’s sake, they are humans & not slaves. How does it affect the safety of the aircraft if they drink coffee in public view? Instead of fixing their horrendous IT, they are wasting their resources on these trivial issues,” another says.

“Seems very unreasonable to me. The poor FAs/pilots are just trying to wake up! I wouldn’t be shocked if a resultant drop in caffeine consumption could reduce safety. I also don’t think sipping coffee makes someone seem unprofessional; they are human after all, a third adds.