Airlines are haemorrhaging because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on air travel.
Almost every one of them would need sizeable cash injections to stay afloat; otherwise many will surely go under. And some of them already have.
One airline must be so cash-strapped that they have begun selling off thousands of items of surplus stock, from champagne flutes to bedding.
That’s British Airways.
You can buy an insulated box from a Boeing 747 kitchen for £75, or a set of English bone china pasta bowls for £40 or serving trays – £10 for five.
I read that people are actually keyed up about buying these articles. The two reasons to explain this: partly nostalgia, and partly because it is actually excellent value for money given the suppliers that BA use. In fact, some items such as the day blankets are said to have already been sold out along with the brandy and champagne glasses.
The move came months after BA decided to auction some of their precious artwork hanging in offices and airport lounges, including a £1m-plus work by Bridget Riley.
BA's profits have evaporated and already, they had instituted thousands of painful job cuts.
Last month, BA's parent company IAG reported a £5.1 billion loss for the first nine months of 2020, a dramatic reverse from the £1.6 billion profit made during the same period in 2019. Such is BA’s sad predicament.
FYI, aircraft items and memorabilia are said to be hugely popular among enthusiasts. E.g. Concorde products are among the most sought-after. At the top-end of collectibles, the famous dropped nose cone (right) can fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds on the rare occasions they come up for auction.
Ruziana Mohamed is an unassuming woman, very amiable and affable. A devoted Toastmaster and in my opinion, good at impromptu speaking. Better still, her speeches are full of perspicacious insights – and you will always learn something from her. It helps when she's an avid reader.
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