LONDON— British Airways (BA) has instructed its cabin crew to stop placing food and drink on the floor of the aircraft after a passenger complaint reached food safety officials at London Heathrow (LHR).
The complaint followed a viral Reddit photo showing trays of drinks resting on the cabin floor behind the Premium Economy section.
Hillingdon Council, which oversees food hygiene for British Airways at its Heathrow base, ruled the practice unacceptable and required the airline to rebrief all crew.
British Airways Cabin Floor Drinks Sparked a Hygiene Complaint
A passenger photographed two small trays holding glasses of what appeared to be orange juice and water. The trays sat on the floor behind the back row of the World Traveller Plus cabin, the airline’s name for Premium Economy.
The image first puzzled people online, as the reason for placing drinks on the floor was unclear. Industry insiders later explained that the crew likely positioned the trays there before boarding. As a result, hundreds of passengers could have walked past the glasses with their shoes inches away from the drinks.
One commentator pointed to the cabin design as the root cause, noting that this section sits at the back of Premium Economy with no galley nearby. The same person described it as an awkward setup with no clean solution, while agreeing that the placement was far from ideal.
Passengers Report a Wider Pattern
According to PYOK, several travelers responded to the post by describing similar experiences, suggesting the practice was not isolated.
One passenger said her family encountered drinks in the same spot on a recent flight to New York (JFK), and that her husband found a hair floating in his glass when the drinks were served. Another traveler reported seeing the same setup on a flight to Mexico City (MEX) the previous year.
A person who works in cabin maintenance for a different airline offered a blunt assessment. They explained that these floor areas collect heavy dust and dirt, making them a poor and unhygienic place to store drinks.
The Council Steps In
The viral photo prompted one customer to file a formal complaint with Hillingdon Council, the authority responsible for food hygiene oversight at British Airways.
The customer stressed that drinks fall under food hygiene rules and flagged the issue as a serious concern.
The council later confirmed the practice was not acceptable. British Airways acknowledged the finding and agreed to address the matter directly with crew during service briefings. The customer noted that intervention should not have been necessary but expressed hope that the rebriefing would prevent a repeat.
Why Galley Space Is the Real Issue
Galley space on modern commercial aircraft is limited, and British Airways is no exception. The airline optimized the cabin layout on its Airbus A350 fleet to such a degree that analysts once questioned whether enough galley space remained to serve the long-haul routes the aircraft was intended to fly.
British Airways ultimately resolved those concerns. A spokesperson stated at the time that the A350 holds sufficient space to carry catering for the full duration of any of its flights. Tight working areas, however, can still push the crew toward shortcuts when no nearby galley is available.
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