Bye bye full English: British Airways goes continental on some short-haul business flights
January 9, 2026
British Airways has cancelled the traditional full English breakfast from several of its shortest early-morning Club Europe (short-haul business class) flights as of 7 January 2026.
On the affected routes, passengers will now receive a continental-style breakfast instead, consisting of fruit, yogurt and a warmed pastry instead of a hot plated meal.
The British Airways flights affected by full English breakfast cuts
The cold-breakfast change applies to eight British Airways high-frequency routes out of London Heathrow, including domestic flights to Belfast City, Jersey, Manchester, Newcastle and international hops to Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, and Paris CDG.
According to the airline, the shift is driven by operational dynamics and short flight times, although BA has served hot breakfast on these routes for years.
A British Airways spokesperson told The Times: “Due to the limited time available on these journeys, serving and enjoying a hot breakfast has become challenging. To ensure a more comfortable experience, we’ll now offer a continental breakfast on these routes. Hot breakfast will continue to be available on the vast majority of our short-haul flights, as our crew has sufficient time to prepare and customers can enjoy their meal comfortably.”
Some see the move as part of broader cost and efficiency pressures on short-haul catering. Aeroxplorer noted that BA has also adjusted the catering on some mid-haul European destinations, including Madrid, Budapest, Warsaw and Krakow, with welcome drinks and nuts eliminated and warm four-course meals reduced to smaller portions.
Still, BA’s Club Europe has been historically generous with its breakfast service, compared to many continental competitors. In part, it’s a cultural difference. The full English has been an important brand differentiator for the airline, reflecting its origins. However, eggs, sausages, bacon and the rest are not a common breakfast in other parts of Europe.
What other flagship European airlines serve for business breakfast
The British Airways difference is clear when reviewing in-flight meals for other flagship carriers on short-haul (intra-Europe) services.
Aer Lingus
Fellow IAG airline Aer Lingus features its full Irish breakfast in the header image of its in-flight dining page, reflecting its importance as a distinctive ‘sense of place’ meal. However, it’s not free.
The airline serves business class flyers from the Bia menu on short-haul flights. The full Irish is available for €11 and served until 11:00 am.
Iberia
IAG’s other flagship airline, Iberia, serves Mediterranean meals made with seasonal ingredients in business class on short- and medium-haul flights. Spain’s flagship leans toward continental-style breakfast with a service flair.
For short-haul business, the airline states: “We offer breakfast or a mid-morning snack, lunch or dinner, all beautifully presented with our new table linen and crockery.” What’s on the crockery varies depending on the flight length: either a cold breakfast with pastries, fruit and yoghurt or an additional warm dish like an omelette on longer flights.
Air France
Air France serves short-haul business class customers prepared meal boxes, including breakfast boxes on flights departing before 10 AM, rather than traditional tray meals.
These bento-style boxes feature premium savoury sandwiches and sweets. For breakfast, passengers get a sandwich with fillings like smoked salmon and cream cheese with dill and a breakfast pastry.
Other times of day, the fillings vary, and the pastry is replaced by a dessert and a bonbon.
KLM
KLM’s business class gets breakfast snack boxes on short-haul flights, varying by departure time and route length. For breakfast on most routes, the airline serves yoghurt with granola, fruit and a sweet or savoury accompaniment.
Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels)
Lufthansa Group airlines’ short-haul business class breakfasts are typically continental cold-meal style rather than hot, fully cooked mains, also reflecting national breakfast preferences. Passengers can generally expect a mix of yoghurt, fruit, cheese, cold cuts, and bread rolls on their trays.
How BA’s change compares with competitors
British Airways is remarkable among flagship European carriers for offering a hot plated breakfast (including a full English) on very short business class flights — a product that many rivals never regularly serve.
With the shift to a continental breakfast format on some routes, BA’s offering simply aligns with service from other airlines on the continent. The airline has not changed the breakfast menu universally, so most business class passengers on short-haul flights can still enjoy a full English breakfast onboard. At least, for now.
Whether the Club Europe breakfast reverse-Brexit takes the British out of British Airways flights is debatable. After all, most Brits don’t have a full English every morning, and it’s not as if the airline has stopped serving tea.
Still, airline passengers generally feel cheated by service changes, and British Airways will need to measure the effect of this adjustment on its brand before making any further cuts.
Featured Image: London Heathrow Airport
