When Gilian Walker took a flight to Vienna she asked the stewardess for a kosher sandwich — and was told it would cost her £100.
That was the difference between her economy class seat and one she would have to upgrade to in British airways’ world club business class, a few yards further to the front.
Mrs Walker was told that was the only part of the plane where kosher fare was served.
“This is an appalling act of humiliation and discrimination against the average Jewish passenger which I feel should be exposed,” said Mrs Walker, of Bournemouth. “This is the British national carrier imposing their policy on Jews who travel with them.”
She also claimed that halal meat was served across all BA flights regardless of cost, something the airline denies.
A BA spokesman said that for short-haul flights to places such as Vienna, the options for its Europe traveller economy class was a non-kosher or non-halal meat sandwich or a vegetarian wrap.
He confirmed that kosher sandwiches could be requested only by world club business class passengers during flights under four hours — including the trip to Vienna.
“On flights of four hours or over, you can have a kosher meal — that’s where the choice steps in. I can understand why a customer could get confused as we term it all as short-haul on our website, but some short-haul flights are longer than others,” the spokesman said.
Mrs Walker spent months in email correspondence with the airline before this week receiving a £100 duty-free gift voucher. But she said: “The voucher is only meant for socks or perfume. It wouldn’t be enough to cover a kosher sandwich on BA in any case.”
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.