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I spent a day learning how to be a flight attendant for British Airways' first-class cabin. From afternoon tea to the turndown service, there's a lot to know.

A composition shows a mock-up airplane cabin in a classroom, and a man stood next to a first-class seat turned into a bed, and with his nose in a glass of red wine.
British Airways' mock first-class cabin, and Insider's Pete Syme.

Pete Syme/Insider

  • British Airways spent five months developing a new training course for its first-class cabin crew.
  • I experienced a one-day version, tasting vintage wines and learning about the finer details.
  • The passionate instructors had great stories about serving the airline's wealthiest passengers.
British Airways has spent five months developing a new training course for its first-class cabin crew, who look after the richest and most famous passengers.
Signage welcoming staff to British Airways' Global Learning Academy, painted on the wall and written on a standing banner.
The entrance to British Airways' Global Learning Academy.

Pete Syme/Insider

I got the chance to experience a condensed version of the new course. BA staff have to write a 1,000-word application for the four-day program, which teaches them how to serve food, provide a bed turndown service, and understand the nuances of wine.
A BA instructor holds a bottle of champagne in a first-class cabin, while PR staff, reporters, and other instructors look on.

Pete Syme/Insider

The training takes place in a mock cabin at BA's Global Learning Academy.
A mock-up first-class British Airways cabin exterior in a classroom.

Pete Syme/Insider

It's based in the offices at the top of this parking lot next to Heathrow Airport, about an hour by Underground from central London. It was strange going to the airport without worrying about boarding times.
A large concrete building, mostly a multi-storey car park with offices on the top, adorned by a British Airways sign.

Pete Syme/Insider

The new crew uniforms designed by Ozwald Boateng – BA's first revamp for 20 years – were on display in the lobby too.
A BA navy dress, white shirt with tie, and suit jackets for pilots.

Pete Syme/Insider

The day began with a presentation. Tim Baxter (center) said he wanted to be a flight attendant since the age of six, when he practiced serving Play-Doh food to family. He's worked in first-class cabins for 27 years.
Two men and one woman wearing British Airways suits stand in front of a presentation screen.

Pete Syme/Insider

I ate a full English breakfast to experience what it's like to be a first-class passenger, which the instructors say lets trainees understand how customers see things.
A man in a first-class British Airways seat eats breakfast.

Pete Syme/Insider

I was given a hot towel and offered a selection of baked goods before my breakfast order was taken, just like a first-class passenger would.
A selection of baked goods on offer, and a hot towel.

Pete Syme/Insider

Forget the stereotypes about airplane food – this might've been the tastiest English breakfast I've had.
A full English breakfast of bacon, cumberland sausage, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, etc.

Pete Syme/Insider

David Mason, the product lead, said BA saved $8.5 million by reusing old parts for the mock-up. It felt just like the real thing – except for plastic air-conditioners and a laminated-paper screen.
Fake air conditioners and a plastic screen on a mock-up airplane cabin.

Pete Syme/Insider

Then the script was flipped and I was put in the shoes of a flight attendant, starting with the turndown service. Baxter explained that the pillow should be held by the corners, and the duvet is folded at a 45-degree angle.
A BA flight attendant onboard a mockup first class cabin holds a pillow while speaking.

Pete Syme/Insider

Baxter said flight attendants need core strength because of all the leaning involved, so he does Pilates once a week. "It's very labor intensive, because we're always on our feet," he says. "But it's a labor of love."
A man in a flannel shirt and jeans makes a bed on a first-class BA cabin.

Pete Syme/Insider

Not my best work, but I got a pass. The bedding is 400 thread-count linen, and the cushion uses Scotland's famed Harris tweed.
A man wearing a visitors lanyard smiles with his arm around a first-class cabin seat made up into a bed.

Pete Syme/Insider

Then it was time to serve afternoon tea, including scones, sandwiches, and mini-cakes, which must be placed on the top plate. All the tableware is made in Britain, with the $150 William Edwards teapot and $125 plates featuring a unique BA weave design.
A first-class plane seat with a table of afternoon tea, including teapots, wine, sweets, and scones.

Pete Syme/Insider

When it was my turn I managed to knock over a small pot. One tip is to keep your thumb on the champagne glass so it can't be spilled by turbulence.
A man wearing a flannel shirt serves an empty champagne glass from a tray in a first-class cabin.

Pete Syme/Insider

And my finished product. The teapots are at a 4 o'clock angle because the story goes that when the Duchess of Bedford "invented" afternoon tea in the 19th century, that's the time it was always served. It also just looks better.
Teapots, plates, pots, cutlery, and tableware laid out on a first-class cabin.

Pete Syme/Insider

The instructors all had some amazing anecdotes. Baxter said he loves meeting his idols and seeing families grow up over the years. Apparently, one famous British singer never eats from the table, but has the plate on a cushion on his lap.
A wide-angle shot of a first-class BA cabin mock-up shows several luxury seats, but a typical office ceiling and a cutout showing the classroom.

Pete Syme/Insider

First-class passengers in the center seats also have an optional divider. The instructor recalled one couple who were all smiles on their trip to the Maldives, but the divider remained firmly closed on the way home.
A shuttering divider between two first-class cabin seats on a mock-up BA cabin, with crockery visible on the table.

Pete Syme/Insider

Next up we learned about the first-class catering, handled by Vienna-based DO&CO which started in the aviation sector in 1996 thanks to racing driver Niki Lauda's airline.
A chef in a white coat drizzles a small pot of sauce over one of four plates of beef tataki in a classroom.

Pete Syme/Insider

The meals come in aluminum foil packages, and must be plated while wearing gloves using a standardized set of utensils.
A carton wrapped in aluminum foil labelled "ricotta ravioli" and a tray of utensils including spatula, tongs, spoon, fork, and gloves.

Pete Syme/Insider

The DO&CO chef has a fine-dining background, but the process is simplified to three items for cabin crew.
A chef wearing grey gloves uses a fork and spoon to plate raviolis onto a sauce in a white bowl.

Pete Syme/Insider

My attempt at plating is on the right.
Two plates of Ricotta ravioli with kale, asparagus, and peas, compared side-by-side

Pete Syme/Insider

We were also shown how to plate the duo of lamb rack and braised lamb, topped with feta, pomegranate, and mint leaves. The sauce is poured over one spot rather than drizzled around.
A rack of lamb, and braised lamb topped with mint, pomegranate, and feta.

Pete Syme/Insider

The passion fruit tart dessert came in a see-through package, with all the fruit in smaller pots.
A plastic package containing a passionfruit tart, and smaller pots for fruits like pineaple, raspberry, blueberry, and mint.

Pete Syme/Insider

Delicate foods like the passion fruit tart or fish are put on a piece of paper to stop them falling apart. I found removing it much harder than the chefs made it look.
A chef in a white coat and baseball cap removes a piece of paper from under a passionfruit tart with the aid of a spatula.

Pete Syme/Insider

I was pretty amazed by how simple it was to plate the dessert – even the finer details like using the fruit to balance the chocolate curl, and keeping the mint leaf upright by pushing in the stem with tongs.
A passionfruit tart topped by a chocolate curl, fruit, and a mint leaf, with sauce drizzled around.

Pete Syme/Insider

But my favorite part of the day was the wine tasting, taught by BA's master of wine, Tim Jackson. He's one of just 416 accredited masters in the world, and the only one employed by an airline.
A man in a suit wields a bottle of red wine in both hands, stood in front of a mock-up BA cabin.

Pete Syme/Insider

It was my first wine tasting, so I learned a lot. Trainees get a 75-minute session so they're able to understand what a first-class passenger might ask.
A man in a suit pours two glasses of red wine at the same time, a bottle in each hand, in a BA classroom.

Pete Syme/Insider

We started with the whites – a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay – holding a glass in each hand to compare the noses. The latter has a dairy, buttery aroma. Jackson asked questions like "Which wine makes your gums feel drier?" and explained how this was caused by tannins, which make the taste more complex.
A man in a suit, mid-speech, holds two glasses of white wine.

Pete Syme/Insider

With a list of six wines, Jackson looks for a broad range to accommodate all tastes. The glass on the right is a 2010 Bordeaux.
Two glasses of red wine are compared, with the left one a slightly lighter and pinker shade compared to the more mature Bordeaux.

Pete Syme/Insider

The Bordeaux had a slight hint of tobacco. It was the best wine I've ever tasted, and gave me a new appreciation for wine.
A man holds a glass of red wine up to his nose.

Pete Syme/Insider

The experience gave me a new appreciation for the care and detail that goes into providing a luxury service – as well as a new ability to pontificate about claret.
Two British Airways airplanes parked in Heathrow Airport, by a road separated by a wire fence.

Pete Syme/Insider

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