British Airways apologises after hostess tried to ban passenger from using two tea bags in airport lounge

British Airways planes at Heathrow airport. Photo / Getty Images

British Airways staff tried to ban a passenger from using more than one teabag in a guest lounge at Heathrow airport, it has emerged.

The airline apologised last night, admitting that it recognised Britons had "strong feelings" about how they like their "perfect cuppa" and stressing no official prohibition on teabag usage was in force.

A traveller complained last month after the waitress intervened when he tried to blend two fruit teabags in one cup in the lounge.

Writing on a blog, the customer described how he took an elderflower darjeeling and an elderflower apple teabag, put them into a cup and added boiling water.

British Airways apologised for telling a traveller they could only use one teabag. Photo / Getty Images

He looked up to see a staff member watching him. The hostess told him: "Sir, just to inform you that it is only one tea bag at a time and for lounge consumption only'."

After the account was posted on the 'flyertalk' blog on the internet other travellers accused BA of being "petty" over the restrictions on use of teabags.

A BA spokesman said its customers were free to use as many teabags as they wish in the company's airport lounges.

She said: "As Brits we have strong feelings about how we like our tea, so we're disappointed that someone would dare to stand in the way of our customer producing the perfect cuppa.

"We'd like to assure all our customers that they are, of course, free to blend their tea as they wish."