The Christmas season is set for take-off. And touching down just in time are some perfect gifts for the aviation enthusiast in the family. We've all got one. Haven't we?

As the world's biggest airlines look to pull up from an unprecedented nosedive, some are doing all they can to raise a bit of pocket money. Such as British Airways, which has decided to sell off the family silver. Well perhaps not quite – more like the family silver-service. On Monday, the company listed thousands of items of surplus stock for sale – including champagne flutes, blankets, plates, mini bread baskets…  and even drinks trolleys. The airline is heralding it as an opportunity for enthusiasts to "create an authentic first-class flying experience at home."

It comes just months after BA auctioned off some of its fine-art collection – previously hanging in offices and airport lounges – raking in nearly $3 million.

It's been a tumultuous year for airlines. While the sale offers a brief interlude for some much-needed Christmas cheer, the scale of BA's financial predicament is more like a Halloween horror story. Passenger numbers for the peak summer season were down 85 percent compared with 2019. In September, then CEO Patrick Cruz said British Airways was "burning through" an average of $25 million a day. The company is currently trying to work out how to lay off around 12,000 staff.

But for now at least, director of brand and customer experience Carolina Martinoli is keeping her eyes on the skies, calling the sell-off an "incredible opportunity" for people to "bring the magic of flying with British Airways into their own homes."

Anyone wanting to get their hands on some unique aviation homewares can visit whatabuy.co.uk/british-airways. The site crashed on Monday shortly after the sale was launched, apparently due to extremely large visitor numbers.

Juliet Mann from CGTN Europe's Global Business show spoke to Rhys Jones, from the frequent flyer website www.headforpoints.com. He spoke about some of the items he'd already brought from the sale, and about the other airlines selling off similar memorabilia. He also says the sale isn't really aimed at garnering significant income – it's more about the feelgood factor and keeping in touch with customers, while we all remain grounded.