There are plenty of tough jobs in travel, but does it come any tougher than working for the PR department at British Airways? The constant stream of bad news that is associated with the world’s former favourite airline makes you wonder whether BA’s PR team has given up and thrown in the towel.
This weekend it emerged that BA passenger Mirko Fischer is taking BA to court after he was asked to move seat on a BA flight, having committed the crime of sitting next to a 12 year-old boy. It is BA policy for cabin crew to walk down the plane prior to take off and to check that there aren’t any men who aren’t family members sitting next to children.
Mr Fischer is not taking BA to court because he wants money, but simply because he resented being treated like a criminal and feels the policy is wrong. Any compensation he receives will be donated to the NSPCC.
Although it appears to have been in place for quite some time, it almost goes without saying that the policy is ridiculous. Probably dreamt up by someone in BA management with a very loose association with the real world, it is indicative of the way BA treats its customers. Only in the UK are all men treated as potential paedophiles, yet if this is the way BA wishes to see treat its customers then surely they could do it in a less demeaning fashion?
It appears Mr Fischer may have swapped the seat he was allocated with his pregnant wife who wished to sit next to the window. But it comes as no surprise that the BA steward allegedly raised his voice at Mr Fischer and claimed that the plane could not take off until he moved seat. If BA must have such an absurd policy, why not just move the boy instead?
Finally, what are BA doing allowing this case to come to court? You would have thought they had enough problems without creating even more for themselves. Without being a legal expert you have to assume that BA will do very well to prove that this policy is not unreasonably discriminatory.
In the world of common sense, a sincere apology, a sizeable donation to a children’s charity and a promise to review the policy would have been sufficient. Unfortunately, BA seem to be operating in a different world entirely.
