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A passenger of British Airways is entitled to a compensation of $2,550 for being stranded on the tarmac for seven hours.
The news source BelfastLive stated that Kiemon Stewart had plans to travel from London’s Heathrow Airport to Belfast on October 2nd. However, his flight, operated by a former Royal Air Force pilot, experienced significant delays due to inclement weather conditions, causing the plane to miss its scheduled departure time.
The airport had been alerted to potential thunderstorms and intense precipitation. The air traffic control instructed the plane to remain grounded, but it needed to be refueled once the weather improved. However, the departure was postponed even more when the pilots and crew disembarked due to reaching their allotted work hours.
At this stage, travelers remained seated as they awaited the arrival of a new airline crew. Despite the flight eventually departing from London and reaching Belfast, passengers were allegedly given only one bag of pretzels and one beverage each while they waited on the grounded plane.
The plane reached its final destination seven hours later than originally planned. Stewart was dissatisfied with the situation, describing the series of delays as a “comedy of mistakes”. In order to receive compensation, he filed a claim in the small claims court of Northern Ireland.
Even though the airplane was initially instructed to keep a distance due to weather forecasts, BelfastLive reported that Stewart argued this was only one factor. According to Stewart, the real problem for British Airways was their operational and commercial choices and actions.
Stewart’s claim against British Airways was not contested, leading to a court ruling that the airline must compensate the passenger with $2,550.
A spokesperson for British Airways expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to customers by flight delays due to air traffic control limitations enforced as a result of inclement weather in London and the South East of England on the date of their scheduled flight.
British Airways received backlash recently for reportedly instructing its female crew members on the preferred color of their undergarments to wear with their uniforms. The Sun was the first to report on the updated dress code coinciding with the release of the airline’s new uniforms.
British Airways has reversed their previous strict dress code, which stated that flight attendants must only wear plain white or nude undergarments without any lace, patterns, or writing. This change came after resistance from the flight attendants’ union.
The airline’s spokesperson stated to The Independent that they have taken out a suggestion from their standard guidelines and will remain open to feedback from their coworkers on what methods are most effective for them.
An article from Paddle Your Own Kanoo discussed a statement made by the British Airways Stewards and Stewardesses Union.
The union addressed its members, stating that it was unacceptable to be discussing the permitted underwear choices for female members in 2023.
The statement continued, acknowledging that the large number of female members put them in an uncomfortable situation. It could be argued that they would not have been in this predicament if the blouse had not been transparent to begin with.
Source: independent.co.uk
