• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  British Airways  >  Oops: British Airways Flight Attendant Makes £50,000 Mistake On His First Day Of Work
British Airways

Oops: British Airways Flight Attendant Makes £50,000 Mistake On His First Day Of Work

Matthew Klint Posted onJanuary 19, 2023January 19, 2023 42 Comments

A British Airways new hire cost his new employer £50,000 after inadvertently deploying an emergency plane slide on a 777 jet. Talk about an egregious first day on the job!

Rookie Error: British Airways Flight Attendant Incurs £50,000 In Expenses During First Day On Job After Accidental Slide Deployment

When the purser announces, “Arm doors and cross-check” it means that the plane is ready to depart and the doors are set such that if opened, an inflatable slide will automatically deploy that can be used for egress.

While differences in pressures between inside the plane and outside the plane prevent any aircraft door from being opened in-flight, while the plane is on the ground one can still open the aircraft door. When armed, even inadvertently opening the door will trigger the deployment of the slide.

This is what happened on BA75 from London (LHR) to Lagos, Nigeria (LOS) on Friday, January 13, 2023. A brand new flight attendant on his very first flight somehow managed to open the emergency exit door, thus unleashing the slide and also unleashing a cascade of expenses and delays for his employer.

The slide cannot simply be deflated and put back in place. There is a complex mechanism that enables it to rapidly inflate and with no easy fix (the slide cannot be re-used), the plane was forced out of service.

JUST IN

A British Airways Boeing 777-200ER (G-VIIK) was pushing back whilst the emergency slide had opened

More updates to follow#aviation

Photo Credit – Ham pic.twitter.com/ZSJpPHX8Rf

— M Zulqarnain B (@MZulqarnainBut1) January 13, 2023

British Airways commendably found another aircraft and was able to (relatively) quickly get the flight on its way with the same crew–minus the rookie.

The UK Sun reports the young man was not fired but was demoted back to training. His mistake is thought to have cost British Airways about £50,000 when factoring in that the mishap caused a four-hour delay, including a missed takeoff slot, ruined slide, compensation for the passengers onboard, and additional duty pay for the other members of the flight crew.

A British Airways spokesperson explained:

“The aircraft returned to stand and customers disembarked normally. We apologized to customers for the inconvenience caused, provided them with refreshment vouchers, and arranged a replacement aircraft so that they could continue their journey as planned.”

Oh shute! What a tragic unforced error.

CONCLUSION

A rookie flight attendant had quite a first day on the job. After inadvertently deploying the emergency slide, he now has slid back to training. Meanwhile, British Airways handled the situation as well as could be expected, getting passengers to Lagos only about four hours late. I bet that’s a mistake that the flight attendant will never make again!

image: @MZulqarnainBut1 / Twitter

Previous Article Starlux Promotes New Airbus A350 With Seductive Models
Next Article United Airlines CEO Says Other Airlines Are In “Denial” About Growth In 2023

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • Corgi British Airways

    Corgi Flies In British Airways Club World Suite From Miami To London

    March 2, 2023
  • British Airways Social Media

    British Airways Clarifies Sensible Social Media Policy For Employees

    February 2, 2023
  • Lee Ryan British Airways

    Singer Who Tried To Scam Free Business Class Upgrade And Told British Airways Flight Attendant “I Want Your Chocolate Children” Is Found Guilty Of Racially-Aggravated Assault

    January 13, 2023

42 Comments

  1. Sean M. Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 7:20 am

    Slides absolutely can be reused. They have to be deflated, tested, repacked, re-certified and reinstalled, but they can be reused after that is done.

    • Jack Allen Reply
      January 20, 2023 at 12:57 am

      Believe it or not, it costs approximately $10,000 for Maintenance to do this, besides the aircraft being out of service, loss of revenue, etc.

      • Sean M. Reply
        January 20, 2023 at 11:52 am

        Oh believe me, I know. I’ve had to sign off on the cost of those replacements a few times. At least this happened at maintenance base – if it happened at an outstation, there would be a pax penalty on the return flight to base as well.

  2. David Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 9:36 am

    Opening an exit door on a 777 is not something you accidently do. Even most of the least traveled passenger would have a better sense. I guess the person’s training performance comes into play but I’d think twice about putting this person back on a plane. Maybe a diversity hire?

    • DCAWABN Reply
      January 19, 2023 at 12:33 pm

      This is something that I’m also having a hard time understanding…you don’t just accidentally open a 777’s door. Like, it requires a fair amount of effort beyond opening, say, a door to a bedroom. Especially when you’re not at a gate and you can clearly see apron/tarmac out the window and NOT a jetway given they appear to be at door 3L. I’d agree that this FA shouldn’t be allowed back on a plane at all, let alone after “training”.

    • J Reply
      January 19, 2023 at 6:33 pm

      Such an insult to the people with diverse background. How can a blogger allow for such a comment is a mystery to me

    • Wow Reply
      January 20, 2023 at 12:10 am

      What filth you are for making an assumption like that.

    • Emach Reply
      January 20, 2023 at 8:11 am

      Classic chud move to try and make this about identity politics

    • James Harper Reply
      January 20, 2023 at 10:07 am

      Oh dear, a Trump supporter.

      • Joseoh Reply
        January 20, 2023 at 11:59 am

        Yay!!! Congrats on finding a way to make it a out Trump.

      • Nick Backman Reply
        January 22, 2023 at 9:33 am

        Hows that Bidenflation treating you lol.

    • James Reply
      January 20, 2023 at 4:48 pm

      Diversity is just only so much feel-good politics when in actuality it’s just more modern-day bs. You only hire GOOD people based on MERIT and INTELLIGENCE. ‘Diversity’, ‘inclusion’, and ‘equity’ are only buzzwords that chiefly result in ‘MEDIOCRITY”.’

  3. Dick Bupkiss Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 9:38 am

    “I wonder what this button does….”

  4. Santastico Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 10:00 am

    Back to school!!! How these people get approved to be FAs? Guy was probably on his phone posting about his first day at work. What a generation!!!!

  5. viapanam Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 10:09 am

    Well, shute happens. But perhaps they need to find an airport based job for this dude. Not sure all the training in the world can teach someone common sense/

  6. Nate nate Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 10:27 am

    David’s comment is offensive.

    This is clearly insufficient training. BA handled it right by sending the employee back to training, but you also have to wonder what he was trained on.

    • David Reply
      January 19, 2023 at 1:47 pm

      You’re in denial if you don’t understand some people are hired based on things like their gender, skin color, or who they sleep with. Our own president chose his running mate based on her skin color and genitalia. The voting public judge her unqualified and she did not receive a single delegate in the primaries. Yet someone ol Joe found her qualified to be a heartbeat away from leader of the free world. Clearly the public saw her correctly.

      • TM Reply
        January 19, 2023 at 2:24 pm

        Ease off the saber-rattling there. The assumption that all diversity results in incompetence (or that all incompetent people must be a “diversity hire”) is insane. If I had a dime for every white boomer man I work with who can’t figure out how to work their iPhone or create a PDF, I’d be able to retire young and save myself from overhearing constant whinging about how “diversity hires” are ruining the workplace.

      • Cam Reply
        January 19, 2023 at 3:17 pm

        Clearly you will use any public forum to express your hatred for the Democrats. This topic is about a BA-FA opening an aircraft door and deploying the slide. You need to stay on point David. 2024 is next yr. Hopefully your sides wins in a landslide, and the World gets to watch your side handle your Country. Looking forward to 2024.

      • UA-NYC Reply
        January 19, 2023 at 6:44 pm

        And yet you clearly have your own positive bias towards Orange-Americans, no matter how much mouth breathing they do…pot meet kettle

      • James Reply
        January 20, 2023 at 5:03 pm

        David is spot on. This is an objective observation. Kamala Harris IS pretty much just a feel-good decoration. Since taking office, she has shown herself to be clearly in way over her head and just plainly unqualified. I pretty much thought Trump was the worst President we’ve had in a long time. The man just can’t keep his mouth shut and blabbers the most insane lies. But having watched Biden in action now for a couple of years, he is worse than Trump. He panders to whatever the day’s supplicants complain about. Biden should have hung up his hat a long time ago, collected his pension, and found a comfortable geriatric home to enjoy. Trump and Biden. Is this the best our country can come up with to be our leaders?

    • James Harper Reply
      January 20, 2023 at 10:08 am

      It’s BA, training is cut to the bone to be the minimum legal so never have great expectations of anything they do.

  7. Patrick Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 10:30 am

    Ooops.

  8. Kenneth Allyn Barton Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 11:32 am

    Boy, British Airways must really be having a hard time recruiting flight attendants if this guy wasn’t fired on the spot – which is what absolutely would have happened at any of the three airlines I flew with over the course of 30 years! Blowing a slide can be extremely dangerous. When I was flying for Northwest Airlines, a company mechanic was killed inside a jetway when he opened a 747 cabin door that had not been disarmed.

    • James Harper Reply
      January 20, 2023 at 10:11 am

      BA are really struggling to recruit at the moment. They haven’t yet realised that people won’t work all the hours and shifts of the day for the minimum wage when Lidl close by the LHR pays far more. This is while of course executive bonuses are still eye watering and shareholder payouts are huge. The days of slave labour at BA are over but they haven’t yet realised it.

      A mate who used to be a long haul purser and who was made redundant because of Covid is asked weekly to return – for less than 30% of what he was earning and they can’t understand why he won’t.

  9. derek Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 11:52 am

    G-VIIK?!

    I have been on that plane!

    That plane also had a death in DEN when a refueling hose disconnect and hit the ground, causing a spark. It caught the spilled fuel on fire, which killed the man refueling the plane.

    Ugh.

    • CommonSense Reply
      January 20, 2023 at 5:26 pm

      Yea, you are completely full of it. You can put a cigarette out in Jet A-1 and it will not light. A spark from dropping a non-ferrous fuel nozzle certainly won’t ignite it. Go seek attention through lies somewhere else, like a burning building.

      • Evan C Reply
        January 20, 2023 at 10:14 pm

        Actually derek is correct. This BA 777-200ER was being refueled in DEN when the fuel hose came loose spraying the refueler and then somehow he caught on fire. I’ve attached an incident report if you’re interested. RIP

        https://planecrashmap.com/plane/co/G-VIIK/

  10. Jerry Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 12:25 pm

    His first flight ever was a 777 to Lagos?! I think some of the blame might be on BA here. Those mixed crews really are inexperienced.

  11. Dougie Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 2:15 pm

    Penultimate paragraph you said it cost a “missed take off slide”, I think you meant “slot”.

  12. DEE Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 2:33 pm

    David-some truth to COmma-La for sure

  13. Ian Carter Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 4:14 pm

    “While differences in pressures between inside the plane and outside the plane prevent any aircraft door from being opened in-flight”
    Aren’t these doors opening outwards and the low pressure at high altitude makes it easier to open them?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      January 19, 2023 at 4:18 pm

      No.

    • Gitbisect Reply
      January 19, 2023 at 8:08 pm

      To clarify Matthew’s “no”, the reason is that the doors need to be pulled inward against the interior high pressure before they can swing outwards. They don’t just open outward like a car door. That’s also why the door handle is so big. Most FAs require both hands to pull the door in before turning it and pushing out
      If it was a simple push out, they’d just need a small handle and then put their body weight against the door.

  14. Ray Johnson Reply
    January 19, 2023 at 10:06 pm

    A few years ago I was sitting in 1A when an AA flight attendant forgot to disarm the door of a 737-800 upon arrival of early AM flight from SAT to DFW. Not funny for him but the 50 or so people who gathered around on the tarmac thought it was hilarious. About 25 minute delay getting off, fortunately my connection had ample time.

  15. Nick O Reply
    January 20, 2023 at 5:15 am

    Sounds like a communications and supervision failure. Good job it happened at the UK end of the route! Dread to think of the cost of sourcing and positioning another 777.

  16. Pop pippins Reply
    January 21, 2023 at 6:52 am

    The doors open outwards and pressure inside the plane is higher than pressure outside so why can’t the doors be opened in flight?

    • Max M Reply
      January 22, 2023 at 4:49 pm

      Because the door is bigger than it’s frame.

  17. FlyOften Reply
    January 21, 2023 at 2:34 pm

    Did BA let passengers slide on out of the plane?

    Wheeeeee…..

    Inquiring minds want to know

  18. John Ray Reply
    January 22, 2023 at 5:01 pm

    “My bad,” he said.

  19. Steve Reply
    January 22, 2023 at 8:11 pm

    I like this blog quite a bit and I’m a regular reader. That said, I feel like the editing of the political comments above – or lack thereof – is telling me more about Matthew’s own proclivities then I wanted to know.

    • Steve Reply
      January 22, 2023 at 8:14 pm

      *than

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • Faroe Islands Trip Report
    Introduction: A Journey To The Magical Faroe Islands On Star Alliance March 30, 2023
  • United Airlines Wants Flight Attendants To Create “Wow Factor” Onboard March 30, 2023
  • Homeless Man Steals Luggage
    Homeless Man Helps Himself To Luggage In Atlanta Airport March 30, 2023
  • Delta SkyMiles Schedule Change
    UPDATE: Delta Air Lines Strands Senior Citizens In Middle East After Absurd Schedule Change March 29, 2023

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Kayleigh Scott United Airlines
    The Tragic Death Of A United Airlines Flight Attendant March 21, 2023
  • Delta SkyMiles Schedule Change
    UPDATE: Delta Air Lines Strands Senior Citizens In Middle East After Absurd Schedule Change March 29, 2023
  • Southwest Airlines Wife Slap
    Enraged Husband Attacks Man On Southwest Airlines Flight After He Bumps Wife March 8, 2023
  • United Polaris Lounge LAX Review
    Review: United Airlines Polaris Lounge Los Angeles (LAX) March 24, 2023

Archives

March 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Feb    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.