To celebrate Father’s Day (this year in the UK on 16 June) British Airways surprised some of its fathers and their sons and daughters by offering them the chance to work together on a special long-haul flight.
The flight, from Heathrow to San Diego in California, departed with help from father and daughter and father and son teams working across the airline’s operation, from check-in to gate agents, operations managers to engineers. The flight was then operated entirely by fathers and their sons and daughters - both cabin crew and pilots. None of the pairs had ever worked together before, making the flight an extra special experience.
Ian Romanis, British Airways’ Head of Mixed Fleet Cabin Crew said: “So many of our people have been inspired to work for British Airways because of the experiences of other family members and this was a fantastic opportunity to create a really special moment for everyone involved. It’s great to be able to reward the fathers in our teams who have inspired the next generation of aviation enthusiasts.”
The team working on board the flight shared how they came to follow in their fathers’ footsteps.
Lois Mackerness, British Airways’ cabin crew, said her Dad has always inspired her:
“Growing up seeing the pride and passion my Dad has for caring for his customers really encouraged me to work hard and make sure that I love what I do too. It was great to work on board together. I picked up some of his top tips that he’s learnt through his many years of flying.”
British Airways’ Cabin Crew, Andrew Obal, said of working alongside his son:
“With both myself and my son often working in different time zones and countries around the world, it sometimes means that we celebrate special days like birthdays and Christmas on different dates. Father’s Day is of extra importance for us as my son is now a father too, so being a part of this flight and watching my son serve our customers was such a special moment.”
British Airways Captain, Martin Ewins, spoke of the enjoyment of working on the same aircraft as his daughter:
“For 20 years my daughter watched me fly around the world and I’m so proud that I’ve inspired her to do the same as cabin crew. This is the first time we’ve ever worked on the same aircraft together and that’s such a special feeling. I was incredibly proud of her, and from the moment we stepped onto the plane we weren’t father and daughter, but two members of a flying crew getting ready to operate a flight. Despite everyone’s excitement about the flight, that professionalism was shown by the whole team on board.”
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