For the first time in British Airways’ history, one of its flights was operated by an all-black crew. The historic flight took part during the United Kingdom’s Black History Month.

Making history

A few weeks ago, a British Airways flight from Barbados to London Heathrow was operated by an all-black crew. This was the first time in the airline’s 48-year history that a flight featured an all-black crew. Typically, only pilots and cabin crew are considered when something monumental like this occurs. But, for British Airways, every person helping get off the ground was Black, including the ground crew, gate team, and dispatcher.

A BA employee tweeted, “A very monumental day in BA’s history. So grateful to have been apart of this.”

One of the passengers on the flight also tweeted that passengers applauded when the captain made the announcement.

Another passenger said,

“I was honoured to be a passenger on your first all-Black crew flight from Barbados today. The service was outstanding, and it was celebrated by all. Well done, especially to D’Andra for taking care of us.”

Earlier this month, some controversy arose as BA staff shared that the airline changed its social media policies for staff. Many stated that the airline was not allowing them to post anything related to their roles.

This was cleared up on February 2 on the airline’s Twitter account.

Recent British Airways news

Scorpion onboard

Over the weekend, passengers on a British Airways flight from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to London Heathrow had what was likely to be an experience they will never forget.

Midflight, a scorpion was let loose in the middle of the cabin, and the crew moved passengers to search for the animal.

The incident occurred about 45 minutes before landing in London, and some passengers recall thinking that passengers were standing up to use the lavatories. Much to their surprise, the cabin crew were asking people to move so that the scorpion could be found. The scorpion was never found, even after thirty minutes of attempts from the crew.

Supposedly, only two passengers saw the scorpion before it disappeared. The likelihood of two passengers “seeing things” is relatively low as the aircraft traveled from a location with more than twenty species of scorpions. The latest incident on the BA fleet was not the only one to occur in recent years, with passengers on United Airlines, GOL, and Air Transat stung in the last four years.

Smoke in the cabin

Earlier this month, BA 216 from Washington Dulles to Heathrow was diverted to Halifax because of smoke in the cabin. Less than an hour and a half into the flight, the crew declared there was smoke in the plane and asked to divert to Halifax. Upon landing, all passengers were evacuated, and emergency personnel boarded to locate the fire. No active fire was discovered.

The Boeing 787-9 remained on the ground in Halifax for two days while an investigation was launched into the causes of the smoke. The crew had discharged a fire extinguisher in the aircraft after passengers noted a foul smell in the cabin. The search for the cause of the smoke began when the extinguisher was discharged and was extended to surrounding areas, but nothing was found.

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  British Airways

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  BA/BAW

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport

  Year Founded:

  1974

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  Airline Group:

  IAG

  CEO:

  Sean Doyle

  Country:

  United Kingdom

  Loyalty Program:

  British Airways Executive Club

  Region:

  Europe