A British Airways flight attendant found herself in a turbulent situation, not in the air, but on a lush vacation in the Maldives, resulting in her being sent back to the UK. The incident occurred at the high-end Oblu Xperience Ailafushi resort, where rooms can fetch up to £2,000 per night.
The unnamed stewardess had flown from Heathrow to Malé with her colleagues last week and decided to extend the luxury by bringing along her daughter and a friend, taking advantage of discounted tickets. Their holiday took a turn for the worse after excessive drinking under an all-inclusive package led to a noisy celebration on their villa’s balcony.
Complaints from other guests about “screaming and screeching” noises escalated into a physical altercation late in the evening, following hotel management’s attempt to curb their disruptive behaviour. The scuffle involved “a lot of pushing and shoving, then fists were flying,” with bystanders stepping in to intervene, according to sources.
The chaos prompted the hotel staff to contact British Airways, threatening to expel the entire crew from the premises. However, only the involved flight attendant was ordered to return to London, with her companions flying back separately the following day.
British Airways has strict guidelines stating employees are responsible for the conduct of anyone travelling under their booking. This incident adds to a series of controversies for the airline, following the earlier dismissal of two attendants involved in creating a racially insensitive video.
The airline is now facing scrutiny over the behaviour of its staff while off-duty, highlighting the importance of maintaining professionalism and decorum, even outside the work environment. British Airways has yet to comment on the incident.
