British Airways Changes Seating Policy over Discrimination
British Airways has been reported to have changed their seating policy for male passengers. This comes after a businessman claimed that he was treated like a child molester.
The UK carrier had an internal rule that prevented adult male passengers from sitting beside unaccompanied children on flights to protect minors. Now the policy has been changed due to a case involving Mirko Fischer, a 35-year-old hedge fund manager that swapped seats with his pregnant wife so that he could be near the window but ended up sitting beside a boy he didn’t know.
After moving, Fischer was asked to move back by cabin crew because he was sitting beside an unaccompanied child on a flight to Luxembourg from London. He protested that the rule broke sex discrimination laws and claimed to feeling like was being treated like a potential child molester.
A British Airways spokesman noted that they carry tens of thousands of unaccompanied children every year and take pride in the service they provide to them and their guardians. They have a specific department for seating that has a range of guidelines to make sure the kids are put in an appropriate seat, he explained, and they even have specific Unaccompanied Minors zone seating on some services.
Fischer took his case to court and was given a total of £2,911 in compensation - £2,161 for costs and £750 for damages - after British Airways admitted sex discrimination. The airline then reviewed their policy and now says that seating of unaccompanied minors will be managed in a safe but non-discriminatory manner.
Fischer says that he delighted about the change in policy. He has donated the compensation to Orphans in the Wild and Kidscape, which are two charities that protect children.
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