British Airways
- A British Airways flight was operated by an all-Black crew for the first time this month.
- Passengers applauded when the pilot made an announcement, one traveler tweeted.
- The flights from Barbados to Heathrow and back came during the UK's Black History Month.
A British Airways service was operated by an all-Black crew for the first time in the airline's history.
The flights from Bridgetown, Barbados to London's Heathrow airport and back again earlier this month were staffed entirely by Black employees, from gate agents, ground staff and the dispatcher to the cabin crew and pilots. The flights took place as the UK celebrates Black History Month.
"A very monumental day in BA's history. So grateful to have been apart of this," a British Airways employee tweeted along with the hashtags #WeMadeHistory #BlackHistory.
The worker also shared photos of the crew in the terminal and on the airplane stairs.
—KING Pip (@__Epiphanyy) February 10, 2023
Passengers applauded when the pilot made an announcement informing them that the entire crew was made up of Black employees, one traveler tweeted.
—Matthew Wilson (@Matthewbarbados) February 9, 2023
"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," another passenger said in a tweet.
A British Airways representative told Insider: "We're proud to have supported our Be ME (Being of a Minority Ethnicity) colleague network group to organise British Airways' first ever all Black colleague flight, celebrating the contribution our Black colleagues make to the airline and highlighting how important representation and role models are to drive greater diversity."
They added: "We've got more work to do, and, as part of our BA Better World strategy we're creating inclusion and diversity programmes and building partnerships with groups like Fantasy Wings to help break down barriers and ensure underrepresented groups are able to access the exciting opportunities available within the aviation industry."
Earlier this month British Airways pilot Dave Wallsworth tweeted that staff were no longer allowed to post photos or videos while "professionally engaged" in their jobs "due to newly published company guidelines."
The airline tweeted on February 2 that it was not stopping staff from posting on social media: "We've simply refreshed our existing guidelines, giving our people – our biggest ambassadors – more clarity about what's appropriate. E.g. no photos when carrying out safety critical or customer-focused tasks."