British Airways flight, Bravo Alpha Pappa, takes off to celebrate Father’s Day

To celebrate Father’s Day, 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, head of mixed fleet cabin crew, British Airways 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.”

The team working on board the flight shared how they came to follow in their fathers’ footsteps. According to Lois Mackerness, cabin crew in British Airways, 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. I picked up some of his top tips that he’s learnt through his many years of flying.”

Speaking of the enjoyment of working on the same aircraft as his daughter, Martin Ewins, captain, British Airways said: “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.”