British Airways staffs ENTIRE flight with dads and their sons and daughters to mark Father’s Day, from the check-in desks to the cockpit
- The flight, from Heathrow to San Diego, departed with help from father and daughter and son teams
- The members of staff work across the airline’s operation, from the flight deck to the check-in desks
- None of the pairs had ever worked together before, making the flight an extra-special experience
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To celebrate Father’s Day in the UK on June 16 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.
None of them knew they’d be working together until they saw their monthly rosters.
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 desks to gate agents, operations managers to engineers. The flight was then operated entirely by the family pairings – both cabin crew and pilots.
To celebrate Father’s Day in the UK on June 16 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. Above, from left to right, the BA family members who operated the special flight: Customer service agents Andrew and Rachel Culley; crew member Mark Partridge and his father, in-flight business manager Nigel; cabin service director Nick Rees and his son, crew member Dom; captain Martin Ewins and his daughter, crew member Rachel; customer service agents Ashok and Vishal Sharma; cabin crew member Sam de Jesus and his father John; cabin crew member Craig Obal and his father Andrew; cabin crew member Martin de Groot and his stepdaughter Emily Clarke; cabin crew member David Mackerness and his daughter Lois
Pictured, Captain Martin Ewins and his daughter, mixed-fleet crew member Rachel
None of them had ever worked together before – mostly because they work on different fleets – making the flight, codename Bravo Alpha Papa, an extra-special experience.
Commenting on the initiative, British Airways’ head of mixed fleet cabin crew, Ian Romanis, 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.
‘It’s great to be able to reward the fathers in our teams who have inspired the next generation of aviation enthusiasts.’
The team working on board the flight shared how they came to follow in their fathers’ footsteps.
Lois Mackerness, British Airways’ cabin crew, said her dad, David, 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.
Customer service agents Ashok and Vishal Sharma get ready to welcome holidaymakers at Heathrow
Aircraft maintenance engineer James Brennan, pictured left, and his mechanic son James Brennan worked on the special Father’s Day flight, shifting together at London Heathrow
Stephen Pelham (left), who works as a ramp agent, pictured on the job alongside his son Greg, who’s employed as a ground operations agent
‘It was great to work on board together. I picked up some of his top tips that he’s learnt through his many years of flying.’
Cabin crew member Andrew Obal, father of steward Craig, said: ‘With both myself and my son often working in different time zones and countries around the world, it sometimes means that we celebrate special days like birthdays and Christmas on different dates. Father’s Day is of extra importance for us as my son is now a father too, so being a part of this flight and watching my son serve our customers was such a special moment.’
British Airways captain Martin Ewins spoke of the enjoyment of working on the same aircraft as his daughter: ‘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. I was incredibly proud of her, and from the moment we stepped onto the plane we weren’t father and daughter, but two members of a flying crew getting ready to operate a flight.’
Mr Ewins added that despite everyone’s excitement about the family-themed flight, ‘professionalism was shown by the whole team on board’.
Cabin crew member Andrew Obal, father of steward Craig (pictured with his dad), said: ‘Father’s Day is of extra importance for us as my son is now a father too, so being a part of this flight and watching my son serve our customers was such a special moment’
Lois Mackerness, British Airways’ cabin crew, said her dad David 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’