Businessman sues British Airways "for treating men like perverts"

[Cruzan]

A businessman is suing British Airways over a policy that bans male passengers from sitting next to children they don't know - even if the child's parents are on the same flight.

Mirko Fischer has accused the airline of branding all men as potential sex offenders and says innocent travellers are being publicly humiliated.

In line with the policy, BA cabin crew patrol the aisles before take-off checking that youngsters travelling on their own or in a different row from their parents are not next to a male stranger.

If they find a man next to a child or teenager they will ask him to move to a different seat. The aircraft will not take off unless the passenger obeys.

Mr Fischer, a 33-year-old hedge fund manager, became aware of the policy while he was flying from Gatwick with his wife Stephanie, 30.

His wife, who was six months pregnant, had booked a window seat which she thought would be more spacious. Mr Fischer was in the middle seat between her and a 12-year-old boy.

Shortly after all passengers had sat down, having stowed their bags in the overhead lockers, a male steward asked Mr Fischer to change his seat.

Mr Fischer refused, explaining that his wife was pregnant, at which point the steward raised his voice, causing several passengers to turn round in alarm. He warned that the aircraft could not take off unless Mr Fischer obeyed.

More

[HipChick]

1. Quite a few international carriers have that policy in place..and this isn't BA's first case..

...

It happened to Mayor of London too..IIRC this policy has been in force for a decade..

[Dappleganger]

2. This is ridiculous.

Talk about nanny-state policies.

[Poll_Blind]

3. No "Men" "Jews" "Women" "Scottish" "Blind" "Blacks" allowed to sit next to children they don't know?

If that's really their rule, it doesn't pass a substitution test. I'd love to know more why this rule was instated, if it really is a rule.

Does this have anything to do with bad experiences with male passengers drinking too much? Still, substitute "male" in that last line for any of the groups listed in my topic and there's still a problem.

Something about the presumption of inherent or stereotypical behavior based on (whatever). Or some other reason?

:popcorn:

PB

[MattBaggins]

4. I would have marched my ass right up to first class and if a seat was empty;

sat my fat ass down in it.

I really do hope he wins this as it is pure and unadulterated bullshit.

[seabeyond]

5. i agree. and good for him for standing up and speaking out. we need to hear this. total support.

yup

[Beam Me Up]

6. Why didn't they move the boy? n/t

[rocktivity]

7. Female child predators may be rare, but they're not extinct.

More to the point, the policy also discriminates against women passengers--how dare you presume that I am "instinctively" willing to play temporary nanny!

Have all unescorted minors seat near where the flight attendants do, and have them take turns supervising.

x(
rocktivity

[DirkGently]

8. Stupid airline

[Posteritatis]

9. Good. This policy and similar ones in other airlines needed to die years ago. (nt)

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. What the airlines ought to do is sort this out when they assign seats

and tell families with children to check in early enough that they can be seated to satisfy whatever rules the airline wants to apply.