Plane stupid
From Mr Duncan Reed Sir: A colleague and I were together on a British Airways plane bound for Paris a week or so ago, but seated a few rows apart. Just before take-off, a clearly embarrassed air stewardess apparently felt obliged to approach him and demand that he swap seats across the aisle with another (female) colleague of ours. The reason? 'It is company policy that men cannot sit next to unaccompanied children on BA flights.'
Has the world gone mad? Can BA confirm whether this is indeed the case, and if it is, whether any other criteria are used in these circumstances? Is mere 'maleness' a sufficient reason for suspicion, or are other factors brought into play, like age or appearance?
Do readers know of any other airlines which enforce similar rules? My colleague was, needless to say, highly disconcerted by the imputation.
Duncan Reed
London W2
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