Letter to British Airways: ‘The purpose of my letter is to express my own and my fellow passengers’ outrage’
July 9th, 2010 by Robert Franklin, Esq.The following is the letter sent by reader Sarolta Mayer to British Airways complaining of their discrimination against male airline passengers.
Attn: Mr. William Walsh CEO, British Airways, UK
cc: Mr. Mark Hassell, Head of Customer Experience and Partnership, BA, UK
cc: Mr. David Cameron, MP, UK
cc: Mr. Dalton McGuinty, Premier, CA
Dear Sir,
RE: British Airways’ Policy prohibiting men from sitting beside an unaccompanied minor
The purpose of this letter is to express my own and my fellow (potential) passengers’ outrage.
Several news media reports have indicated that because of British Airways’ and a few other airlines’ (namely Qantas and Air New Zealand) discriminatory policies, male passengers are prohibited to sit beside an unaccompanied minor on an airplane in violation of fundamental rights and freedoms.
That statement alone sounds both sad and utterly ridiculous!
Supposedly, if I travel along with my husband and his seat happens to be beside an unaccompanied minor, automatically he can get and will get labeled as a child molester, a pedophile and will have to move or change his seat.
I can only wish it will never, never happen to us; I simply could not bear the embarrassment!
With this fundamentally misandric policy you not only embarrass your male passengers, but also suggest a grim, rather pitiful way of dealing with your loyal customers.
We are talking about hard working, honest husbands and fathers who had to suffer PUBLIC HUMILIATION because of a few hastily brought decisions based purely on artificially created public fear. Not only these men are suffering, but also their wives, relatives and children traveling with them.
I am asking: What is the real reason and basis for humiliating your MALE customers?
Child molesting and/or abuse does not happen on a 3-400 seat passenger airplane, in a confined place in public; and according to the statistics, it is mostly the child’s immediate family or someone close to the family who commits these felonies, NOT A complete stranger who just happens to sit beside this child.
So I guess you should not allow a male family member to sit beside a minor, according to the statistics!?
What are the REAL chances that a child molester gets a seat right beside an Unaccompanied Minor? Using mathematical probability- VERY SLIM!! Based purely on these “WHAT IF”s, parents should be prosecuted for allowing to travel their children on a plane, just in case the plane crashes! The same principle, is it not??
Besides, to my best knowledge, females have been accused of committing exactly the same crimes. Why do we not see and hear about policies regarding these instances?
As far as I know, female passengers ARE allowed to sit beside Unaccompanied Minors. Female flight attendants ARE ALLOWED to assist these children. Should we not change that? Or is it not the same principle?
British Airways and the other few airlines mentioned above have been undermining their good reputation with this kind of nonsense, ridiculous and outrage-provoking policies. Especially if we take into consideration the fact that there had been complaints already filed for the same reasons. The airlines should pay attention to these complaints since they have an unfortunately valid base.
We are all paying customers, regardless of gender; we should all be entitled to the same treatment EQUALLY without discrimination from the airlines. These policies are just simply unjust and wrong, no matter WHY they were created in the first place and WHO decided to implement them. I do not know which department is responsible to bring these kinds of policies into effect, but I am convinced that many of us are righteously outraged by them and BA should seriously re-consider and change their policies regarding these cases.
I am certain there will be more complaints filed since male passengers will continued to be discriminated against and humiliated by BA staff members, unless changes will be made to the policies.
Would it not make more sense to prevent these cases? BA is spending UNNECESSARILY part of their profit to investigate the complaints and pay from the profit the settlements. Not to mention the negative publicity.
And finally, one more important question:
Sir, how would it make YOU feel if the same happened to You on a plane? (Well, I am sure it will not. Airlines will make sure this would not happen to their employees, so they would not have to endure the same humiliation…)
Sincerely,
Sarolta Mayer