In the aviation world, you really don’t hear about many people dying while still actively employed by the airline. Of course, it happened more often than anyone liked during the early years of the pandemic. And, of course, every day, people (including airline employees) die in tragic accidents. But if you think about how many active airline employees reportedly pass away on any given day, it’s not all that many.
So to hear that two British Airlines flight attendants both passed away within a week of each other – both while on duty, both men with no known health issues, and both age 52 – well, besides being highly unusual, it’s tragic, as well.
December 23, 2023
The first employee was a flight attendant who passed away in his stopover hotel in Newark NJ.
The flight attendant, whose name was withheld, was found deceased in his hotel room after he failed to report for duty.
The flight he was supposed to work, BA188, from Newark (EWR) to London Heathrow (LHR), was cancelled. Passengers of the flight were rebooked on later flights, while the deceased’s colleagues were flown back to London as passengers.
December 30, 2023
Just a week later, another flight attendant passed away. Unfortunately, this occurrence happened while he was working a New Year’s Eve flight from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).
This flight attendant collapsed in the aft galley, falling onto the floor, as flight BA31 was preparing for departure. According to reports, the man collapsed as the doors locked and the pilot called for pushback.
The pilot immediately called for medical assistance and a passenger who was trained in first aid tried to help resuscitate the downed flight attendant. Local police and medical crews quickly arrived at the scene, but sadly the FA couldn’t be saved.
The flight was canceled and all passengers on BA31 were rebooked on another flight the next day.
Can you imagine? Two BA FAs – both involving LHR, noless. Just tragic.
Passengers and grew on both flights were, of course, upset. British Airways, of course, offered their condolences and remarked that their thoughts were with their colleagues’ friends and family at this incredibly sad time.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
2 comments
Gee, I wonder what could have possibly been a factor.
It’s not unusual anymore!!