British Airways Crew Member Dies At San Francisco Layover Hotel While On Duty

Some sad and tragic news coming from British Airways today, as it has been reported that one of the cabin crew members staffing a San Francisco flight was found dead at the airlines layover hotel in San Francisco.

It’s been reported in British media that the body was discovered after two days without hearing from the deceased and the flight had to be cancelled due to the emotional distress of the other crewmembers (not because of the amount of cabin crew being minus one).

Quite naturally, these are circumstances that are extremely sad and unfortunate if one of your friends and colleagues is found dead while on the same shift.

There has been no sign or announcement from the San Francisco coroner that there was foul play involved, although there will no doubt be an autopsy to determine the cause of death and possible circumstances.

The Sun reports that the flight that day was cancelled and passengers were re-accommodated:

A BRITISH Airways crew member was found dead in his hotel bed on a stopover between flights.

His colleagues raised the alarm when he did not report for duty on a flight back to the UK from San Francisco.

They were taken by hotel managers to his room where he may have lain dead for two days.

The crew was said to be too upset to continue with the flight to Heathrow.

It was cancelled at the last minute, disrupting travel plans for up to 850 passengers.

A source told The Sun: “There was no way the flight back from San Francisco could go ahead. Staff were in absolute bits at the sudden loss of their friend.”

Airline bosses are trying to unravel the mystery of the young crew member’s death.

He checked in at the crew’s £150-a-night hotel on Tuesday after working a flight from Heathrow.

But he failed to report for Thursday’s return flight.

Pilots left for the airport without him while cabin crew and in-flight managers waited for him in reception.

After the steward was found dead, pilots returned to support their colleagues. …

But flight BA284, on an Airbus A380-800, was cancelled although passengers were not told why.

They were given hotel rooms while BA staff tried to get them on other flights.

The source told The Sun: “The steward was a popular member of the team and this came as a bolt from the blue.

“The grim reality is that he may have been dead in his bed for some time.”

BA said: “Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of our colleague at this difficult time.”

I’m not sure why it’s worthwhile that the article mentions how much the hotel costs per night, although I’m a bit concerned about what kind of hotel BA puts their crew in that costs 150 pounds in San Francisco. That can’t be very safe or comfortable unless this includes the airline’s volume discount.

Crew members sometimes go out in the evenings and enjoy their layovers by partying, which is very common. Sometimes, they even join local acquaintances, which might not always be safe. While there have been no reports about the circumstances of this tragic death, an investigation into the movements of the crew member will undoubtedly be conducted, and the hotel will review the CCTV footage.

However, after all, we are human and sometimes death comes in our sleep or very suddenly, no matter the age, and there doesn’t have to be any foul play for our life to end without advance warning signs.

Conclusion

A British Airways cabin crew member suffered a tragic death while on a duty trip in San Francisco. He was discovered in his hotel room when he was missing at the reporting time prior to going to the airport.

As a result, the flight from SFO to Heathrow was cancelled as the remaining crewmembers were too distraught, and passengers were re-accommodated to other flights by ground staff in SFO.

Very unfortunate and sad for everybody involved. We send condolences to the friends, colleagues, and family of the deceased man.

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