BA flight attendant sacked for being too anxious to fly wins discrimination case

A veteran air steward has won a discrimination case against British Airways for being sacked when she was unable to fly.

Jennifer Clifford sued BA, her employer of almost 40 years, for disability discrimination and unfair dismissal after her manager allegedly minimised her mental health condition by describing it as ‘just a little bit of anxiety.’

She should have been given more credit due to her long service and more flexibility to return to work that didn’t involve flying, a judge at an employment tribunal in Reading, Berkshire, found.

Her row with BA started when the coronavirus pandemic grounded thousands of flights and left workers waiting in limbo.

During the pandemic, she was placed on furlough and sick leave, when she began experiencing stress and depression.

She was then temporarily moved to a ground role, but by the end of 2022, she was still unable to fly, and she was fired.

Ms Clifford had worked with the airline for decades since 1983, serving as an air steward and rising to the rank of inflight manager.

She had never had a period of sick leave during her nearly 40 years at BA, but this changed for the worse when she faced losing her job.

She was told in August 2020 that she would be made redundant. The airline then made a U-turn and offered her a role as cabin crew, two grades below her previous rank, which led her to launch a grievance case.

The steward was kept on furlough until September 2021 before she was given sick leave due to depression and work-related stress.

Eventually, the seasoned steward was declared unfit to fly, a tribunal hearing in Reading, Berkshire, heard.

She proposed a phased return from Gatwick Airport instead of her normal base at Heathrow as this would help with her commuting time. She also asked to work on the ground two days a week.

However, in September 2022 she was told that if she did not make herself fit to fly, a termination date would be set for her to lose her job.

She was then offered a role at the Heathrow Help Hub, which assists flyersand disabled passengers at the UK’s busiest airport.

Her manager during this time, Nigel Landy, reportedly described her condition as having ‘just a little bit of anxiety,’ saying that ‘if you don’t like working here, then leave.’

Her job was set to be terminated in March 2023 because of her inability to fly, but she decided to leave in December 2022.

The Employment Judge Emma Hawksworths said: ‘Ms Clifford needed a phased return in a ground duties placement before returning to her full contractual flying role.

‘That was because of the need to rebuild her confidence and to give time to adjust to working again, and these requirements arose from her disability.

‘She remained unable, because of anxiety and depression, to return to her flying role when required to do so by [British Airways] at the end of the resourcing and recruitment placement.

‘Mr Landy telling [Ms Clifford] she had ‘just a little bit of anxiety’ was clumsy and suggested to [Ms Clifford] that he was minimising her condition. It came across as an attempt to dismiss how she was feeling.

‘[Ms Clifford] had very long service with [BA]. She had had a lengthy period of absence from work, in part because of things for which she was not responsible: a long period of furlough and a long period when the respondent was considering her grievance.

‘A reasonable employer would have given her a longer and more suitable phased return and would, in line with its policy, have considered redeployment to a ground based role before deciding to dismiss her.’

Ms Clifford’s additional claim of sex discrimination was dismissed.

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