British Airways crew member found dead in US hotel room named as dad-of-three

A British Airways flight attendant who was found dead in a hotel room under mysterious circumstances has been named.

Irfan Ali Mirza, 45, landed in San Francisco from Heathrow Airport last Tuesday and had a two-day layover in the city before the return flight.

But his colleagues became concerned when he didn’t show up for work on Thursday, and when he didn’t answer his phone, crew hotel staff forced entry into his hotel room where they found him dead in bed.

Police called to the scene said they ‘did not discover any evidence of foul play’.

The chief medical examiner’s San Francisco office has not yet confirmed Irfan’s cause of death, or whether his body is still in their possession, MailOnline reports.

Irfan, who’s from London, had worked as a flight attendant for more than 20 years.

He leaves behind a wife and three children, the youngest only born last year.

Irfan’s brother Kamran Mizra paid tribute, thanking his brother’s colleagues for their support and stories, MailOnline reports.

He said: ‘Cannot express how hard it is that Irfan left his parents, us three siblings and his wife and three young children behind. It’s totally heartbreaking.

‘It has really shocked me and the rest of the family that Irfan is not with us anymore. Cannot express what we are going through right now.

‘We both were born in the same month, June, only four days apart. There were times we celebrated our birthday at the same time.

‘Now that moment will never come again. It’s heartbreaking.’

The flight from San Francisco to Heathrow, which was supposed to take off on the afternoon of April 17, was cancelled, as Irfan’s crewmates and colleagues were reportedly too upset to fly after his body was found.

Passengers weren’t told why the flight was cancelled, instead they were given hotel rooms while new travel arrangements were made.

One colleague, Bailey Patter, said: ‘Irfan was an amazing, kind soul. I first flew with Irfan on a Hong Kong flight… it was an unforgettable trip.

‘We would always giggle about it over the years to come. My heart goes out to friends and family of Irfan, he was a true gentleman and will be greatly missed.’

Danielle Crane said: ‘Irfan was one of the most genuine, funniest and kindest crew members I’ve had the pleasure to have flown with. 

‘I was also on the extended Nassau trip with him last year and he really did make it fun and had us all laughing. The world is a sadder place without him in it.’

Dutchie Wallis added: ‘Irfan was a sheer joy to fly with. He had pure sunshine in his soul and lit up a room with his expansive smile. He had the loveliest sense of humour that would make us giggle out loud.’

British Airways confirmed on Sunday that the man was a member of its crew.

In a statement to Metro, it said: ‘Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of our colleague at this difficult time.’

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