Tess De Mello spent three decades as a cabin crew member for British Airways, viewing the role as central to her professional identity and personal pride. She regularly exceeded job expectations and took satisfaction in her work and contributions to passenger comfort throughout her lengthy tenure at the airline.
In 2020, BA issued redundancy notices to almost all 42,000 staff members as the airline faced economic pressures related to the pandemic. Approximately 10,000 employees ultimately lost their jobs. According to the Unite union representing cabin crew, the airline implemented a fire-and-rehire strategy, requiring remaining staff to accept reduced pay and demoted positions. Legislators subsequently characterized the approach as a “national disgrace.” De Mello was among those terminated, an outcome she has described as deeply shameful, particularly given her professional reputation and the concern that former colleagues would misjudge her performance.
BA had informed long-serving cabin crew that retention would require accepting a 20% basic pay reduction, with Unite later reporting that actual salary reductions ranged from 15% to 35%. When De Mello sought clarification of her specific salary upon potential rehiring and requested time to consider her options—while explicitly stating her desire to remain employed—BA classified her as having chosen to leave the company, according to employment tribunal documents. An employment tribunal judge dismissed her unfair dismissal claim last year, though she and a colleague have filed an appeal.
Beyond the dismissal dispute, De Mello is also claiming she and other part-time workers were underpaid holiday entitlements. Her legal team argues that their shift patterns—blocks of full working days alternating with blocks of days off—classify them as part-year workers similar to teachers, who are entitled to full-time holiday compensation. A 2022 supreme court decision supports this interpretation. Should the claim succeed, it could create significant financial exposure for airlines across the sector, as this shift pattern is standard throughout aviation.
BA has stated that a 2025 employment tribunal dismissed the claimants’ initial claims, finding the airline’s pandemic-related actions to be both fair and non-discriminatory. The airline maintains that the current claims lack merit.
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