Tess De Mello ended a 30-year career with British Airways in 2020 when the airline implemented mass redundancies during the pandemic. BA issued redundancy notices to nearly its entire 42,000-person workforce, ultimately terminating approximately 10,000 positions. De Mello has described significant personal distress following her dismissal, including feelings of shame and concern about colleagues’ perceptions of her job loss.
De Mello initiated legal proceedings against BA, claiming unfair dismissal. According to her account, she requested clarification regarding her rehiring salary and time to consider the terms while explicitly expressing her desire to remain with the company. BA subsequently treated her request as a resignation, according to court filings. An employment tribunal judge ruled against De Mello and a fellow former employee in proceedings held in Reading. Both are pursuing an appeal of that decision.
Beyond the dismissal claim, De Mello and her colleague are asserting they received insufficient payment for holiday entitlements during their tenure as part-time workers. Their legal representatives contend that the shift patterns used in their contracts—working consecutive full days followed by consecutive days off—classify them as part-year workers rather than part-time workers. This distinction would entitle them to full holiday pay equivalent to full-time employees, according to a 2022 supreme court ruling cited in their case.
The holiday entitlement dispute carries significant implications for the broader aviation industry. Unite, the union representing the claimants, indicated that similar shift patterns are standard across the sector. A successful outcome in this case could establish precedent permitting comparable claims from numerous other cabin crew workers at various airlines, potentially resulting in substantial financial exposure for the industry.
BA responded to the claims, noting that an employment tribunal in 2025 dismissed the earlier dismissal-related claims, finding the airline’s pandemic-related actions to be non-discriminatory and fair. The company stated it believes the current claims lack merit and intends to defend its position in tribunal proceedings.
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