Tess De Mello, a former British Airways cabin crew member with 30 years of service, is appealing an employment tribunal ruling concerning her dismissal in 2020. She was one of 10,000 staff who lost their jobs when BA cut positions during the pandemic.
Ms De Mello and a former colleague are appealing a 2025 employment tribunal decision in Reading, which found in favour of BA regarding their unfair dismissal claims. BA stated that this tribunal determined its actions were "non-discriminatory and fair."
Additionally, Ms De Mello and her former colleague are claiming they were underpaid holiday entitlement as part-time workers. Their lawyers argue that their shift patterns, involving blocks of full days on and days off, classify them as "part-year" workers entitled to full-time holiday, referencing a 2022 Supreme Court ruling.
Unite, the union representing cabin crew, indicated that this type of shift pattern is common across the aviation industry. If Ms De Mello and her colleague succeed, it could open the door for similar claims from other cabin crew workers, potentially leading to significant financial costs for airlines. BA maintains that these latest claims are "without merit."