BA Baggage Handling Staff Told to Hold It In
Jackie Reddy February 21, 2017
The Sun reports that Britain’s flag carrier has had to ask baggage handling staff not to urinate in the cargo holds of its 747 aircraft.
It appears that baggage handling staff working for British Airways (BA) have well and truly been caught with their pants down. The Sun has reported that Britain’s flag carrier has issued a notice to these members of its ground staff, asking them to refrain from relieving themselves in the cargo holds of BA’s 747 aircraft.
It seems there is some concern that urine, a corrosive substance, can burn through and damage the aluminum fuselage of the aircraft. The paper hastens to add that there was no immediate danger posed to the integrity of any of BA’s vessels, but it explained that inspecting engineers did come across a few areas of flaking metalwork on the inside of the craft.
An unnamed source for BA explained the situation to the outlet, saying, “Basically the guys were taking a leak in the hold when they were caught short. You can understand it. They are tucked away in the holds of these massive planes and they need to go.”
“It can be a real trek back to the toilet facilities at the staff center and when you have to go you have to go. Eventually it emerged that urine is quite corrosive and there was some issues with some of the Boeing 747s. No plane was in any danger but staff were told to stop and use the proper facilities,” the source added.
However, an official spokesperson for Britain’s flag carrier told the outlet, “We have no record of this.” The airline has yet to make any further comment on the situation.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
>>>“You can understand it.” What??? Ouhm no. No I cannot! :-0<<< EXACTLY what I was thinking - WHAT?!?! Uhmmm.....NO!
"You can understand it." What??? Ouhm no. No I cannot! :-0
..hmm, I wonder if Virgin also deals this? Unfortunately BA has the only other carrier with daytime flights out of Boston and New York (cannot sleep sitting up due to bone and joint issues and cannot afford business class).
This is not a problem on only the BA747's but on most flights operated by BA. As a long-time AA Ex. Platinum flyer traveling regularly to Europe, I've learned to avoid stops in Heathrow and any BA flights. The last one I took was Paris/CDG - London - Chicago in business and the first leg was on BA; the second on AA. When I collected my bags in Chicago, I described the condition of one as looking like it had been strapped on the roof of a truck on an African safari, and then pissed on at the end by the truck driver. Every item of clothing in the duffel had to be cleaned repeatedly and the bag trashed. The depth that the piss had travelled into the bag and the degree to which it had dried outside made it clear this had happened in Paris or London at the hands of BA. Their baggage losses are legendary, this was just the final straw for me.
Oh, C'mon guys! Seriously, haven't you ever heard of a sports-drink bottle (Gatoraide, Powerade, and the like)? It's what stagehands have been using for ages when way up in the ironwork or catwalk above the crowds.