Okay, prepare for rant mode at the stupidity of the British way of interpreting the law!!!

Every day, we receive countless enquiries "....My mother is coming from Jamaica with British Airways. If I give you her name, can you tell me that she got on the plane okay?" or "My grandfather can't find his flight details, can you tell me which flight he's booked on from Edinburgh?" Each and every enquiry we have to fend off because, under the stupid, bureacratic nonsense of the Data Protection Act, we can't disclose this information.

Just what the purpose of having an Information Desk in the arrivals hall is, beats the hell out of me because 9 out of 10 questions can't be answered!!!

At check-in, we receive countless requests "Is Mr Smith checked in for the flight yet? - we're going to a meeting together." Officially, we're supposed to elbow those requests out of the way too, but BA have said, tongue-in-cheek, that, providing the enquirer is a passenger on the same flight, to exercise common-sense.

The more I observe this Data Protection Act in action, the more I'm convinced that it causes more obstacles and suffering to innocent parties. Indeed, it would appear that the only people who benefit are the adulterers (who can keep their sordid little affairs secret from their partners) and criminals who can go about their seedy activities unhindered!!!

Personally, I wish British Airways, and the airline industry generally, would adopt a policy of "Your details may be disclosed to persons making enquiries about you. If you do NOT wish us to disclose this information, please tick here (or click here if on-line booking). After all, if my wife or children were to enquire about me, I would prefer the airline to put their minds at rest!!!

What does the Flyertalk Team think???