High-flying barrister, 41, and his family are removed from BA flight at Heathrow
Feb 18, 2022, 9:46 am
#391
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Krakow
Programs: BAEC Silver, Miles and More(FTL), IHG(Platinum), Accor, HHonors(Diamond), SPG, Hertz Five Star
Posts: 5,902
Given the sterile cockpit rule in place and the high workload, would the Captain consider leaving the flight deck to intervene and issue a final warning? How would he do this? Stop on the main taxiway or move to a remote part of the airfield, engage the brakes, remove his seatbelt... I hope hope the Captain and SCCM would have each others backs and there would be an element of trust assuming both understand the gravity of their decision. Or perhaps it was a relatively junior SCCM who the Captain considered may struggle to manage the situation if it is taken airborne.
People, especially educated people resort to profanity when they have exhausted their reasoning skills. It is not unreasonable to consider that a person who goes down this rabbit hole will then take it to another level. As a person who matches wits with other equally educated people in a courtroom, for him to resort to swearing demonstrates he has gone far beyond his point of reason. Assuming this, and by his own admission it is true, he lost any argument at that point. I will speculate that this is a man with money used to getting his own way and he couldn't deal with someone potentially many years his junior telling him he could not have it.
People, especially educated people resort to profanity when they have exhausted their reasoning skills. It is not unreasonable to consider that a person who goes down this rabbit hole will then take it to another level. As a person who matches wits with other equally educated people in a courtroom, for him to resort to swearing demonstrates he has gone far beyond his point of reason. Assuming this, and by his own admission it is true, he lost any argument at that point. I will speculate that this is a man with money used to getting his own way and he couldn't deal with someone potentially many years his junior telling him he could not have it.
I do not imagine a protacted conversation between crew member and captain.
I imagine it went something like 'we have a disruptive passenger and it is preventing us perform the safety breifing'
Ok the pax said 'all i did was swear' but we have no idea why the captain returned to stand.
All conjecture, my reasoning just as much as the 'victim" who doesnt know what action got him offloaded but suspects it was the swearing and/or complaint.
Feb 18, 2022, 11:16 am
#392
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 877
I am sure the QC would be impressed were still debating this a week later, but equally he could be on the QR flight demanding it land now. Maybe its time to move on. Bigjet seems to be entertaining 
Last edited by suley; Feb 18, 2022 at 11:25 am
Feb 19, 2022, 6:26 am
#393
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: ZRH
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 462
I was on a Swiss flight yesterday in euro-business and a father in front of me had his two children sitting directly next to him - one of them in the sacred blocked middle seat. I was ready for some entertainment, phone at the ready to record but sadly the crew did not say a word.
Feb 19, 2022, 7:03 am
#394
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 10
I was on a Swiss flight yesterday in euro-business and a father in front of me had his two children sitting directly next to him - one of them in the sacred blocked middle seat. I was ready for some entertainment, phone at the ready to record but sadly the crew did not say a word.
Feb 21, 2022, 8:10 am
#395
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 205
if his behaviour is as BA allegedly reported I assume there are all sorts of sanctions from a letter warning about future behaviour through to a lifetime ban so he wouldnt be flying with BA again anyway. Can BA bust him down the ranks from gold to blue and take away his avios and lifetime tier points ?
Feb 21, 2022, 8:25 am
#396
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 205
Not being British I had never heard of a Q.C. before, so while I cannot say my trust has been undermined compared to what it was, as that would be impossible, it will certainly lead me to exercising an extra degree of caution should I ever be involved in a legal case in the UK where I discover that my lawyer is not a mere lawyer, but a "Q.C." lawyer. My trust is indeed lacking now, and I wonder if her majesty will wish to continue receiving this particular squire's counsel.
Feb 21, 2022, 8:38 am
#397
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,936
Not being British I had never heard of a Q.C. before, so while I cannot say my trust has been undermined compared to what it was, as that would be impossible, it will certainly lead me to exercising an extra degree of caution should I ever be involved in a legal case in the UK where I discover that my lawyer is not a mere lawyer, but a "Q.C." lawyer. My trust is indeed lacking now, and I wonder if her majesty will wish to continue receiving this particular squire's counsel.
Feb 21, 2022, 10:04 am
#398
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 10
Not being British I had never heard of a Q.C. before, so while I cannot say my trust has been undermined compared to what it was, as that would be impossible, it will certainly lead me to exercising an extra degree of caution should I ever be involved in a legal case in the UK where I discover that my lawyer is not a mere lawyer, but a "Q.C." lawyer. My trust is indeed lacking now, and I wonder if her majesty will wish to continue receiving this particular squire's counsel.
Feb 21, 2022, 10:47 am
#399
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,172
I saw this resurrect and hoped that it would be something interesting about him taking legal action and I was ready to alter my social calendar to be in court to hear this. Since it is not - would someone kindly wake me when he does?
Feb 21, 2022, 12:11 pm
#400
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: BA Gold, HHonors Diamond, IHG Platinum, Senior Railcard & Bus Pass
Posts: 983
I predict that we will hear of Mr Banner and his family again very soon, when they try to check in for their BA return flight from Turin (having only bought EasyJet tickets for the outbound). There will be a new Daily Mail article reporting that:
- Charles Banner, QC, 41 was forced to leave the airport with his family and nanny
- Matters became heated after Mr Banner was told that the family’s return tickets with BA had been cancelled because they had not flown the outbound
- Mr Banner claims BA check-in staff at Turin were 'rude' with one commenting: 'You wish.'
- Pilot took off without the family. The flight was not delayed
Mar 2, 2022, 10:22 am
#401
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: FL350, seat 0k
Programs: SK*G, BA Silver, Flying Blue, VLM, VT Traveller, PC Platinum, BW Diamond
Posts: 3,545
If I might add 10p as my parents were on this flight.
said QC was most obnoxious and vocal about not being able to have his nanny moved from economy to business, so much so that he threw his Ba card in the face of one of the cabin crew while the aircraft was moving and had said crew member in tears (unknown if the card hurt or it was the words), this was then followed up by explaining exactly who he was and how much he earned (£2m very loudly). It was not long after this point that the captain must have decided the safety of the flight would be in jeopardy and returned to stand and, quite rightly imo, offloaded them.
said QC was most obnoxious and vocal about not being able to have his nanny moved from economy to business, so much so that he threw his Ba card in the face of one of the cabin crew while the aircraft was moving and had said crew member in tears (unknown if the card hurt or it was the words), this was then followed up by explaining exactly who he was and how much he earned (£2m very loudly). It was not long after this point that the captain must have decided the safety of the flight would be in jeopardy and returned to stand and, quite rightly imo, offloaded them.
Mar 2, 2022, 1:09 pm
#403
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: UK
Programs: BA GGL, BA Amex Prem, Amex Plat, Hilton Diamond, Sir Crazy8534 de l'ordres des aides de Pucci
Posts: 4,447
If I might add 10p as my parents were on this flight.
said QC was most obnoxious and vocal about not being able to have his nanny moved from economy to business, so much so that he threw his Ba card in the face of one of the cabin crew while the aircraft was moving and had said crew member in tears (unknown if the card hurt or it was the words), this was then followed up by explaining exactly who he was and how much he earned (£2m very loudly). It was not long after this point that the captain must have decided the safety of the flight would be in jeopardy and returned to stand and, quite rightly imo, offloaded them.
said QC was most obnoxious and vocal about not being able to have his nanny moved from economy to business, so much so that he threw his Ba card in the face of one of the cabin crew while the aircraft was moving and had said crew member in tears (unknown if the card hurt or it was the words), this was then followed up by explaining exactly who he was and how much he earned (£2m very loudly). It was not long after this point that the captain must have decided the safety of the flight would be in jeopardy and returned to stand and, quite rightly imo, offloaded them.
, right now it’s the only way this little tantrum could be any worse!And if what your parents have relayed is correct (and I am not intending to cast any doubt on that) then completely correctly handled by the captain and crew.
Mar 2, 2022, 2:08 pm
#404
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,236
If I might add 10p as my parents were on this flight.
said QC was most obnoxious and vocal about not being able to have his nanny moved from economy to business, so much so that he threw his Ba card in the face of one of the cabin crew while the aircraft was moving and had said crew member in tears (unknown if the card hurt or it was the words), this was then followed up by explaining exactly who he was and how much he earned (£2m very loudly). It was not long after this point that the captain must have decided the safety of the flight would be in jeopardy and returned to stand and, quite rightly imo, offloaded them.
said QC was most obnoxious and vocal about not being able to have his nanny moved from economy to business, so much so that he threw his Ba card in the face of one of the cabin crew while the aircraft was moving and had said crew member in tears (unknown if the card hurt or it was the words), this was then followed up by explaining exactly who he was and how much he earned (£2m very loudly). It was not long after this point that the captain must have decided the safety of the flight would be in jeopardy and returned to stand and, quite rightly imo, offloaded them.