Two employees of British Airways have been dismissed following the emergence of a video online that depicted them making derogatory gestures and comments about Chinese passengers.
The video featured Holly Walton engaging in racist eye gestures and imitating a Chinese accent with the phrase “Give me wine,” as reported by The Sun newspaper.
The recording was made alongside her colleague, Lauren Bray, and subsequently shared on TikTok, leading to their termination from the airline.
Source Labels Shared Recording as 'Obscene' and 'Racist
According to The Sun, a source described the video as “obscene,” criticizing the action as “racist” and “dumb” and stating that it had inflicted significant reputational damage on British Airways, justifying their dismissal.
The incident reportedly involved the mock imitation of a Chinese family who had difficulties communicating in English while trying to order drinks on a flight.
Frequent Social Media Usage by Crew Members Under Scrutiny
The controversial video is said to have been filmed after Walton and Bray had completed their duties on flight BA2157 from Gatwick and were socializing at the Trade Winds hotel in Antigua. It has been noted that both individuals frequently posted content related to their travels with the airline on various social media platforms.
This event follows a prior incident where British Airways staff were reported by passengers for mocking the accents of customers on a flight to Kingston, Jamaica, prompting the airline to issue a reminder to its employees about the responsible use of social media.
In response to the incident, a spokesperson for British Airways stated: “All forms of racism are completely unacceptable, and we take allegations of this nature very seriously. These two individuals are no longer employed by us.”