BRITISH AIRWAYS is to appeal regarding an employment tribunal ruling that rejected the opinion of the airline safety regulator, the CAA. As reported in ABTN (25 April) the court said that inexperienced co-pilot Jessica Starmer had been the subject of sex discrimination because she was not allowed to reduce her hours to look after her baby daughter. BA says she must fly at least 75% of her duty hours in order to keep her current. Starmer is reported to have less than 1100 hours under her belt having been at the airline four years. The whole issue might well back-fire on BALPA, the pilots” trade union, in that BA, and other airlines, will now be more reluctant than ever to take on female flight deck crew. ABTN understands that experienced BA lady pilots were none too impressed with the attitude of Mrs Starmer, now expecting number two, whose husband also works on the flight deck for British Airways.
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