British Airways Ended Male-Seating Policy

British Airways once barred adult male passengers from sitting beside unaccompanied children under 15, leading a Luxembourg businessman named Mirko Fischer to sue the airline for sex discrimination in January 2010. Staff had forced Fischer to change seats beside a child, separating him from his pregnant wife. British Airways admitted discrimination in Fischer's case and paid him £750 in damages plus £2,161 in costs, while Fischer donated the damages to child-protection charities. British Airways ended the policy that August, although Qantas and Air New Zealand continued defending similar rules at the time.

Previous Fact Next Fact