back to article Naomi Campbell banned from BA flights

Naomi Campbell has been spared future traumatic encounters with Heathrow's Terminal 5 since British Airways has banned her from its flights, the BBC reports. The grounding comes after last week's solid cuffing of the battling Streatham clotheshorse "on suspicion of assaulting a police officer". She was apparently forcibly …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Just avoid BA

    They lose your baggage and then call the cops when you complain about it and hide behind the police officers.

    The escalation of making an argument into a police matter often causes punch ups, but then the only fix is to give BA a miss.

  2. Steven Foster
    Paris Hilton

    Great!

    Now if only they could ban her from appearing...anywhere at all. That'd be brilliant.

    Paris. I like her more.

  3. Andus McCoatover
    Coat

    Lucky bitch.

    Wish it'd happened to me years ago. My encounter with BA (==Bugger Hall) left nothing to want me to use that sodding excuse for an airline/airport again. Unfortunately, I still had to, 'cos of job, but chose Finnair every time.

    Mine's the one with the parachute in the back pocket.

  4. Laszlo
    Paris Hilton

    Icon for Naomi?

    The Register should add an icon for Naomi as well in the forums. I think she would get on well with Paris.

  5. James
    Happy

    Sounds good to me.

    Great stuff - perhaps BA should ban all customers who have (inconveniently) "lost their bags" or who have turned up on time expecting (how arrogant) that their flights have not been cancelled.

    In this way BA will have much fewer passengers and, perhaps, be able to cope with them in their wonderful, shiny, but totally inoperable new terminal.

    I must admit I start to wonder if Terminal 5 was sponsored by other airlines to get the Pariahs away from the main Heathrow area?

  6. Jonathan
    Paris Hilton

    Looks like shes grounded!

    Ha ha! I'm sure Paris Hilton sympathizes, also falling into the "Why am I famous again?" category.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    Naomi might get the last laugh...

    ... when BA goes out of business for loosing everyone elses bags also.

    Paris, because there is no picture of Naomi.

    Anon, because most, including me, would probably find this comment rather lame.

  8. tom carbert-allen
    Coat

    cases

    "We deal with cases on an individual basis and take appropriate action where necessary."

    they obviously don't feel giving cases back to passengers is either appropriate or necessary, at least until a few days have passed anyway.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    OMG!

    Are there no lengths BA won't go to, no restrictions they won't impose simple to try and get the traveler volumes down to manageable levels?

    Smells of desperation, me thinks...

  10. alan
    Coat

    "Good" customer?

    So the current definition of a "good customer" is to kick & scream at people and call them scum?

    I await the next public letter mentioninjg Mr Ballmer as a "good customer" with anticipation...

    - Mines the one with the Armani Collar and scuff marks...

  11. Damn Yank

    but...

    ... you can't keep Snoop Dogg out of the country???

  12. Alex Cooper

    "We deal with cases on an individual basis"

    And then promptly lose them.........

  13. dervheid
    Joke

    @ Grounded

    You MUST be kidding, right?

    Unfortunately, just about every other airline that flies transatlantic will already have been in contact with her 'people' offering her the finest travel choices, probably at reduced rates, just for the 'kudos' of being 'her airline.'

    Of course, I could be wrong!

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Nelson Muntz

    <quote>Ha, Ha!</quote>

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    she is not alone

    In BA's ban list we can find names such Snoop Dogg. Banned after a discussion in heathrow about some of his entourage not being able to join him in the lounge area.

  16. M A Walters
    Coat

    Re Icon for Naomi?

    That's a good idea. Perhaps her with a mobile phone??

    That's what she is famous for, after all...

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Case by Case basis.....what do they know?

    We all know that the Steatham Clotheshorse can be a handy shot with a mobile and short on patience....however, how BA who charge through the nose for 1st Class and guarantee world first service, then inform the customer before they have even started their journey that they have lost their cases for travel.....and expect them to put up and shut up......the then quote we deal with people on a 'case by case' basis currently 16k individual cases, most of them in spain!

    If my product failed, I would withdraw....not sell, refund, but not BA, they have cerimoniously '*****' there most valuable asset, their brand and customers. Tosser's.

  18. chris morton
    Joke

    Naomi Campbell banned from BA flights

    I ain't gettin' on no damn plane fool!

    Did anyone try giving her a glass of milk with sleeping pills in it?

  19. Chris Purcell
    Coat

    isa

    The IT angle:

    Airline <--- British Airways ---> Joke

  20. Matt Bryant Silver badge
    Pirate

    RE: James

    I have flown twice from T5 since it opened, the first time having been the weekend it opened. I arrived with the media coverage leading me to expect scenes from Dante's Inferno - one flight was twenty minutes delayed taking off by luggage, the other was bang on time. Coming back through I was out of the airport within fifteen minues of leaving the plane. I'm sure my flights maybe weren't typical for all travellers, but there does seem to be an element of Britain-bashing in the media coverage with the intention of making anything to do with BA seem a cataclysmic disaster. I have another two flights out of T5 booked this month, on my experience I am not expecting anything beyond the typical airport hassles, and certainly nowhere near the level of frustration caused by the annual Fwench and Greek airtraffic controller strikes.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Dear Ms Campbell,

    I understand that you do not anticipate being in a position to use your BA Exec Club points. Would you like to donate them to me?

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What

    are you on about, the woman assaulted another human being, regardless of uniform, this in my book puts marks her as sub-human.

    Well done to BA, we don't need her kind, and it's time the rest of you sad sacks woke up to that fact. the Campbell and others like her are NOT above the law.

  23. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

    Re: What

    I think you're probably sub-human if you've never had the urge to have a go at someone or other in your life (and I can't believe she was the only one out of all the thousands inconvenienced not to lose it to one degree or another). It's just that she seems to have, um, exceptionally poor impulse control.

  24. Spleen

    Ooh, ooh

    Can I be banned from BA as well? Not just so I have an excuse never to use their service if anyone tries to make me, the list of people banned from BA is starting to sound like a badge of honour a la the list of songs banned from BBC radio and I want in.

  25. ImaGnuber

    @Sarah Bee

    Well, Sarah, if she has poor impulse control I don't want her on any plane I'm on.

    "I think you're probably sub-human if you've never had the urge to have a go..."

    Of course most of us will have had the urge but it's the sub-humans who won't control it - we humans manage to restrain ourselves (civil society and all that).

    Now Sarah, put down that cell phone! Sarah! Sarah no!

    Ouch! Good throw.

  26. Sheila's Hamster

    exceptionally poor impulse control

    "It's just that she seems to have, um, exceptionally poor impulse control."

    You mean she gobbed at a Police officer! Now that's extraordinarily bad impulse control.

  27. This post has been deleted by its author

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    How many reg readers witnessed this?

    If anyone on these forums actually witnessed this then you can give an honest opinion whether MS Campbell's or BA's behaviour was acceptable in this instance - the rest of you have already made your mind up based on here-say or perhaps sensational reports in the media - maybe it is time to start thinking for yourselves.

    AC - because that is what I am.

  29. Andy ORourke
    Joke

    We deal with cases on an individual basis?

    Surley it would be more efficient to sort of load them up into big trucks and drive them to / from the plane rather than having baggage handlers carry cases individually from the terminal to the plane?

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Heart

    Sarah -call me...my number..oh my number... 867-5309

    Ah ha Sarah has given herself away. She must also be an archetypical clothes model type. Most girls detest the clotheshorses and Sarah's batting for her. Now I'm a typical male pig and models are appreciated and sought. So gimme a call, Sarah.

    Yours with undying love Bart

  31. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Peter

    and adding to the known facts: the original article said whe was flying to attend a memorial service.

    Three hours waiting in the airport with nothing to do except reflect on memories of a recently deceased friend is going to leave most people in a rather more emotional state than usual

  32. Charles Tsang
    Unhappy

    One sec ...asked to leave the plane cos her bag was lost...

    Whilst I am no fan of Clueless Super Models, every story I've happened to come across (honestly not sought them out!), says the same facts....

    she is going to a memorial service

    she arrived early with 2 bags

    she is reassured the bags will make it

    a bag is lost and she is informed

    the only option we are told she is given to get the bag, is to get off the plane (and presumably be late for the memorial service?)

    police arrive to enforce the leaving bit

    Naomi does her thing

    I don't know if she really needed what was in that bag (she presumably could buy anything she needed in LA!) but I can't believe that BA told her that she had to get off to get the bag!

    "I'm sorry, your bag isn't going to make it, please get off." isn't the usual line is it?

    I think we're missing a bit of the story here....

  33. Solomon Grundy

    @How many reg readers witnessed this?

    Doesn't matter how many people witnessed it.

    Bad customer service deserves a good punch in the face - history has proven that big companies won't listen to reasoned complaints. The only option left it to resort to physical means.

    More people ought to get assaulted, it'd be a good attitude adjustment for much of the western population.

  34. Anonymous Coward
    Heart

    Re: I would have given her my phones to throw too

    Peter, I'm with you at this point. I would've blown a fuse also. Considering that my luggage tends to be fairly valuable (it does not fit into the size allowed on as cabin luggage, and is twice as heavy), I would be one of those soon banned from British Airways flights if that was the case with MY luggage. And compared to Ms Campbell, I am... well... common.

    Although, I have to admit that I do feel sorry for some of the BA staff who have had to take her wrath (considering her temper).

    Two friends of mine work for BA, and they confirmed what everyone feared... management incompetency. BA were warned a month before T5's opening by their own staff that the massive switch WOULD NOT WORK, and yet management went ahead, shushed all the dissenters and told them not to be so negative, and that everything would be hunky-dory. One friend worked at T5 on the opening morning and knew there was trouble when managers were spotted in the baggage area shifting baggage for the second flight out.

    Like I said to both this weekend - I feel sorry for the BA staff on the ground who are deliberately kept in the dark by management about the severity, who can only deliver information as it is given to them, and who have to bear the brunt of the passengers. Which is why I'm glad that my flights to date are all either from Gatwick, T2 or T1... I do NOT want to lose my equipment in T5 until my friends tell me it's safe to do so.

  35. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hearsay

    Hearsay is all I need, she should be locked in a nut house for all our protection !

  36. StopthePropaganda
    Stop

    wow, all this justification for violence

    I see why so many of you are against the 2nd Amendment-you're quick to justify violence where it isn't deserved, and encourage those who've committed violence against the working class BA people who are doing *what they're told*. Obviously you're the type who needs to be kept away from anything heavy or pointy.

    Any @sshole who, for any reason, assaults service personnel for *doing their job* needs to spend some quality time in "The Cooler". Just because someone is rich, or was famous, or has mental issues, does NOT change what the service people, security guards, etc. are ordered to do if they want to feed their families and stay off the dole. Same goes for customer service folks on the phones, wait staff, licensing office people, and any uniformed civil servant below the rank of Captain.

    You violent elitists need to watch "Fight Club" again. And quit projecting your tendencies onto the rest of us. Most of us know when violence is appropriate and save it for the situation and individuals personally responsible (anyone remember that little concept, personal responsibility, anymore?) for escalating or threatening escalation of violence.

  37. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Eh?

    "A spokewoman for Campbell said: "Naomi has been flying with BA for nearly 30 years and has been a good customer. She hopes this can be resolved amicably.""

    It would appear that Ms. Campell's ability to resolve things amicably is precisely the issue at hand...

  38. Martin Usher

    Before we go overboard with this assaulting thing...

    As anyone who's ever lived anywhere inner-city-ish in the UK knows "assaulting a police officer" is a generic charge thrown at anyone who doesn't put up and shut up ("assault" in the UK doesn't need to actually involve physical assault.) Police all over the world have an array of these generic charges that are designed more to assert their authority than reflect a reality (but unfortunately many people still don't know this -- they actually think that an underweight model who's stock in trade is her appearance is going to attack a bunch of heavyweight (and all to frequently) armed men).

    She's hot tempered, low on patience and may have other issues. But, honestly, do you really feel that treating customers like this is the right thing to do? Also, it seems that a large part of the T5 fiasco was caused by over the top security -- too few security staff are unable to cope with frisking the workforce, much less the passengers, so the whole system just gums up.

    I, like a lot of Americans, won't go near LHR.

  39. ImaGnuber

    Hint

    I can't believe the number of people who think there is any justification whatsoever for getting violent with someone who is NOT an immediate threat to your life. It's people like you who make life miserable for everyone else... not that you'd care.

    Hint: I've worked in a couple of places where we occasionally had to deal with people like you. I can assure you that we would make enough of a fuss to make you think you were getting the treatment you 'deserve' and have 'paid for' and then do nothing. There were plenty of other more pleasant people we would rather be helping.

    If I'd had to deal with your ravings over lost luggage (things go wrong - complain to management) I would make you feel as 'special' as you think you are and then ship your luggage to Paraguay.

    Don't like the service? Go someplace else - please.

  40. norisk
    Thumb Up

    @Alex Cooper

    Funnee!

  41. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Hint

    "I can't believe the number of people who think there is any justification whatsoever for getting violent with someone who is NOT an immediate threat to your life. It's people like you who make life miserable for everyone else... not that you'd care."

    People get angry, it's wrong, but it's also understandable. She would not be angry if they did not lose her bags, she would not get punchy if they didn't call the police when she got angry.

    Her response does not mitigate BA's bad behaviour. A policeman physically man-handled her, if I called the police and got them to drag a BA staff member to jail, do you not think the BA staff member would also put up a fight at the injustice of it? It would also result in a slapped officer.

    I'm not sure that *I* wouldn't also put up a fight if I had a genuine complaint and BA staff called the police on me to stop me expressing my anger at their incompetence.

    So given that BA don't diffuse anger, they call the police and turn complaints into arrestable offenses instead, it's better to not use their service till they go out of business. That way no police officers get 'assaulted' and no BA staff has to put up with verbal 'abuse'.

    That's good for everyone right? We don't use BA because we don't want our DNA and fingerprints taken every time they lose our bags.

  42. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    @StopThePropaganda

    And as a corollary, any assholes that abuse the police for trivialities should be banned from calling them, and as far as 'getting violent', I have no idea what happened, but it seems like the police are more "bullies for hire" as far as airport staff are concerned, and far more likely to be the ones doing violent acts. It seems like these days, any disturbance that happens in an airport is considered a capital offense. While protection from terrorism and wackos in general should be of some priority in something as critical as air travel, it seems like the industry's response is almost as bad as the potential problems. So now you can't (Naomi maybe doesn't count) express your dismay and frustration at losing your luggage or having your life adversely affected by idiots in customer service without risking being 'tazed' or going to jail, or at least being taken aside to enjoy the humiliation of being strip-searched. This in effect gives the corporations represented a 'license to steal' or misbehave as much as they desire, without any chance of repercussions because the average traveler is so cowed and intimidated by the possible consequences of even speaking up. Which to me is as disturbing as the possibility of one flight in 100,000 having a slight chance of being hijacked. (not that there's any proof that the recent stringent measures are preventing anything) And no, I don't know what the penultimate solution should be, but the cure shouldn't be as bad as the disease it's intended to prevent.

  43. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Assault" could have meant "Shouted at"

    This is a very long way from violence, and is completely understandable for somebody who's just been told their bags have been lost.

    Having been on one business trip that was a complete waste of time due to lost luggage - my toolbox didn't turn up until I was checking in to go home - I can sympathise with her.

  44. Solomon Grundy

    @ImaGnuber

    Violence is a time honored method of resolving conflict.

    <smack>

    Have a nice day.

  45. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Whole heap of nonsense

    ...About people just doing their jobs.

    1. We lost one of your bags.

    2. We're not even going to take you to your destination and try to get it there for you afterwards.

    And we're only doing our jobs.

    Oh dear... what lunacy is this, for gods sake?

    What's the point in having a ticket?

    And another T5 point... delayed baggage has to go through enhanced security, it seems, from previous articles, thus making it even more delayed.

    Why? *We* delayed your baggage, keeping it on *our* premises, and now, because of that, *we* have to check it again.

    None of this (the NC treatment, or the special enhanced luggage delay) comes under the heading of normal human behaviour, let alone half decent commercial behaviour. It's complete, raving, lunacy.

    When expecting normal human behaviour, and half-decent commercial service, and finding utter lunacy, thumping someone seems a quite likely outcome.

    I feel very sorry for the poor employee who had to deliver the message, and no, I wouldn't thump them. But I'd shout, and I'd probably get thrown off anyway.

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  47. Herby

    IT Angle for baggage?

    Why don't these people simply put RFID tags on the bags. Of course I always make sure that my bags have the nice destination airport tag firmly attached to them BEFORE they leave my sight. This usually helps things along.

    He says not having lost a bag in recent years.

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  49. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @ImaGnuber

    I'm guessing you'd feel differently were you in the same room with someone who was about to beat the hell out of your four-year-old daughter...

    Regardless, @Solomon Grundy, if you think that a punch in the face will work where reasoned argument did not, you should consider a complete reevaluation of the human psyche.

  50. stizzleswick
    Coat

    @all those disappointed with BA

    I have flown a pretty varied set of airlines so far, and in my experience, BA still makes the top ten in service and quality.

    I'll admit I never flew BA while their staff were on strike (did that with Lufthansa and SAS though), but I had misdirected luggage with several airlines; BA handled it very professionally in my case (no hassles at all, they scanned in the barcode on my checkin tab and checked my passport, I gave them the local delivery address, it was there the next morning). Other companies I have experienced actually wanted to charge me for the delivery to my hotel!

    I'm not saying BA doesn't get it wrong at times. I'm a pretty frequent flyer, and I have experienced just about all "big" airlines getting it wrong at times. I don't blame the company as such unless they get it wrong for me repeatedly through different representatives. (Anybody at a certain US airline reading this? You guys are the reason I don't fly Air France transatlantic any longer - AF is nice, but the return flight invariably is your line... and eight out of eight flights were total nightmares for a variety of reasons each...)

    And to the topic, finally: I have also, during and after long flights, experienced truly hysterically dangerous people who were attacking other people, verbally and physically, for reasons that for most people are about enough reason to scratch their behinds. If such people are banned from an airline, the airline is making points with me, and I don't give a shit who those people are. When I'm travelling long distance, the last thing I want is a big hullaballoo while I'm underway; I want my peace. I normally have more than enough problems to fix at my destination anyway.

    Mine's the one saying "I'll fly anything if it gets me there in peace, not pieces."

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