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. Brittany Jones
    Paris Hilton

    Throw out your passengers so you can't lose their luggage

    Naomi was setup by a jealous, arrogant and racist administration at BA

    But how many of their other passenger lost their temper?

    20,000 lost bags and about 400 cancelled flights only since T5 openned!

    Naomi was luck to escape British Airways.

    It seems that British Airways will need a lot more police at T5 if they continue to administer it this way.

    Personally I never fly with British Airways anymore and it's exactly because of this atitude they have that anything is jsutifiable as long as they can hide behind some procedure or rule they have created.

    Other airlines serve me very well and don't lose my luggage or arbitrairly cancel my flight.

    So why should I bother with BA

  2. ImaGnuber

    @David Wiernicki

    You're quite right, of course. If someone was attacking or about to attack a child, any child, I would have no problem with 'settling' them down. The same goes if someone attacks me - that's called self-defense. And I will assist others in defending themselves. However, to return to the specific context - lost luggage? Or anything else as trivial (relatively speaking as in non-life-threatening)? And most things are that trivial even if they are sometimes extremely frustrating.

    Adults might try behaving as adults. Character is proven in difficult times, not when the going is easy.

  3. heystoopid
    Coat

    So

    So when is POS airline called BA filing for chapter eleven bankruptcy and doing a Pan Am style flying bellyflop upside down into the nearest brick wall , that is the bigger question ?

    At least Naomi gets the best side of the deal , given the number of pretend servants and slackers that are far too lazy to work for living walking around in BA flight attendant uniforms and explains much why Richard floated his own airline too ?

    I'll get my coat , mines the one with the MET bullet holes in the front , whilst standing innocently at the check in counter at T5 !

  4. Rich
    Paris Hilton

    I'd imagine she can afford NetJets

    Surely.

    BTW, I've flown 1000+ sectors and never seen a fight.

    stizzlewick must be doing something wrong. Unless he's like those people who keep seeing cars crashing in his rear-view mirror :-)

  5. I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects

    @ message No 1.

    "All incidents of abusive or disruptive behaviour towards fellow passengers or staff are taken extremely seriously and will not be tolerated. We deal with cases on an individual basis and take appropriate action where necessary."

    If the appropriate action is to "ban her" does that mean she will get extra special treatment at Terminal 5 or just disappear into thin air like everything else there?

    Is it true BA are marketing Soylent Green or it that just a paste to help disperse baggage no longer needed?

    In the absence of a more appropriate icon I have used the None icon. I presume that it is there to represent Terminal 5 and such like? (I'm not very happy with its graphics though. But I suppose nothing represents none more graphically?)

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    @M A Walters

    "Perhaps her with a mobile phone??"

    Are you playing a new updated version of Cluedo?

  7. This post has been deleted by its author

  8. Alf Hooker

    RE; I would have given her my phones to throw too

    I sometimes cannot believe what I am reading. Has the whole world gone mad or lost every piece of decency and a good moralistic life that we ever had.

    Let’s look at the facts;

    Her bags were lost - Upsetting, I think we all agree, even bloody annoying. But not the end of the world, these things happen. I understand it was a complete balls up at T5, but get some perspective, it is a missing bag, no one died, no one injured, no real drama, just a lost bag

    She lost her rag – People lose their temper all the time, some justified some not. Ms Campbell seems to have made a career out of shouting and screaming at people when things don’t go her way.

    I am certain that she was not the only upset passenger on that day, it would appear that using her ‘celebrity’ status (I hate the word celebrity, especially when used by the likes of Ms Campbell), would ensure she got favourable treatment, what a shallow attitude she must have, and of course everyone in her immediate entourage. She obviously had no thought for all the other passengers who were subjected to her vile rants and childish rages. Grow up

    She spat at a police officer – Easily answered, there is no excuse for spitting at anyone, police officer or not.

    She deserved to get arrested for such anti social and disagreeable behaviour.

    Those who don’t agree must arrange for someone to spit in their face, then see how they react (they will call the police for sure)

    She was arrested - She committed an assault and deserved to be arrested for it, any decent minded human being will agree with this.

    If you don’t , please read my previous comments on getting someone to spit on you.

    She was banned from BA – BA has the right, as does any business, to ban anyone from using their service if they have the evidence to back it up, I would suggest that they do.

    I do not want to be on a flight with a petulant, loud person who spits at others just because things don’t go her way.

    The woman has no dignity and deserves to be banned, as for the comment about her phoning her celeb friends and getting them to stop using the airline, I bet BA are terrified of this.

    Newsworthy - No , using low level celebrities to sell papers and fill news bulletins indicates that there is nothing more important to report.

    How is Ms Campbell more newsworthy than missing kids, or our servicemen being killed overseas.

    She isn’t and the sooner she realises this the better

    As for the title ' I would have given her my phones to throw too'. Idiotic statement, are you condining the use of violence over a lost bag. You are no better than her and obviously have very low standards on how to behave in public, you should be arrested as well

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    @ stizzleswick

    I fly quite frequently myself (around twice a week), predominantly with Lufthansa though theses days, because I refuse to board another BA (I like the Best Avoided abbreviation) flight, if I don't absolutely have to.

    I even prefer going through the hassle of flying via Frankfurt for the long-haul flights.

    I have flown BA many times, and with out exsaguration, BA either lost or delayed my luggage seven out of ten times.

    The Last time it even traveled more or less twice around the globe and then I was called nearly a week later, and told that it was ready for collection at Heathrow. When I politely told them, that I neither have the time nor will to pick it up, then the Lady told me in a rather rude tone of voice, that they don't have any delivery vans available for the next four days, so I should take it or leave it. I suggested to her, that it was not my problem, and in worst case send it via taxi. She then had the cheek to ask me how dare I suggest that, because it would be way to costly for the company. Instead of argueing with her, I asked to speak to her manager and she said he wasn't available (the usual lie). So asked her that I would like to speak to any superior, who was in the position to make relevant decisions. She refused and I said, I'd make a formal complaint and told her, I'd request the recordings of our conversation. She just hung up on me.

    I phone in again, got someone else, eventually managed to get hold of a manager and two! days later I got my luggage, no apology, no call to make sure it arrived (it came with a taxi!) no follow up, nothing.

    That's where I decided never again BA! I even canceled my Exec Club membership, with an all explaining Letter, as well as requesting them to delete all details relating to me (as far as the law allows them to obviously). I have never heard of them again. (actually they didn't even send me a confirmation about the deletion of my personal details, as I requested).

    That is customer service worthwhile noting!

    AC: Because I can.... ;-)

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Re: Alf Hooker

    Is this guy for real? She was travelling First Class. That means she's paid a lot of money for her ticket and, rightly, expected a decent level of service from BA. All the time she was in the terminal she was systematically lied to about her bags. Only after she was on the plane, when she could no longer complain to those who had lost her bag was she told that one was missing. She complained to the person who told her - and my sympathy goes out to her because she was completely shafted by her employers. The Police were called to remove her from the plane and they promptly arrested her for assault - which happens if you fail to comply immediately with any order from a policeman, no matter how unreasonable. I think I would have given her my phone as well - and told her that Alf was the baggage handler who'd tossed her bag into the corner.

    Anyway, where did the reference to spitting come from. I guess Alf probably read it in the current bun, so it must be true.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Re. voice conversation with BA re lost luggage

    If you had a taped recording mentioning that your calls are recorded "for quality purposes" you should write down the approximate date/time of your call, then file a Data Subject Access Request with BA for the recording per recorded delivery, and inform them that any failure to deliver the requested on time as per DPA 98 will automatically result in a complaint - no reminder will be sent.

    In addition, AFAIK the woman on the phone should (as company representative) have advised you of the process you need to follow. I may be wrong, but I think you have grounds for a formal complaint in that matter already, best give the office of the Information Commisioner a quick call. If so, I'm willing to bet BA will use the traditional escape route of "not enough training".

    On this topic, I find it fascinating that only IBM has understood the Data Protection Act far enough to offer an option to opt out of such recording. AFAIK there are in some cases compliance reasons why calls need to be recorded (bank instructions would strike me as a good example), but there I'm not sure there is a legally valid reason why this data is collected by companies like BA without your explicit permission. Anyway, I digress.

    Sure, a person should be arrested for spitting. God knows what they've been eating (WMD threat, obviously), and, after all, a supermodel is of course going to be in the possession of a sufficiently developed muscular structure and body weight to be a threat to your average trained copper. Not like any knife wileding mugger in London. One hell of a risk you've got here - especially since Naomi Campbell did not resort to violence in the first place or it would have been all over the press already. It's worth repeating this - she did not use violence.

    So you applaud BA? That's perfect - you obviously deserve eachother.

    Mine's the Virgin jacket..

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Naomi explosion

    Violence aint the answer its true. I dont know what damage was caused to the customer services person but after some of my experiences at the airport it probably wasnt enough. I would carry around a portable guillotine just for these occasions for certain airline staff.

    Ok, joking aside, she shouldnt have hit anyone. But AFAIK, she was pushed to her limit by incompetent, ill-trained, nil-brained morons who pose as "Customer Service". She could have caused a lot more problems for BA by not hitting anyone and making her complaints more vocal - so captured by all the press. Bad media for BA is bad news right now! Her tantrum gave BA an escape route - now they dont have to apologise for anything.

    Not sure how BA will recover from this one....perhaps by their usual strong arm tactics and internal "security team"?

  13. Chris Hunt
    Stop

    Low Fact Spread

    Everyone here seems very exercised on, or against, Ms Campbell's behalf. Just remember that we know very few facts about what actually happened.

    I have to say, though, that it seems pretty unlikely that a purely verbal complaint on the battlin' clothehorse's part would bring on the attentions of a tazer-toting squad of Heathrow's finest.

    I'm guessing that BA flight crew are like everybody else - they want to get through their work day as quickly and easily as possible. Calling in the rozzers purely because a passenger has complained is bound to involve a lot of time and hassle, not to mention a ton of paperwork (what doesn't?). It doesn't sound like a course of action that they'd be overkeen to embark upon.

    Could it be - dare I say it - that the reports of this event in the media (not El Reg, of course!) have been somewhat garbled? After all, the UK press is often thinner than your average supermodel in the fact department!

  14. Alf Hooker
    Dead Vulture

    RE;Alf Hooker - a response from the coward

    Splendid, you managed to sum up the whole of the incident in several (badly grammatised) words.

    You are very obviously a genius, or are you being just slightly shallow with your opinions?

    Just because she can afford to travel first class it does not give her the right to be rude and badly behaved, of course this may be the celeb thing rearing its ugly head again.

    You are obviously very impressed just because she has a little bit of fame.

    You also have a very low opinion of the British police service (and a high opinion of yourself), do you really believe that she was instantly arrested because she would not do as she was told, or was it becasue she had committed offences that were dealt with by way of an arrest.

    As a frequent flier I despise the ignorance of some people who believe that because they have paid for a service that they have the right to abuse it.

    Would you just sit in your seat and listen to some idiot shouting and screaming.........oh hang on you probably would as you are not even brave enough to put your name onto this forum.

    Several things need addressing from your response, firstly I also would like have seen you give your phone to be thrown and then you could have been arrested, this would really have given you something to moan about.

    Then you indicate that I am a bagage handler, I am not, although they,in my opinion, do stirling work.

    Your attitude toward the police (or I fear any authorative organisation) sucks, I bet you are the type of person who mumbles under their breath when you see other members of the public being spoken to , although i would be willing to bet that you have never spoken to an officer yourself.

    Finally, the spittin reference was not taken from, as you so deftly put it,'the currant bun', but from the news section of the Times newspaper.

    You seem to have it in for Sun readers as well, are you really happy with your life?

  15. Reid Malenfant
    Thumb Up

    I blame the Duke of Edinburgh

    Re: Alf Hooker By Anonymous Coward

    “The Police were called to remove her from the plane and they promptly arrested her for assault - which happens if you fail to comply immediately with any order from a policeman, no matter how unreasonable”

    Oh really? And the officer(s) in question decided to concoct this now ‘self-evidently’ spurious Police assault openly in front of how many other 1st Class passengers and staff?

    Presumably they then had to quickly convince all the others present to join in with this now all but ‘proven’ conspiracy? Let’s face it, NC is such an introverted retiring figure, she’d never go straight to the press would she?

    After all, everyone knows that Perverting the Course of Justice is now a minor offence and no longer the career killer it once was.

    Hmm, sounds plausible enough, perhaps you should make contact with Mohommed Al Fayed for the definitive truth in this matter, he certainly seems to have his finger firmly on the pulse ….. well he does doesn’t he?

    Or maybe, just maybe, your tantrum throwing super model actually did assault the officer?

    Hmm, perhaps not, that’s just too ridiculously far fetched isn’t it?

  16. Gwyn Kemp-Philp
    Flame

    Over the top?

    I sympathies with NC and anyone else unfortunate to attract the attention of the gestapo at any airport.

    I have just survived Johannesburg airport and would compare notes.

    I was navigating customs in a wheelchair (because I am disabled) and during the course of the interrogation I was relieved of every single possession - including my stick - for testing to near destruction. I was then told to stand up to be searched. I replied I could not do that because they had taken my stick away and the reason I was in the chair was... etc.,

    I was then approached by two more officials and the order was repeated. - so was my reply.

    They then summoned some police officers who informed me that failing to comply with the order was an offence and I would be arrested if I refused one more time.

    I said gimme my stick and I'll try... Then promptly arrested me and assured me that I was going to be placed on the airport blacklist and would be banned from using it. I replied that that was not possible as I had already blacklisted the airport.

    This continued with the police attempting to force me to my feet and me not being happy to comply until at last, a competent officer arrived at the melee and instructed that I was to be searched whilst sitting. They got all uptight about that and insisted on starting all over again from the start. Finally I was released minus everything I owned which included medication for the flight and I did not get access to any of it until landing at Gatwick (Thank God!)

    All praise to Nationwide (SA airline) for delaying their flight by a full hour for me and arriving at Gatwick only 10 minutes late.

    With all this power to hand with this terrorist nonsense, the authorities and airlines have become the terrorists - because it is illegal to fail to comply with every whim they feel that they can do whatever they want without having to answer for it.

    Personally, I'd rather risk the terrorists that have to put up with this dehumanising experience, I truly believe that the terrorists have won because we have lost our democratic processes into global police states.

    Perhaps, that was really the plan all along.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Leopards and Spots

    My girlfriend was a model and once shared a dressing room with said Miss Campbell in Paris - and she caught her red handed nicking all her tights!

    When confronted she threw a major screaming strop, denied everything and actually tried to accuse my baby of planting them.

    I think I'll go with the Police on this one.

    Cow!

    The pickpocket because that's how we've always remembered her!

  18. tim

    greentea02

    BA is as clapped out as our international image. A brand new terminal and no one bright enough to organise or run it. Roll on the olympic games .

    Vienna central airport is a striking contrast to heathrow TORTURE TERMINAL , Bright intelligent staff , multi- lingual , polite and a stunning efficiency level . No ques . Like being on a different plannet . But the Austrian key instalations are run by the natives who are well educated intrested and proud of their jobs . At Heathrow its clock watchers and foreign labour dragging the quality of service lower than a third world country.

    No supprise then that Naomy had her bags lost (stolen) like most other celeberities and other travellers who are unfortunate enough to stop at the heathrow disaster.

    Lucky its only open till 10.30 pm . Any longer and passengers would need medication to get through the experience.

    I would take the Eurostar to Paris and fly from there

  19. stizzleswick

    Re: AC@stizzleswick

    I guess your mileage may vary. What I was saying was that in my personal experience, BA always handled my problems (if any) very professionally. And no, I'm not in any way connected to BA. I have, on the other hand, experienced a few other "big" airlines that were quite a bit more uppity in their antics, which I therefore tend to avoid. I currently also am avoiding BA, but that's for price and scheduling reasons which do not seem to apply to a panoply of other airlines...

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