Lauren Bray and Holly Walton have been sacked by British Airways after a viral video showed them making slant-eyed gestures – allegedly in reference to an Asian family they had served earlier
Two members of British Airways cabin crew have been sacked after sharing a video that showed them mocking Asian passengers.
Lauren Bray and Holly Walton were dismissed by the airline after Ms Walton was filmed appearing to make slant-eyed gestures and saying in an imitation Chinese accent: “Give me wine”.
The video was reportedly shared on Ms Bray’s Instagram but was later uploaded to TikTok – causing uproar among members of the public and fellow BA employees.
One crew member is said to have branded their actions “hugely damaging.”
In the footage, which was shot on a night out between flights at the luxury Trade Winds hotel in Antigua, Holly Walton appears to make slant-eyed gestures with a bottle of Wadadli beer in front of her while Lauren films. A caption on the video reads: “2 weeks in a row with this d***head.” Only a few hours earlier, the pair had served passengers on flight BA2157 from London Gatwick Airport.
Outraged colleagues claimed they had been mimicking a Chinese family they had served drinks to on the flight who spoke little English. One British Airways worker of Asian descent told the Sun: “I’m reeling from seeing this video. It makes me question the airline and my colleagues. Action has to be taken. We won’t stand for it.”
Another said “the stupidity of this duo really beggars belief”, and that they were “deliberately laughing at a family who struggled to make themselves understood on a busy flight”. The newspaper reported that Ms Bray was witnessed leaving a meeting at the airline’s HQ in “floods of tears’ on Monday.
British Airways confirmed the two women were no longer employed by them. A spokesperson said: “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.”
