A major airline is enforcing new rules banning passengers from filming crew members on board.
British Airways has updated its policies to include that filming, livestreaming or photographing any crew members or other workers without consent is considered “unacceptable behavior.”
Taking part in this behavior could have serious consequences — including legal action or being banned from the airline.
British Airways may make you leave the aircraft, refuse to carry you for the remaining portion of your trip, or report the incident to authorities “with a view to them prosecuting you for any criminal offenses you might have committed.”
If a plane is diverted due to passenger behavior, the passenger will be asked to pay “reasonable and proper costs” of the diversion.
The change appears in Section 11a of the airline’s General Conditions of Carriage.
UK-based British Airways’ new rule is meant to uphold the privacy of the airline’s crew members while on duty and is expected to include content filmed on devices like Meta glasses and GoPros as well, The Independent reported.
However, the outlet noted that most carriers generally say that taking pictures is fine as long as the privacy of other passengers is respected — but rules can change depending on the flight.
British Airways is not stopping passengers from taking content on their planes entirely, according to People.
Simple Flying noted that travelers should still be able to photograph basic things like their meal, seat, window view, cabin features or personal moments — as long as they’re not capturing crew without permission.
Anyone who wants a crew member to be in a photo or video is allowed, given they ask first.
While they did not point to any specific occasions that could have prompted the initiation of this measure, there have been reports that carriers fear that smartphones, wearable cameras, livestreaming and viral social media moments have made cabin crew more vulnerable to harassment, according to Aviation A2Z.
British Airways isn’t the first airline to ban filming crew without consent, and it seems to be a growing trend. Qantas, KLM and Virgin Australia are other airlines that have cracked down on passenger filming in recent years.
It reflects a broader pattern of passengers secretly filming cabin crew during service interactions, disputes, and routine work, then posting it online for it to go viral without context.
The move comes as British Airways is rolling out faster Starlink Wi-Fi, which could make it easier for travelers to livestream on their in-flight Wi-Fi.
Other forms of “unacceptable behavior” included in British Airways’ policy include deliberately interfering with the crew in carrying out their duties; failure to obey the instructions of the crew relating to safety, security or health mitigation measures; behaving in a way which “causes discomfort, inconvenience, damage or injury to the crew or other passengers”; and failure to obey the crew’s instructions relating to drink or drugs.
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