BA flight to UK is cancelled after crew members got so drunk the night before one of them collapsed in hotel bar

By IMOGEN GARFINKEL - SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 08:55, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 08:56, 8 July 2026 A BA flight to the UK was cancelled after crew members got so drunk the night before that one of them collapsed in a hotel bar. The party at the £500-a-night honeymooners’ resort came just hours before they were due to operate on a flight from Barbados to London. One stewardess is said to have thrown up at the bar after consuming too much vodka and beer. Bewildered guests who had saved up for their trip-of-a-lifetime at the all-inclusive, ocean-fronted getaway began filming the group, who slurred back: 'We’re British Airways crew, what of it?' Four crew members have allegedly been suspended following Saturday night's activities. Furious airline executives were forced to stand down the entire team due to operate Flight BA254 on Sunday. This meant that up to 336 passengers on the Boeing 777-200 were left stranded in the capital Bridgetown after the abrupt cancellation. The flight, due to depart at 4.40pm on Sunday and arrive in London at 6.20am on Monday, was suddenly axed. A BA flight to the UK was cancelled after crew members got so drunk the night before that one of them collapsed in a hotel bar A source told The Sun: 'One of the perks of working as flight crew for BA is staying at incredible hotels in far-flung destinations.  'And the team who had flown into Barbados were making the most of their stay at an idyllic retreat where the guests are all made up of honeymooners and families on a trip-of-a-lifetime. 'It’s an immense privilege, and it’s understandable that the group wanted to enjoy themselves. 'But some of this crew behaved in a manner that did not befit British Airways.  'The vodka and beers kept being poured and some of the team were clearly drunk.' The source continued: 'Guests complained about their behaviour after one stewardess threw up and one of her colleagues collapsed and had to be helped to his room.' The entire crew had to be repositioned home as passengers on flights over the following few days. The four suspended members arrived back in the UK in the early hours of Monday. A number of colleagues are understood to have been stood down while the airline conducts an internal investigation.  British Airways told the Daily Mail: 'We expect the highest standards of our crew, and we are urgently investigating this matter.' A BA flight attendant was arrested and sacked earlier this year after she was found to be almost eight times over the alcohol limit. Pilot's wife Deborah Merritt, 59, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, claimed she was drinking because she was stressed following a family incident. She is said to have downed bottles of wine on a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Malaga. A test revealed she had an alcohol level of 70mcg in 100ml of breath - but the limit for crew is nine mcg. She was taken to the back of the aircraft and buckled into a seat before being arrested when the plane landed. Merritt had worked for British Airways for 37 years before she was sacked after her arrest. The ex-BA employee admitted a drink-related charge after a second test showed a reading of 52mcg. Uxbridge magistrates fined her £768 with £392 costs in May.