Virgin Atlantic Fires 13 Cabin Crew Staff After They Criticised The Airline In A Facebook Group | UK News | Sky News
Virgin Atlantic has fired 13 cabin crew after they posted comments on Facebook, calling passengers "chavs" and suggesting the planes were full of cockroaches.
The airline said the employees' behaviour was "totally inappropriate" and "brought the company into disrepute".
It launched disciplinary action last week amid a row over a group created on Facebook, which has now been removed, about planes flying from Gatwick.
Claims that the airline's jet engines were replaced four times in one year were made on the group's discussion board.
In a statement, the airline said: "Virgin Atlantic can confirm that 13 members of its cabin crew will be leaving the company after breaking staff policies due to totally inappropriate behaviour.
"Following a thorough investigation, it was found that all 13 staff participated in a discussion on the networking site Facebook, which brought the company into disrepute and insulted some of our passengers.
"It is impossible for these cabin crew members to uphold the high standards of customer service that Virgin Atlantic is renowned for if they hold these views."
The five Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747s based at Gatwick are among the newest 747s flying worldwide. They were acquired from Boeing in 2001.
A spokesman for the airline said: "There is a time and a place for Facebook.
"But there is no justification for it to be used as a sounding board for staff of any company to criticise the very passengers who ultimately pay their salaries.
"Virgin Atlantic staff are known for their world-class customer service and there is no place in our business for anyone who behaves otherwise.
"We have numerous internal channels for our staff to feed back legitimate and appropriate issues relating to the company."