Airline seating sex discrimination controversy

British Airways

In March 2001, British Airways was revealed to have a policy banning adult male passengers from sitting next to unaccompanied children under 15, even if the children's parents were elsewhere on the aircraft. The issue arose when a business executive, moved to sit near colleagues, was asked by a flight attendant to relocate because he was next to two unaccompanied children, a breach of company policy. The executive felt humiliated, stating he was being accused of something.

British Airways admitted staff were instructed to keep men away from unaccompanied children due to the danger of male pedophiles. In 2005, Michael Kemp complained after being told to swap seats with his wife on a GB Airways flight, even though the girl's parents were on board. Michele Elliott, director of Kidscape, called the rule utterly absurd and said it branded all men as potential sex offenders. In 2006, politician Boris Johnson criticized the company after a staff member tried to separate him from his own children; he argued the policy presumed guilt in the entire male population and linked it to reduced numbers of male teachers.

British Airways defended the policy as a response to customer requests and a fear of sexual assaults. The policy ended in August 2010 after a successful legal action by Mirko Fischer.

Qantas and Air New Zealand

In November 2005, Qantas and Air New Zealand were revealed to have similar seating policies. The revelation followed a 2004 incident where Mark Wolsay, a shipping manager, was asked to change seats with a female passenger on a Qantas flight in New Zealand; a steward said it was airline policy that only women could sit next to unaccompanied children. Wolsay called the policy totally discriminatory, and the New Zealand Herald suggested it implied male passengers were dangerous to children.

New Zealand's Green Party reported the matter to the Human Rights Commissioner. Protests included a 22-hour treetop protest by double amputee Kevin Gill in Nelson, New Zealand, who warned the policy could lead to broader bans and raised the issue of race-based discrimination. Philip Price, a Bethlehem fire officer, revealed he had been forced to switch seats on an Air New Zealand flight in 2002. Cameron Murphy, president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, said there was no basis for the ban and that it was wrong to assume all adult males pose a danger to children.

Critics also noted the policy ignored female abusers and child sex offenders, and linked it to shortages of male teachers.

Virgin Australia

In 2012, Virgin Australia's similar policy became public knowledge. Johnny McGirr, a 33-year-old firefighter from Sydney, was told to move seats by a flight attendant, who said he could not sit next to two unaccompanied minors and asked a female passenger to take his place. A public backlash on Twitter prompted Virgin Australia to review the policy.