Pilot files sexual discrimination lawsuit against British Airways
Pakistan Times Monitoring Report

LONDON (UK): A female pilot at British Airways has filed a lawsuit against the carrier for "indirect sex discrimination" after it refused her permission to work part-time after giving birth.

Jessica Starmer, 26, had asked the company to allow her to work part time, but British Aiways said she could only work at three-fourths the regular time.

She told a court in Watford northern England that because of the irregular working hours of her husband, who is also a pilot, she could not take care of their baby girl, who is now one year old.

"I believe that ... BA's lack of accomodation for working mothers works to exclude females from its pilots and to reinforce, rather than reform, the traditional male dominance in its workforce", Starmer told the court.

BA's Regulations

BA's regulations say that only a pilot with 2,000 flight hours can work part-time. Starmer, who has been a pilot at BA since 2001, has only 1,100 flight hours at the company.

"Being a professional airline pilot and a mother should in no way be incompatible", she said.●