Tess De Mello, a British Airways cabin crew member with a 30-year career, was among 10,000 staff laid off in 2020 when BA issued redundancy notices to nearly all of its 42,000 employees during the pandemic. BA implemented a fire-and-rehire approach requiring remaining staff to accept significant pay cuts and demotions, which MPs described as a "national disgrace". De Mello has since been engaged in a legal battle with the airline, claiming unfair dismissal after being told she would be treated as having quit when she asked for salary clarification before accepting reduced terms.

The case centres on two key issues: whether De Mello's dismissal was unfair, and whether she and other part-time cabin crew were underpaid their holiday entitlements. Her lawyers argue that cabin crew members should be classified as "part-year" workers—similar to teachers—entitled to full-time holiday pay despite working irregular block schedules. An employment tribunal dismissed her claims in 2025, but she is appealing. If successful, the ruling could open the door to similar claims from thousands of cabin crew workers across the aviation industry, with potentially substantial financial consequences for airlines.