An EasyJet cabin manager was sacked after calling female flight attendants “lovely ladies” and using the in-flight tannoy for comedy routines.
Ross Barr was dismissed for gross misconduct after a string of complaints about sexual and inappropriate comments during flights, including telling a colleague he was “staring at your ass”.
A tribunal heard Barr referred to his “more attractive colleagues” in front of passengers, and after moving past a female attendant he told her: "Oh I have just brushed past your boobs".
Barr faced complaints from fellow EasyJet staff that he hogged the tannoy, prioritising “attempts at comedy routines over customer comfort and safety”.
He argued that his sacking was unfair, and suggested a gay colleague would not have been subjected to the same complaints and disciplinary proceedings.
But Judge Muriel Robison dismissed the appeal, concluding the airline had been within its rights to sack Barr.
The tribunal was told Barr joined EasyJet in 2014 and was promoted to cabin manager based in Edinburgh two years later.
The first complaint about his conduct was lodged in August 2022, when Barr was given a final written warning over allegations of sexual harassment and breaches of the airline’s bullying policy.
A second complaint emerged in late 2023, when Barr faced claims of “inappropriate comments making the complainer feel uncomfortable as well as sexual or disrespectful comments to passengers, including homophobic and transphobic comments in her presence”.
In the ensuing disciplinary proceedings, Barr admitted making “mistakes”, and he was confronted over “adult conversations” with cabin crew and colleagues calling him “Dad”.
Then, in August last year, a passenger complained after overhearing Barr saying to a female colleague as she worked: “I’m not doing anything. I’m just staring at your ass”.
Barr then admitted he had made a comment to the same staffer about having “touched your boobs” after brushing past her.
Barr admitted referring to his colleagues as “lovely ladies” over the tannoy, but he denied making jokes about safety measures.
He also said he referred to “cow juice” while filling tea and coffee orders.
A further complaint then emerged from a new colleague of Barr, that he had spent “the entire shift pretty much he was talking about sex or making jokes about it”.
She also complained that while putting an extension seatbelt back into the bag, Barr allegedly said to her: “Having a problem trying to stuff it in? Bet you’ve never had that problem”.
At the conclusion of the disciplinary proceedings, in which Barr described some of his actions as “banter”, he was told: “I do not believe you have shown full remorse for your actions and you have failed to acknowledge the seriousness of where your behaviour has fallen below standard.
“You do not recognise the impact that this has on the individuals involved, or the impact this conduct may have on others and their perception of such behaviour. The impact it has had on our customers that they felt it warranted to write in to raise awareness around your behaviour and the potential damage to the company’s reputation.”
Barr was accused of impacting flight safety with his behaviour, and was told: “As the cabin manger you are in a position of trust and I feel there has been a breakdown in trust in relation to these situations, you should conduct yourself in a manner that ensures your crew feel safe onboard the aircraft.”
The tribunal judge dismissed Barr’s unfair dismissal claim, saying it “fell within the range of reasonable responses” by his employers.
