A cyber security upgrade carried out by British Airways has prompted union bosses to issue travel chaos warnings, it has been reported. British Airways reportedly switched a key password, which logged out staff from company systems.
The unannounced “BSafe password change” meant staff were ordered to change their access codes and complete a 40-minute online interview with tech teams in India, the Sun reports. However, staff can only upgrade their accounts from a desk at Heathrow on weekdays between 9am to 5pm, according to the outlet. The company systems staff were logged out of reportedly included flight information, service documents, staff travel, email, training schedules and rosters.
Those affected have been told to email managers, but may reportedly be unable to access their work emails.
A union spokesman warned airline staff in a message seen by the news outlet: “Out of nowhere BA have changed access to Employee Self Service, completely overlooking that crew along with pilots are a remote workforce.
“Well over 50% of BA employees either work or live overseas. It’s an old saying ‘you don’t fix what isn’t broken’ — BA have done exactly that with disastrous results.”
The upgrade was requested by BA’s Spanish owner, IAG, over fears of an “imminent cyber attack”.
The Express contacted BA for comment, who responded: “We’ve been making some system improvements to boost our online security. This has had no impact on our operation or our customers.”
BA is the UK’s flag carrier and serves millions of passengers each year. In 2024, the airline saw a 5.2% increase in overall capacity, carrying just under 40 million passengers. Its most popular destinations include major European cities in Spain, France, Italy and Greece, while island destinations like Malta are seeing a surge in popularity. It also operates transatlantic routes to the US and increasingly popular long-haul destinations like Dubai and some Caribbean islands. The Heathrow to JFK route is particularly popular, moving millions of passengers annually.
According to a recent survey by YouGov, BA topped the ranking among UK airlines for its onboard meals. While Emirates came out on top overall, with 85% of passengers left impressed by their meals, BA earned the impressive score of 63% for in-flight meals and 61% for snacks and drinks.
