After being covered in vomit on a long-haul flight from Johannesburg to London, a British Airways passenger has taken to social media to share his displeasure over the airline’s reaction following the incident. While a fellow traveller was the source of his discomfort, he blamed the flight staff for serving them too much alcohol.
In a post on the Facebook page British Airways Complaints Advice, a Brit called Bruce McKenzie has shared his recent experience with the British flag carrier. Allegedly, during a flight with British Airways from Johannesburg to London, the person sitting next to him had too much to drink, which led to McKenzie being partly covered in their vomit.
“On a recent 11-hour flight from JHB to LHR, the BA flight staff served the passenger next to me 10 Bacardi mini bottles in the first few hours of the flight. He became so intoxicated that he vomited on himself, the seats, the floor, myself and the passenger on the other side of him. The flight was full, and we were unable to move anywhere. An attempt was made to clean up the mess, but the whole experience was terrible and unacceptable, as the staff giving him this volume of alcohol was complicit in the vomiting”, McKenzie wrote on Facebook.
The downfall of @British_Airways service is quite shocking. Can’t speak to anybody in the UK and those you get hold of can’t help, can’t re-direct, can’t take ownership. So sad to see this one great brand fall so far.
— Ben Jones (@benjoqpr) January 19, 2026
Right of compensation
Following the incident, McKenzie says he contacted British Airways in order to make a complaint and ask for compensation for his discomfort during the flight. Still in his post on British Airways Complaints Advice, the Brit shared the response received from the airline’s complaints service.
“I’m very sorry to hear about the unacceptable experience you had on your flight from Johannesburg, caused by the behaviour of an intoxicated customer seated next to you. We fully understand how distressing and unpleasant it must have been for another customer to become unwell due to intoxication, resulting in vomit on their seat, clothing, and the cabin floor. This is certainly not the standard of experience we want any of our customers to have, and I’m sincerely sorry for the impact this had on your journey”, the email read.
“We don’t underestimate the importance of comfort, dignity, and a safe environment on board. While our cabin crew follow strict procedures regarding alcohol service and disruptive behaviour, there are occasions where situations escalate despite their best efforts. I can assure you that your feedback has made a difference. I’ve shared it with my colleagues in the relevant team, and we regularly use comments like these to guide us when we review our safety procedures”, the response continued.
Hi there, we're sorry to hear you've had trouble tracking your case. We'd be happy to take a look and see if we can find the issue for you. Please could you DM us so we can ask any necessary questions. Hannah https://t.co/L1epyfzysM
— British Airways (@British_Airways) January 20, 2026
At the end of the mail shared by McKenzie, the customer relations officer offers him a compensation of either 10,000 Avios points or a £50.00 British Airways eVoucher.
It is because of that compensation proposition, which McKenzie considers to be too small a gesture, that he took to social media asking what to do next. While some commenters urge him to take the matter further, it is unclear at the time of writing whether or not McKenzie decided to follow up.
