A British Airways cabin crew member was found dead in his hotel room during a stopover in San Francisco, the airline has confirmed.
The male crew member had flown from the UK to San Francisco on Tuesday and was staying at the Marriott Marquis hotel ahead of his scheduled return shift.
Concerns were raised on Thursday when he failed to report for duty.
After repeated attempts to contact him, hotel staff entered his room and discovered him deceased in bed.
A British Airways cabin crew member was found dead in his hotel room
PA
As a result, British Airways flight BA 284 from San Francisco International Airport to London Heathrow, which was scheduled to depart at 4.20pm on April 17, was cancelled.
Passengers were not informed of the specific reason for the cancellation and were provided hotel accommodations while alternative travel plans were arranged.
Sources said the discovery left the crew too distraught to operate the flight.
Pilots who had already gone to the airport reportedly returned to the hotel to support their colleagues.
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It is unclear how long the crew member had been deceased.
In a statement to The Sun, British Airways said: “Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of our colleague at this difficult time.”
A source told the outlet: “There was no way the flight back from San Francisco could go ahead. Staff were in absolute bits at the sudden loss of their friend.
“The steward was a popular member of the team and this came as a bolt from the blue.”
British Airways flight BA 284 from San Francisco International Airport to London Heathrow was cancelled
GETTY
The flight involved an Airbus A380-800, which can carry up to 469 passengers.
The following day, the outbound flight from London to San Francisco (BA 285) was also cancelled.
This incident follows a similar tragedy last year, when a 47-year-old British Airways pilot collapsed and died at a hotel in St Lucia during a layover.
This led to a cancelled flight from Vieux Fort to London Gatwick.
