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A British Airways crew member was found dead in his hotel room during a stopover in San Francisco this week, the Sun reports.
Colleagues found the man dead in his hotel bed by hotel staff after his colleagues reported that he failed to come in to work prior to a flight scheduled to return to return to London Heathrow Airport on Thursday (April 17). The crew member is suspected to have been in the hotel bed for up to two days, the Standard reports.
Colleagues were reportedly too upset to fly after hearing news of his death and British Airways flight 284 was canceled.
“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,” a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Sun.
The crew member checked into his San Francisco hotel after arriving in the city from London on Tuesday (April 15). Pilots who had already arrived at San Francisco International Airport ahead of the scheduled flight returned to the hotel to support colleagues amid the cancelation, which impacted up to 850 passengers.
The airline reportedly attempted to get impacted passengers booked in hotels, however, declined to give a reason for the cancelation.
“The steward was a popular member of the team and this came as a bolt from the blue,” the source confirmed to the Sun. “The grim reality is that he may have been dead in his bed for some time.”