An American woman is suing British Airways for £50,000 after sustaining leg injuries while disembarking a plane at Heathrow Airport. Melissa Phillips, 49, was flying from Israel to her home in Maryland via London when she fell on what she describes as 'damp' aircraft steps during a change of flights.
The incident occurred at Terminal 5 on March 21, 2023, according to High Court documents. Phillips blames the carrier's 'negligence' for her fall. British Airways, however, maintains that Phillips 'descended the steps without looking, or adequately looking' and likely lost her footing. The airline has offered £6,987 to cover her medical expenses but continues to deny responsibility for her injuries.
Legal Arguments and Allegations
Katherine Deal KC, representing Phillips, said the passenger suffers from 'some limitation of movement and loss of amenity affecting aspects of her daily life'. She stated the accident caused permanent symptoms that impair Phillips' ability to run her home, as well as 'psychological distress'.
Deal argued that BA was liable for the 'chaotic' flight, in which the carrier failed to 'avoid or materially reduce the risk of passengers jostling each other on overcrowded steps'. She explained: 'Had the steps not been full of jostling passengers, the claimant would not have been knocked off balance.'
British Airways' Response
Christopher Loxton, representing BA, denied that the steps used to disembark the flight were damp and insisted passengers had not left the plane in an 'unusual or unexpected manner'. He claimed Phillips failed to take precautions, such as not holding the handrail, and had 'caused herself to come into contact' with other travellers while descending.
'It is the defendant's case that the likely cause of the claimant's fall was simply paying insufficient attention to the way in which she was descending the steps and that she lost her footing and fell down the same steps', Loxton submitted.
Jurisdiction and Next Steps
Phillips had her case dismissed by a Maryland district court in 2024, which ruled it did not have jurisdiction over the claim because the incident occurred in the UK. A hearing has yet to take place.
