Actress Michaela Coel has recounted an incident on a Virgin Atlantic flight where a passenger mistook her for a member of cabin crew. The 'Chewing Gum' star tweeted that a woman asked her to 'clean up her mess and increase the flight temp'. Coel pointed out she was wearing a black T-shirt, while Virgin cabin crew wear red suits.
Some fans suggested the reason she was mistaken for a staff member was because of her race. Several fans expressed disappointment at the incident on social media, implying it occurred because Coel is black.
This is not the first time Coel has experienced an issue while travelling with Virgin Atlantic. In a Vogue article published in January, the 'Black Mirror' actress described an incident in the queue for the upper class section. She said a white woman sped past her and two black men before turning round and joining the back of the line.
Coel wrote: 'What happened? Did three black people signify a queue she usually walks to the right of? To suggest things may be going on in our brains that we aren't fully conscious of, that we unknowingly make classist, sexist and racist presumptions… well, there just aren't many comfortable ways to take that.'
Newsbeat has contacted Michaela Coel and Virgin Atlantic for comment.
