Passenger seeks more than £50,000 from British Airways over Heathrow fall

An American passenger is pursuing a claim for more than £50,000 against British Airways after fracturing her leg while getting off a plane at Heathrow, according to High Court documents. The airline denies responsibility and says the fall most likely happened because she lost her footing.

Melissa Phillips, 49, was travelling from Israel to the United States via Heathrow in March 2023 when she fell on the aircraft’s disembarkation steps. Her lawyers say the steps were damp and crowded, and that a lack of direction from cabin crew allowed passengers to jostle her.

Court documents say Phillips sustained spiral fractures to the tibia and fibula in her left leg. Her barrister, Katherine Deal KC, described passengers leaving the flight as being in a “chaotic” situation and argued that Phillips would not have been knocked off balance if the steps had not been crowded with people jostling.

The claim alleges that BA failed to prevent or substantially reduce the risk of passengers jostling one another on overcrowded steps, and did not provide reasonably safe air transport services. These are allegations made on Phillips’s behalf; they have not been established by a court finding.

BA is defending the claim. Its barrister argues that Phillips was negligent because she went down the steps without looking, or without looking adequately. The airline disputes liability, while offering £6,987 towards her medical expenses, the court documents say.

Phillips was taken to hospital and underwent surgery before flying back to the US several days later. Her barrister says she had therapy and further treatment but continues to experience pain and restricted movement, affecting her daily life and ability to run her home.

The documents also say Phillips has experienced psychological distress associated with continuing pain and immobility. Her symptoms are expected to be permanent, according to her legal representative.

The case concerns an incident during disembarkation at Heathrow, rather than an injury sustained during the flight. The competing accounts place the central dispute on whether crowding and the airline’s management of passengers contributed to the fall, or whether Phillips’s own actions or loss of footing caused it.

Phillips lives in Maryland and was travelling home to the US from Israel when the fall happened. The claim is being brought in the High Court, and the damages sought exceed £50,000. BA’s offer towards medical costs does not amount to an acceptance of liability: the airline is contesting the claim.

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