Airline investigates Facebook comments

LONDON, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- British Airways said check-in staff at London's Gatwick Airport are being investigated after they allegedly badmouthed "smelly" passengers on Facebook.

An airline spokesman said the carrier is investigating check-in personnel who are believed to have posted derogatory comments about passengers and British Airways on the popular social networking site, The Daily Mail reported Monday.

A Facebook discussion board entitled "Things that irritate you more when working on check-in" was created by a user under the name "Suely" who listed several complaints about airline passengers.

Suely complained about passengers who "put a boarding pass in their mouth and then hand it back to you; were smelly (first thing in the morning on a 5 o'clock shift); are running late and breathing in your face; and asking for a complimentary upgrade."

Another poster using the name "Deepa" decried the "stupid accents" of passengers from the United States.

A British Airways spokesman said the comments were "disappointing" and "unwise." He said the airline is investigating the employees behind the comments, as well as Facebook postings that blasted operations at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 as "shambolic" and mocked British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh.