British Airways as a metaphor for Britain. British Airways are in a really tight spot - they have a frightening pension deficit, fewer premium passengers because of the recession and staff who are mutinous as they see their benefits cut back steadily. On my last BA flight, I asked one of the stewardesses what the staff thought of chief executive, Willie Walsh. She replied - “Put it this way, nobody’s ever seen him eat anything on a flight.” There is very little sympathy for BA staff in Britain - since they are widely portrayed as mollycoddled and economically illiterate.