Model Arrested After Confrontation With BA Employee

Talk about the perfect storm.

British Airways has been battling record high oil prices and the stigma of an industry-wide loss of customer esteem. Last week, the public debut of BA's gleaming, new Terminal Five at London Heathrow Airport was supposed to bring a great improvement to traffic flow at the busy airport. Instead, thousands of passengers had their bags lost or misdirected, and hundreds of flights had to be cancelled.

On Friday, just when it looked as if things couldn't getmuch worse, Naomi Campbell -- the notorious, hot-headed supermodel -- was told by a BA employee she'd have to get off the plane she expected to fly to Los Angeles, because one of her bags had been lost.

The 37-year-old reportedly balked at the request, and the airline called local police to forcibly eject her, according to The Associated Press. In the resulting confrontation, police say C ampbell spat on an officer, and was hauled off to be charged with suspicion of assaulting an officer. She was reportedly released on bail shortly after midnight Saturday morning.

This is not the first time the London-born fashion star has made news for her tantrums.

In 2000, she pleaded guilty in Toronto to assault charge for beating an assistant while making a film in Canada two years earlier. In her plea deal, Campbell expressed remorse and avoided punishment or a criminal record.

In a more widely publicized incident in January 2007, Campbell pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault for throwing her cell phone at her maid, in what was said to be a dispute over a missing pair of jeans. She sentenced to community service and required to attend a two-day anger-management program.

Given reports of at least one fistfight between addled British Airways workers... perhaps Campbell will have some company the next time she goes through that program.

FMI: www.britishairways.com