Carrier Calls Notion The Two Are Connected "Half-Baked"... Eventually

It's uncouth, certainly... but is it grounds for suspension? A cabin crew steward has been suspended by British Airways, after he allegedly ate a discarded muffin.

This Is London reports the incident -- which BA is treating as theft -- occurred at Heathrow on Monday, as the steward cleared trays following meal service. The muffin had been discarded by the passenger.

"The cabin crew member on a long-haul flight took a muffin destined for the bin," a fellow BA employee told the Sun. "Now his career hangs in the balance. Everyone is up in arms -- it is a disgusting way to treat a member of staff."

Other airline employees say the incident is but the latest example of increasingly hostile working conditions at British Airways, and follows another incident in which a BA flight attendant was told she couldn't wear a crucifix to work, as it violated the carrier's uniform code.

"Staff are scared of putting a foot wrong. BA is acting like a police state," the employee said.

For its part, British Airways initially acknowledged the incident, confirming Tuesday "[o]ne member of the cabin crew has been suspended on suspicion of theft. "While such incidents are extremely rare we take all allegations of theft extremely seriously."

However, the airline altered its public stance Wednesday, calling the suggestion the airline would suspend an employee over a muffin "half baked," adding it "would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."

So, maybe we're talking about more than muffins after all... or, perhaps not. Stay tuned.

FMI: www.britishairways.com