British Airways tightens filming rules over Meta smart glasses

British Airways has reportedly tightened its rules on covert filming, targeting passengers who use Meta smart glasses to record staff or fellow travellers without consent at the airport or onboard. According to Live and Let's Fly, which cites the blog Paddle Your Own Kanoo, passengers who breach the rules could be refused carriage, including on the remaining flights of their ticket.

What has changed

Live and Let's Fly says the update builds on restrictions that British Airways introduced earlier this year against photographing or filming its employees without their consent. Livestreaming employees without permission is also prohibited. The report stresses that this is not a ban on wearing the glasses; the concern is their built-in cameras being used to record discreetly.

The report notes that the airline's conditions do not specifically name Meta glasses. Paddle Your Own Kanoo claims the change is device-specific, but Live and Let's Fly says the existing wording already gives BA a way to act against passengers who use such devices to film staff.

What the conditions say

Live and Let's Fly quotes Section 7a10 of BA's General Conditions of Carriage, on refusal of carriage: “This includes filming, live streaming or taking photographs of any BA crew or other colleagues without their consent.” Section 11a also lists recording employees without permission as unacceptable behaviour onboard.

According to the report, BA says it can intervene to stop such conduct and, on landing, remove the passenger and refuse transport on the remaining sectors of the ticket, which could include an already-booked return flight. The conditions also allow BA to report an incident to the authorities for possible prosecution if a criminal offence may have occurred. The report points out that breaching an airline filming policy is not in itself a crime.

Context and concerns

The author of the Live and Let's Fly piece says he understands why airlines are acting, since smart glasses make recording easier without alerting the people filmed. He also raises a counterpoint: a recording can document poor treatment, and he hopes a filming restriction does not become a way to suppress evidence of a genuine problem. He argues BA should distinguish between an intrusive content creator and a passenger documenting a legitimate issue. The report adds that laws and airline conditions may differ from what travellers expect at home, particularly in the European Union.

What this means for travellers

• Wearing Meta smart glasses is not itself banned, according to the report.
• Do not use the cameras to film or livestream crew, other BA staff or fellow passengers without consent. Asking permission first is the safest approach.
• A breach could lead to removal on landing and refusal of onward carriage, potentially including a return flight already booked.
• If you need to document a genuine problem, be aware that the conditions make no stated exception. It is not yet known how BA will apply the rules in such cases.

Neither the sources nor BA's quoted conditions say how often the rules have been enforced or whether any passengers have already been affected.

Sources: Live and Let's Fly