Customer First Team started in the early days of 1982, so the team is 40 years old!

The original team was led by Captain Mike Bennison, along with Dick Bickford, Pete Hughes, Doug Ord, Steve Buzdygan, Gordon Black and Dave Johnstone.

Putting people first was created by Baron Colin Marshall, at the request of Lord King.   This was the early days of British Airways being created from the BEA and BOAC.  This was followed shortly after by Putting People First, this is where all areas within British Airways were asked to create an exhibition piece run by staff members to show the excellence of each department.

The flight crew had eight volunteers and had an old Trident static cockpit, which we managed to create a scenario lasting about 15 minutes, when the attendees for the day moved around to a different exhibit.

During this period the idea of Customer First Team was created and each department was requested to start their own team, many had some good ideas in the early days but disappeared never to be heard of again.  However the Flight Crew Customer First Team went from strength to strength.  

The big event came up when the government was going to give our routes away to British Caledonian.  The Customer First Team members spent a month collecting 30,000 signatures which were presented to 10 Downing Street with a full pipe band, and a full march of a large contingent of staff from all departments presenting the petition to Downing Street. Which Margaret Thatcher said was the best staff-initiated event she'd come across, resulting in our keeping all of our routes saving millions of pounds.

The Customer First Team came up with the discussion on a moving map display in the cabins for the passengers, this doesn't seem very relevant now but at the time it was very advanced.

British Airways Flight Rider “Flight Certificate” was designed by the team including a picture of each aircraft and the captain had a place to sign and they were allowed to apply to become young members.

1990

Customer First Team started visits to Oxford training school to talk to students 2^nd May 1990, and continued visiting the training schools where BA Cadets were trained.

The Customer First Team built the original mobile sim, BAC1-11.

2004

Captain Cliff Agius rebuilds the sim as a 787.

2006

The Sim Practise scheme was started in 2006 by Captain Carley Lear.  The scheme continues to be a well used peer support scheme and has been endorsed by the CAA inspectorate.

2013

The Customer First Team launch their first website to advertise the mobile Flight Sim and to manage the growing number of Sim Practise bookings.  The website was created by Captain Cliff Agius.

2023

Captain Ruth Smith successfully attains significant funding for a new Mobile Flight Simulator.  Ruth and Cliff along with the team are presently managing the build of a new A350 simulator, this time with funding!

The present team is led by Carley Lear, along with Ruth Smith, Cliff Agius, Cat Hurley, Martin Hockfield and Kay Byrant.