British Airways has made a spectacular U-turn today, announcing that its uniform policy will change to allow all religious symbols, including crosses, to be worn openly by its staff.
Immediately upon the announcement being made, the head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev Dr Rowan Williams said: "I am grateful that BA have listened to the deep concerns that have been expressed about this issue and that their change of policy now allows Christians to wear crosses openly."Important issues have been raised. This is a positive and constructive outcome."
Dr Williams had previously said that the Church of England, an investor in BA, would "rethink its whole attitude" towards the airline.
The second-most senior member of the Church of England, the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu exhorted: "Praise the Lord!"
Dr Sentamu had previously said that BA was forgetting the values of the nation it was representing. However, today he declared that the airline had "finally shown both grace and magnanimity".
The announcement from BA follows a huge furore last year over the story of one check-in worker at Heathrow Airport who was banned from wearing her cross necklace "visibly" whilst at work as it "might offend" people.
In the back-down by British Airways, the airline has stated that it will now allow all religious symbols such as lapels to be worn, and the statement specifically says that flexibility will be given to "individuals to wear a symbol of faith on a chain".
Anger was stirred amongst the British Christian community last year when Ms Nadia Eweida was banned from wearing her cross visibly on a chain necklace, when other workers were allowed to wear openly their hijabs and turbans.
Despite the airline insisting that these other religious items could be worn as part of their uniform, even many people from other faiths expressed their astonishment at the decision by BA.
The decision was condemned by bishops across the country, as well as a number of politicians.
However, upon hearing today's turnaround, Christians across the country are celebrating. Ms Eweida, who has been on unpaid leave since September because of her refusal to stop wearing her cross at work, warmly greeted the news.
She declared: "I will carry on working as I've always worked. My dignity has been restored. I've suffered for my faith."
Today's announcement has come about after an extensive review of BA's uniform policies, where the airline consulted staff and customers, examined the uniform policies of other organisations and canvassed the opinions of the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church and the Muslim Council of Britain, according to the BBC.
British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh said in an announcement: "Unintentionally, we have found ourselves at the centre of one of the hottest social issues in current public debate. Most of those consulted felt that a lapel pin was an acceptable and reasonable option. For the majority of our staff, this was the preferred option.
"However, some respondents believed that limiting the change to a pin would not satisfy all Christians. Comparisons were made between the wearing of a cross around the neck and the wearing of hijabs, turbans and Sikh bracelets. For this reason, we have decided to allow some flexibility for individuals to wear a symbol of faith on a chain."
