'˜This is your captain speaking: smile please for the camera'

Passengers flying with British Airways can now take away a new souvenir from their flight - a photo of themselves in the aircraft's cockpit - taken by the pilot.
Actress Denise Van Outen is the first person to try out a new 'pilot photo' scheme introduced by British Airways SUS-160728-101105001Actress Denise Van Outen is the first person to try out a new 'pilot photo' scheme introduced by British Airways SUS-160728-101105001
Actress Denise Van Outen is the first person to try out a new 'pilot photo' scheme introduced by British Airways SUS-160728-101105001

All BA’s 4,000 pilots - who fly to and from Gatwick - are to have a ‘View From The Flight Deck’ app loaded onto their iPads from the start of August to take photos of passengers visiting the cockpit before take-off or after landing.

The app automatically sends the photo, which includes a graphic showing facts from their flight, to passengers so they have an instant, unique memento of their trip.

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The information on the photo includes the captain’s name, route travelled and distance flown, as well as the aircraft type and registration.

There is also an image of the aircraft to help budding young future pilots to recognise individual plane types the next time they fly.

TV presenter and actress Denise Van Outen is the first person to be sn-apped. She said: “I love travelling with my family and want to remember all those precious moments with Betsy as she grows up.

“I think this a great new way to create another fun holiday memory, and it’s a bit different to the photos you’d normally bring back from a trip.

“As souvenirs go it beats a fridge magnet by a mile!”

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British Airways’ head of flight operations, Captain Charlie Maunder, said: “As pilots we love flying and naturally want to share that with everyone, so we all enjoy welcoming customers up to the cockpit whenever possible.

“We’re always looking for new ways to make sure everyone has a memorable flight every time they fly and our new souvenir photo flight app is a great way to help us do just that.”

The airline’s pilots encourage customers of all ages to come forward to visit the flight deck whenever the opportunity permits before departure or after the plane has landed.

The special app was developed by one of British Airways’ own pilots and is another initiative in the airline’s bespoke ‘Beyond the Flight Deck’ programme, which is designed to help its flight crew best serve customers before, during and after their flight.

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