“The world’s favourite airline”, the self-anointed status of British Airways, transforms into a number of unflattering anagrams: “it is another awful ride, lover” or “wish ruin, die? Travel Aeroflot!”, are among them.

But BA’s image suffered further problems on Wednesday after Chris Bell, chief executive of Ladbrokes, the bookmaker, told the Daily Telegraph he had instructed his staff not to use the airline unless absolutely necessary. This was following a dispute over attempts to bump his 14-year-old daughter and a friend off a flight from Barbados last month.