Flight Attendant Found Dead in Hotel amid Stopover in San Francisco – ryan

A British Airways crew member has been found dead in a San Francisco hotel room during a stopover, the airline confirmed to PEOPLE.

The male crew member was found deceased in a hotel on Thursday, April 17, after checking in two days ahead of a scheduled return flight to the U.K., British newspapers The Standard and The Telegraph reported.

Crew members raised concerns about their colleague’s whereabouts to hotel management after he failed to show up for work and “didn’t answer his phone” on Thursday, according to reports.

The late crew member was due on the BA 284 flight from San Francisco International Airport to London Heathrow, taking off at 4:20 p.m. local time on Thursday. The flight was subsequently canceled as staff were “too upset to fly,” per The Standard.

British Airways said in a statement to PEOPLE: “Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of our colleague at this difficult time.”

The airline confirmed that the late crew member was due to operate the flight that was canceled and all customers were given hotel accommodation.

“Our teams have worked hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible,” BA added.

The man’s cause of death has not been disclosed at this time.

It is suspected that the crew member had been dead for two days before he was found, according to Aviation A2Z.

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A source told the U.K. newspaper The Sun“There was no way the flight back from San Francisco could go ahead. Staff were in absolute bits at the sudden loss of their friend.”

The insider described the steward as “a popular member of the team.”

“This came as a bolt from the blue,” they continued. “The grim reality is that he may have been dead in his bed for some time.”