British Airways forced to backtrack after appearing to endorse anti-masker tweet

One-hit wonders Right Said Fred have been some of Britain's more vocal anti-maskers.

The duo have spoken out on a number of matters concerning the pandemic – from attending conspiracy protests, to prosing time and time again on Twitter that lockdowns do not work.

It looked as though Heathrow Airport and British Airways might land up in trouble after the pair boasted in a recent tweet that they were able to make a maskless journey unhindered.

They added they had received "thanks" from staff members for "speaking out on Covid and the lockdowns".

It somehow got worse as both BA and Heathrow Airport's social media accounts went on to appear to support the claims.

"We're glad to hear your journey is going smoothly! Sometimes it's those simple things..." tweeted Heathrow Airport's official account.

BA said it was "good to hear", and wished the group a pleasant flight.

Whether it was a couple of busy social media assistants cutting corners and not reading the tweet, or a genuine endorsement of the band's behaviour, the replies were promptly deleted as more people picked up on them.

Aviation analyst Alex Macheras was one of the first to spot the companies' reactions to the praise, which lead to a flurry of backlash.

Did this really happen? Was the band showered with praise as they strolled through Terminal 5?

If all companies are pertaining to government guidance, the only way a person would be able to fly maskless is by showing a health exemption card.

If this is the case - which the below tweet confirms – the framing of the band's original tweet might not quite be what it seemed.

Heathrow's social media team found itself backpeddling following the backlash, tweeting out the following response:

For its part, British Airways deleted its tweet, but has so far not publicly addressed the criticism.

A spokesperson told indy100: "All customers and British Airways staff members are required to wear a mask throughout their journey, unless they meet the Government’s exemption requirements, as stated on ba.com. This is to ensure the wellbeing of their fellow travellers and the airline’s staff members."