You may not quite realise it, but if you have flown on one of those airlines that still have real check-in desks - you know, the sort of carrier that follows such oldfashioned courtesies as pre-assigning numbered seats to each passenger at check-in rather than sanctioning a hapless scramble for seats on boarding - then you have probably met Cheryl Summerbee.

The legendary Cheryl Summerbee, for there are many of her kind, works for British Airways - or, rather, used to work for British Airways prior to an unfortunate tussle with her employer that resulted in an abbreviated career at Heathrow Airport.

Cheryl Summerbee - our one that is - was wonderful. She had that knack of assessing passengers at check-in, identifying to a tee their fads and foibles and so manipulating the seating plan to ensure that peculiarly compatible passengers might find themselves in adjoining seats.