THE Gatwick air stewardess who stripped off at an Italian airport after losing a bet said last night she was just having "a bit of a giggle".

Andrea O'Neill, 31, from Crawley, ran half-naked around a BA Boeing 737 at Genoa airport in Italy.

She said she never imagined her "light-hearted joke" would create such interest.

British Airways said that after talking to the stewardess and her colleagues, the matter was now closed.

Dublin-born Andrea added: "I do hope I have not offended anybody by what was supposed to be a secret, light-hearted joke.

"We were having a bit of a giggle with the flight crew.

"BA's in the middle of a massive punctuality drive and we were joking about this.

"We cabin crew said we would do our bit to get the flight there on time but that air traffic control would scupper the pilots' chances of doing their bit."

"The flight deck crew said they could get to Genoa well ahead of time, so we started to make silly bets and dares about it, and I lost."

The Gatwick-Genoa flight arrived 10 minutes early, forcing Andrea to carry out her striptease dare before she helped crew the plane back to Gatwick.

"There were no passengers around at the time and I thought we were well out of view from the airport building. I didn't think anybody else would see me," she said.

Shocked

Andrea, who read marketing and economics at Dublin University, said: "I have never done anything like this before and I am sure my mum and dad will be pretty shocked to hear it was me."

The stewardess, who flies on short-haul routes out of Gatwick airport and has been with BA for 14 months, said today: "It was all a bit of fun, but I have to say I am more than a little embarrassed by the attention it has created."

A BA spokesman said: "I guess we ought to take our hats off to her - but nothing else - for achieving such wonderful exposure of our brilliant timekeeping record.

"But she should know that BA is always on time."

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