BA flight from Gibraltar to Heathrow carried merely 3 passengers (could have carried 150)
The Metro reports on a British Airways flight, in mid December, from Gibraltar to Heathrow (two and a half hour flight) – with just 3 passengers. The plane could have carried about 150 passengers. Due to some sort of mix up with the 3 passengers being told the plane was late, another plane had taken off earlier and that was – presumably – fairly full The 3 passengers had only paid £80 for a return ticket, for a 3 day trip to Gibraltar. (This is the sort of flight that is taking up a slot at Heathrow, just for the lowest cost, off-chance leisure travel). The 3 throughly enjoyed themselves etc and were given the perks of being bumped up to business class. But this plane flew with almost no passengers, still emitting almost as much as it would have done with a full load. There are many anecdotal reports of planes flying to and from Heathrow with a huge number of empty seats. Had these three girls not been so keen to advertise the fun they had had, and their selfies of their trip, it might not have come to public attention. Presumably the flight took place, to position the plane for the next day’s trips. It is nevertheless a glaring example of a Heathrow slot not being used in the way (low emissions, boosting UK economic growth etc….) Heathrow would like the government etc to believe.
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Women enjoy poshest flight ever after discovering they’re the only three passengers on board
By Sofia Petkar for Metro.co.uk
22 Dec 2016
Three women have told how they were treated like rock stars when they found themselves alone on a British Airways flight for 150 people on Saturday.
See SWNS story SWBA; 34-year-old Laura Stevens tells how she and pals Sarah Hunt, 35, and Laurie-Lin Waller, 33, were upgraded to business class, glugged Champagne and took selfies in the cockpit on the 2.5 hour flight from Gibraltar to London Heathrow.
Their flight was delayed so the trio – who paid just £80 for an economy return ticket – turned up late to the airport – only to find passengers who arrived at the scheduled time were squeezed onto an earlier flight.
Laura and Laurie, who are television producers, and Sarah, a lawyer, were also treated to a three-course meal and posed for selfies with the captain of the BA flight.
Laura, who ís from Sutton, London, says: ìIt was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience that we’ll never forget. We felt like celebrities, especially when we were given Champagne it was the best Christmas present ever, we couldn’t believe how kind and lovely everyone was.
The trio were due to fly home on the 5.20pm flight from Gibraltar to London Heathrow on December 18th, following a three-day break.
Having checked-in online and discovering their flight was delayed by three hours, the girls took their time getting to the airport.
However, they soon discovered their fellow passengers who’d arrived on time had been squeezed on to an earlier flight.
‘It was as though we’d hired out the place just for us.’
She added: ‘The celebrity treatment continued on board when we were given front row seats and a private safety talk.
‘The plane took off really quickly because it was so light, it felt like we were on a private jet.
‘The cabin crew were laughing and even the pilot made an announcement stating he’d never flown a commercial flight with so few people.’
On board, the friends were given access to unlimited Champagne – managing to get through ten mini-bottles between them on the 2.5 hour flight – before tucking into breaded chicken and potato salad with cheese, hot crusty rolls and chocolate pudding.
Laura recalled: ‘We put on our shades and had a great time partying on board. We joked about being a girl band and took videos of us strolling up and down the aisles.
‘Cabin crew warned us that the fog meant it could take a while to land but we were having such a fantastic time we told them to take their time – we wanted the flight to go on forever.’
She added: ‘Even strolling through passport control we felt like celebs as there were no queues. The whole thing was so surreal.
‘People pay thousands for the kind of experience we had but we got it all for the cost of an economy ticket – it was a real one-off.
‘We can’t thank BA enough – they made our Christmas!’