Only a passenger on a 189-seat aircraft receives VIP treatment from the crew

A 28-year-old British woman was surprised to discover that she was the only passenger on a Ryanair flight between Spain and England on July 17. The attitude resulted in the exclusive dedication of the five hosts and plenty of space to enjoy and stretch their legs.

According to the British newspaper daily Mail, who interviewed the lonely traveler, Nadina Liu had no idea she’d be traveling alone in the 189-seat Boeing 737-800.

“I arrived at the departure gate and couldn’t find anyone else there”as you say. Leo was returning from his vacation in Alicante, Spain, to Liverpool, England. “I was a bit worried, I thought I went to the wrong gate. So I asked a woman if I was in the right place for the Liverpool trip and she said yes.”

Only at this moment did she find out that everything was prepared for her alone, as no more tickets were sold. “The lady at the desk said to me, ‘By the way, you are the only person on the plane.’ I thought she was joking, but I found her to be serious.”Liu says.

On the plane, the mother of two, who was back to her routine, had an unforgettable journey. “It was such a great feeling to be on the plane alone with the five crew members taking care of me. It looked like a private plane, even though I had never been on it before.”, jokes. All onboard services, safety display, entertainment, warnings and all places were exclusive to her. “I had seat number 18A, but when I got on the plane, I was told I could sit anywhere I wanted, so I chose a seat with more room in the front”.

The airline declined to comment on the situation, but Nadine says she saw the flight crew’s confusion. “The five cabin crew were very friendly and one of them told me that this was the first time she had been on a plane with a passenger in 15 years with Ryanair.”.

Quarantine

Ryanair is one of the most popular budget airlines in Europe. Our club Leo paid just £50 for the two-and-a-half hour journey, including the charge for carrying a handbag in the cabin. The low value adds to the oddity about the low passenger interest. However, changes to quarantine rules against COVID-19 in the UK may justify the situation.

The country is going through a slow process of flexing the rules. Until 23:59 on the 17th, the date of Nadine’s flight, passengers on flights from countries such as Spain, with an average risk of contamination by COVID-19, had to comply with a mandatory 10-day quarantine after disembarking on English soil. After the deadline, vaccinated people will be completely exempted from the rule.

Nadine only had one dose of the vaccine, so she had to be isolated anyway, so the trip wasn’t postponed. But he believes other travelers may have delayed their return home to avoid forced isolation.

Another important point is that European airlines often need to make certain flights in order to guarantee a percentage of their use. slots. This cannot be said to be the case, but at the beginning of the pandemic, the so-called “ghost trips” became popular and caused great controversy due to the damage and the environmental impact they were causing, in order to “just” preserve slots.