By ESTHER MARSHALL

Published: 13:34 BST, 31 March 2025 | Updated: 13:34 BST, 31 March 2025

A man has proposed to his girlfriend on a £40 Ryanair flight, despite her requesting an ‘intimate proposal’.

Manuel Brines enlisted the help of Ryanair’s cabin crew to ask Jacquelin Lopez to marry him on the flight from Madrid to Ibiza.

The staff made an announcement over the tannoy that someone on board had a special question to ask.

The 33-year-old then got down on one knee and pulled out a ring while his fellow passengers cheered and clapped.

Luckily for Manuel, 27-year-old Jacquelin accepted the public proposal. 

‘She has a special connection to planes because she used to go and watch them take off and land with her dad when she was younger,’ Manuel, told What’s the Jam.

‘So I thought it would be a good idea to do it on a plane. Jacquelin said she didn’t want something in public, she wanted something more intimate but I thought I’d do it how I wanted.’ 

Manuel described himself as ‘nervous’ before the proposal. He said: ‘Getting through security is so risky. I was trying to distract her from looking at the screen and I was scared they’d pick the ring up and wonder what it was.’

A man has proposed to his girlfriend on a £40 Ryanair flight, despite her requesting an ‘intimate proposal’

Manuel enlisted the cabin crew for help with the proposal He decided to propose on the flight as Jacquelin used to watch planes with her dad

Manuel enlisted the cabin crew for help with the proposal. He decided to propose on the flight as Jacquelin used to watch planes with her dad

The hopeful groom, who is from Madrid, added: ‘When we were on the plane, they said over the speakers that there were 35 minutes left until Ibiza so I thought it was the right time.

‘I didn’t want to get interrupted by the drinks trolley so I went to the back and told the crew my plan and they said they’d help.

‘They announced over the speaker that someone had a special question to ask…She said she knew straight away that it was for her.

‘Jacquelin was so emotional. The other passengers started to clap and record us. It was very special. We were so happy.’

The couple met a year ago and say it was love at first sight.

Business manager Manuel spotted software developer Jacquelin sitting on a bench while he was on his way home from work.

He struck up a conversation about tram times and asked for her number, saving her details in his phone as ‘future wife’.

Manuel said: ‘I saw her and I had to talk to her. I was on my way to my car but I was trying to think of something to start a conversation with her so I asked if she knew what time the metro ran until.

Jacquelin accepted Manuel’s surprise proposal and he said she was ‘so emotional’ afterwards

‘She started looking it up on her phone and I told her I needed to confess that I just wanted to talk to her. The idea to propose was in my mind in the first six months.

‘On the day we met, I saved her number in my phone as ‘future wife.’

Manuel told friends after their first date that he knew she was the one and started ring shopping just six months into the relationship.

The pair haven’t set a date after the mid-air engagement yet but hope to get married within two years.

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Love is in the air! Man gets down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend on a packed £40 Ryanair flight despite her asking him to never pop the question in public… so did she say yes?

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk