Crying children, armrest battles and a lack of legroom weren’t problems for this lucky passenger – because he got an entire plane to himself.
Saad Jilani was greeted with the words ‘welcome to your private jet, sir’ when he boarded a 168-seat aircraft from Corfu to Birmingham on Saturday.
The 28-year-old grinned in snaps with the pilot after staff took selfies with him and offered him his choice of the seats on the new Boeing 738.
No screaming infants interrupted Saad Jilani’s flight – because he got the whole plane to himself
Saad sits in the cockpit with the pilot enjoying his very own private jet experience as the only passenger on board
The 28-year-old posed for pictures with airline staff during the solo flight after the only other passenger to have booked didn’t turn up
The pilot chats to Saad and shows him a map aboard the empty plane on the route’s first return flight
His took videos of the crew giving safety demonstrations to an audience of one aboard the 2am Jet2Airways service, The Sun reports.
Surrounded by the aircraft’s signature red lighting, he was even pictured taking an undisturbed nap during the tranquil journey.
He praised the staff as ‘amazing’ and said they were ‘very excited’ to give him the rare experience as he returned from a friend’s wedding in Greece.
‘I was really excited and I got the full private jet experience,’ he said. ‘There was food and drink if I wanted it, they let me take videos of the experience and sitting in the cockpit was brilliant as well.
‘Everyone was as excited as me to have only one passenger on the plane and movies and music were played over the PA system for all of us to enjoy.’
The new and little-known route was supposed to have one other person on board, but they failed to turn up.
Mr Jilani pouts with cabin crew aboard the flight to Birmingham as he returns from a friend’s wedding in Corfu
He only became aware that he’d be flying solo when he was told at the gate by giggling staff.
Mr Jilani said it was the best flight of his life and it ended with the pilot announcing: ‘The eagle has landed.’
He also received a £60 voucher for his next holiday with jet2 – after paying just £40 for the flight.
A Jet2 spokeswoman said it was the debut flight for the return route, which was packed on the way to Greece.