boarded

Daniel Green, a TV chef who appears on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and QVC, boarded a British Airways flight from Miami Airport to London Heathrow, when a flight attendant delivered an unwelcome message

A dad was left ‘extremely embarrassed’ after he was told to move from his seat and his wife was threatened with being kicked off the plane.

Daniel Green climbed aboard the British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Miami on June 30, looking forward to the nine-hour flight.

Two days before, the TV chef had splashed out, paying £1,900 to upgrade himself, his wife and his daughter from Club World to First Class.

“We upgraded specifically to ensure a comfortable journey for our 13-year-old daughter, who suffers from significant anxiety and travel sickness,” explained Daniel, who regularly appears on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and QVC.

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However, after boarding, the family was told that one of the seats in the row in front of them had a recliner fault.

“We were then told that passengers from Row 3 would be moved into our Row 4 First Class seats, resulting in us being displaced from the seats we had paid for,” the dad continued.

“My wife was approached by ground staff while I was briefly away from my seat and told that she must move or accept deplaning. As a result, we were effectively forced into a situation where my wife remained in First Class with our daughter, while I was moved alone into Club World after take-off.

“She was told she could either move to Club or deplane, which felt like a very aggressive way for the situation to be handled, especially as my wife was not being confrontational in any way. She had not said or refused that she would move, so I am totally surprised that he said deplaning was an option.”

According to Daniel, they were not offered alternative seats in First Class or given any warning, despite the plane having been ready on the tarmac for several hours before take-off.

It wasn’t being moved that left Daniel embarrassed, however.

“During the process, a cabin service director also referred to us as being “on an upgrade” in front of other passengers, which was incorrect and deeply embarrassing. We had paid in full for First Class seats only two days earlier,” he said.

“The situation left our family separated, and our daughter experienced significant distress during the flight. What was intended to be a special family journey was instead one of discomfort, embarrassment, and disappointment.

“I believe the handling of this situation raises broader questions about customer service standards, particularly when passengers pay for premium cabins and travel with children.”

He added: “The main issue for us was the way the ground handling of the situation was managed, which felt dismissive and unnecessarily harsh. My wife ultimately remained in her seat, but the experience was very distressing at the time.”

A spokesperson for BA said: “We are sorry for our customer’s experience, and we are in contact to make things right.”

After the Mirror contacted BA, Daniel received an apology and was offered a refund on the upgrade as well as the £220 extra he spent to choose specific seats.

Ellie Cresswell had no idea where she was going and landed 2,250 miles away

A woman who won a mystery Instagram holiday was shocked when she ended up on a surprise trip 2,250 miles away in Armenia. Ellie Cresswell had no clue what to expect when she boarded the plane from London Luton Airport.

All she knew was that the flight would leave at 8:15am and that she should pack a bag of clothes for temperatures around 20–25°C. The 29-year-old accountant was told to expect a flight time of up to six hours.

She has shared a video of the experience on Instagram, where it has been viewed over 1.6m times, with 34,500 likes. “There was an incredible atmosphere onboard the flight, with everyone excitedly trying to guess where we were heading,” Ellie said.

“The cabin crew did an amazing job of keeping the secret, with all announcements referring only to our ‘unknown destination’ and they even avoided revealing the flight duration. I was absolutely thrilled when we finally landed in Armenia, as it’s somewhere I had always wanted to visit.

“I love exploring destinations that feel less discovered and more authentic.”

Ellie had entered the Wizz Air ‘Let’s Get Lost London’ competition on social media and was stunned when she won the three-night holiday – travelling on the UK’s only direct flight to the country. On arrival at Zvartnots International Airport, passengers were greeted by the Armenian tourism board and even treated to a surprise traditional dance lesson as a welcome into the country.

Armenia is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited countries, with a history stretching back more than 3,000 years. It is also home to the world’s first Christian state, having adopted Christianity as its official religion in AD 301.

The landlocked nation is known for its dramatic mountain landscapes, ancient monasteries and growing reputation for wine production, with some experts pointing to the region as one of the earliest places in the world where wine was made. Ellie added: “The entire experience was unforgettable. We learned so much about Armenian history, culture, religion, food, and of course, wine.

“I would definitely recommend doing a mystery trip if the opportunity comes up, as the unknown element added so much excitement and spontaneity to the whole experience.”