More than half of Brits admit boarding flight feeling irritable or unwell
Fasten your seatbelts, morning flights will be very grumpy. But a better morning could mean a better flight. New research reveals an astonishing 67 per cent of British plane passengers admit they've boarded their flight feeling irritable or unwell.
And that figure rises to a whopping 79 per cent among 25 to 34 year olds. Many say it's because they've missed out on breakfast. With one in six (17 per cent) admitting to usually skipping the most important meal of the day before a flight, that's a lot of grumpy passengers.
Missing breakfast is becoming an actual relationship issue, with over one in six say they've had a tense moment with their partner over their missed morning meals. The study, commissioned by Heathrow Express, has also revealed rushing to catch an early flight can lead to many of us failing to keep to basic hygiene measures.
One in four (28 per cent) admit they've skipped washing to make an early departure time, while one in six (16 per cent) have confessed to leaving the house without brushing their teeth.
Meanwhile one in five (19 per cent) didn't even use the toilet before heading out the door.
The research has been done to support the launch of Heathrow Express's new 4.34am departure from London Paddington – its earliest-ever train to Heathrow, running Monday to Saturday.
Heathrow Express' business lead, Aoife Considine said: 'We know early flights can turn mornings into a scramble, and that often means the important things – like breakfast – get pushed aside.
"Our new service is designed to give travellers their time back, so passengers can focus on what really matters – arriving calm, prepared and having had the chance to start their day right.'
The new earlier non-stop 15-minute connection between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport means you can make sure you are washed and fed before going on holiday or a business trip. With spacious seating, free Wi-Fi, and generous luggage space it's the fastest, smoothest, and most stress-free way to reach the airport.
And to launch the new 4.34am service - and help passengers arrive better prepared for their flights - Heathrow Express provided them with an early breakfast treat. The airport rail link teamed up with Quaker and food-loving TV personality David Templer to offer passengers two exclusive oat-based breakfasts.
Mr Templer said: 'I'm always looking for ways to make life more efficient – and nothing says efficient like a 15-minute train to the airport and breakfast already sorted.
"These oat breakfasts were designed for those early starts when you're short on time but still want something that hits the spot – both nutritious and delicious.'
Provided aboard was a Tropical Oat Bowl made with chilled overnight oats, coconut milk, pineapple, mango, and passionfruit – finished with toasted coconut, chia seeds, and a squeeze of lime, and Mexican Mocha Energy Balls blended with dates, cocoa, espresso, cinnamon, cayenne, and dark chocolate.
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Daily Record
30 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Pilot's terrifying final words on deadly flight to Tenerife from UK
A British Airways flight from Heathrow was the second plane involved in the Tenerife airport disaster, but it never reached the island. Tenerife, with its sun-soaked beaches, is a favourite holiday destination for Brits. However, on 22 March 1977, a horrific tragedy unfolded when a passenger flight destined for Tenerife North airport, then known as Los Rodeos Airport, crashed, claiming the lives of all 583 people on board. It comes as, just three years after the first Tenerife plane crash, a Delta Flight exploded shortly after take-off, killing all passengers and crew on board. Tenerife boasts two airports, but Tenerife North is notoriously challenging for pilots due to its altitude of 2,000ft and often cloudy weather conditions that hamper visibility. Tragedy struck again just three years later, at 9.20am on 25 April 1980, when Dan-Air's Flight 1008 left Manchester Airport for Tenerife, carrying mainly British holidaymakers eager for the Canary Islands' sunny beaches and breathtaking landscapes. The flight crew comprised three seasoned pilots - Captain Arthur Whelan, 50, co-pilot First Officer Michael Firth, 33, and flight engineer Raymond Carey, 33. Five flight attendants were also on board, bringing the total number of passengers and crew to 146. For three hours, the flight went smoothly until the crew began their descent at 1pm local time, according to the Mirror. The winds were gusting from an unexpected direction, forcing air traffic to be redirected to Runway 12 rather than the standard landing strip. But this sparked a dilemma for air traffic controller Justo Camin, 34, as another aircraft was already approaching the identical runway, creating the terrifying prospect of a mid-air collision between the two planes. Operating without radar assistance, Camin was compelled to depend on procedural techniques to control air traffic and he directed each aircraft to stick to a pre-planned route. At 1:18 pm, Camin recognised he needed to place the Dan Air crew into a holding pattern to enable the aircraft in front to touch down safely on Runway 12. Yet, there was no established holding pattern for this runway, forcing Camin to think on his feet. He ordered Flight 1008 to enter a left-hand holding pattern, circling until the other flight had cleared. Responding to First Officer Firth's position report, Camin stated, "Roger, the er, standard holding pattern overhead Foxtrot Papa is inbound heading one five zero, turn to the left, call you back shortly." Captain Whelan responded with a brief "Roger", neglecting to repeat Camin's instructions back to him. Had he done so, the looming catastrophe might have been prevented. Nevertheless, when Camin told them to "turn to the left," he meant to say "turns to the left," specifying the direction the crew should follow whilst executing the holding pattern. But missing the vital 's', the crew understood this as "turn to the left." Camin, who had also authorised the flight to ascend to 5,000 feet, made a minor but crucial error. Captain Whelan, puzzled by the sudden directive to enter a holding pattern not indicated on any of his charts, executed a single left turn, aligning with a heading of 150 degrees, convinced this was what the controller intended. They were now soaring over mountainous terrain, where the minimum safe altitude was a staggering 14,500 feet. Just one minute and six seconds before the devastating crash, one of the pilots said, "bloody strange hold, isn't it?" adding, "it doesn't parallel with the runway or anything." The cockpit voice recording clearly captured the crew's escalating unease, yet no one challenged the controller's instructions. Controller Camin, under the assumption the plane was over the sea in his makeshift holding pattern, permitted the aircraft to descend another 1,000 feet, unaware it was actually amidst the mountains. Captain Whelan voiced his concerns about Camin's instruction to his co-pilot in the cockpit, saying, "I don't like that." His co-pilot replied, "they want us to keep going more round, don't they?" At this juncture, the automatic ground alarm blared in the cockpit, urging them to "pull up, pull up!" In a desperate attempt to avoid the looming mountainous terrain, Captain Whelan abruptly aborted his left turn for a drastic right turn. He believed this manoeuvre would enable them to circumvent the imminent obstacle. Typically, when hearing the alarm, the correct response would be to "pull up" in a bid to gain sufficient altitude to clear any surrounding terrain. Co-pilot Firth, after examining the chart, recognised the captain's decision was poorly judged and suggested different courses of action. The phrase "let's get out of here," uttered by Flight Engineer Carey, echoed through the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). Despite the engineer's warning, Captain Whelan continued with the steep right turn, which caused a drop of 300 feet. Spanish investigators declared categorically in their report this precise manoeuvre eliminated any possibility of avoiding catastrophe. Alerts from Flight Engineer Carey, "bank angle, bank angle!" ring out as the final recorded words before the CVR falls silent. Dan-Air Flight 1008 met its devastating fate as it slammed into La Esperanza at a height of 5,450 feet, just 92 feet (28 metres) below the summit. The impact destroyed most of the aircraft immediately, spreading wreckage across the mountainside. The tail portion of the plane careered several hundred metres, ultimately smashing to the ground, tumbling into a gorge, and breaking apart. Small fires broke out amidst the scattered debris, and Tenerife North Airport was shaken by the crash alarm for the second time in just over three years. Rescue teams arrived at the mountain within hours, but it was immediately apparent that none of the 146 passengers on board had survived the crash. The scene was so catastrophic not a single intact human body could be found, and many victims could not be definitively identified. While acknowledging the air traffic controller's error, Spanish investigators placed the entirety of the blame on the Dan Air crew. However, British investigators argued the controller should have recognised sooner the proximity between the two planes would pose a problem, allowing him to implement a standard holding pattern and prevent any confusion amongst the crew. They further contended the controller should not have issued an untested and non-standard holding pattern, but conceded that the Dan Air crew did not question the controller's instructions or seek clarification. The decision by Camin to allow flight 1008 to descend to 5,000 feet also drew criticism from the British team. They argued that if the holding pattern had been designed according to official regulations, the minimum altitude should have been set at 7,000 feet. Upon receiving a ground proximity warning, the captain - unable to see due to fog and cloud - opted to make a right turn, which tragically led them directly into the mountain. Typically, crews are expected to ascend as high as possible in response to such an alarm. What remains undisputed, however, is the omission of a single letter in a word triggered the series of events that ultimately resulted in the crash. Had the controller used "turns" instead of "turn", the tragic crash could have been averted. The investigation into the crash led to an increased emphasis on clear, standardised procedures across all flight operations, including holding patterns. The incident underscored the importance of unambiguous communication between air traffic controllers and pilots, with a particular focus on pilots repeating instructions from Air Traffic Control to eliminate any potential misunderstandings. Despite the tragedy, Dan Air managed to bounce back and continued operations until 1992 when it was acquired by British Airways. Even though it marked the largest loss of life on a British aircraft, the memory of Dan Air Flight 1008 and the 146 lives tragically lost that day seems to have faded over the last 45 years.
Telegraph
31 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Whether it's Scotland or St Tropez, this is what your holiday says about you
Ah, August. Time for everyone to take a break. Time for everyone to take a nice, relaxing little holiday with family and friends. Pack the Uno. Fish out the old kaftan. Remember the Gaviscon at the airport. But where are you off to this year? France? Italy? Or are you firmly sticking to Scotland and avoiding all those nasty foreigners? Here's what your holiday says about you. The Dordogne You have 'a little place' an hour or so from Bergerac Airport, and like walking to the local boulangerie every morning in pink shorts and a Panama hat where you queue with 53 other Brits also buying paper bags of croissants and baguettes using their best O-Level French. You call wine 'plonk', your bookshelves are groaning with old copies of Dick Francis and Peter Mayle, and you have very strong opinions about the best route south through France from Calais (not via Paris – are you mad?). You absolutely cannot stand the French. Fuengirola You are a member of a Glaswegian drug gang who voted Brexit. Charlbury You are a very rich American who wants to see the real British countryside. You're staying in a 'cute little farmhouse' for £50,000 a week and were initially quite dismayed by the smallness of the showers and the fridge, but have told your family not to complain because this is the authentic British experience. You enjoy visiting Blen- heim Palace and eat something called a Scottish egg in the nearby pub. At the village fete, which is like a party for dogs, you win a can of chicken soup with a best before date of 2013. Tea remains genuinely baffling. You return to America with all your views of Brits confirmed. Those guys! So eccentric. So misguided. No wonder they need such help. The Peloponnese This is what you reply when someone asks where you're off on holiday this summer. You mustn't simply say 'Greece'. That's dead common, and people might think you're off to Skiathos or something ghastly. Imagine! Alternatively, you may also reply ' Paxos ' or ' Corfu '. You try and avoid the Greek wine in every single restaurant you go to, but you'll still drink your complimentary shot of ouzo as a little digestif. One of the teenagers cried when octopus arrived at the table because she watched a documentary about them on Netflix. You bump into some neighbours from Wiltshire and agree to have drinks to 'get the children together', even though the children can't bear one another. You don't like them much either, come to think of it. You'd rather lie in the villa's hammock with your Durrell book. St Tropez You're a celebrity who's chartered a superyacht but come ashore for lunch and a spot of shopping in authentic Riviera boutiques, such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci. After that, it's a bit of grilled fish and several bottles of San Pell at Club 55. You don't see the bill. You have people who take care of these things for you. You feel very strongly about the environment and are, in fact, an ambassador for one of the big ocean charities, although you can't quite remember its name. But still, everybody can take a week or so off, can't they? And your yacht isn't even the biggest. You cruised past a Qatari royal yesterday and his was at least two metres bigger. The Six Senses Ibiza You're an ageing hippie (married to a hedge funder) who's been coming to the north of the island for decades. You used to stay in a villa but have been put off in recent years by all the horror stories of horrible burglaries, so now you stay here instead. It's honestly very reasonable, only £1,000 or so a night and you'd be spending far more than that on a villa. You do yoga by day and drugs by night, but only mushrooms nowadays. They're natural, after all. Namaste. Salcombe Salcombe has been dubbed 'Chelsea-on-Sea' in recent years, which you think is unfair because you don't actually have a house in Chelsea. It's more Fulham Broadway, to be honest. But you do like spending as much time in Salcombe as you can at this time of year, even though the traffic has become horrendous and getting a table at the Winking Prawn can be jolly difficult. Your house is decorated with nautical motifs and you have a 12ft boat called Second Wind. A Hebridean island The Glorious Twelfth is your favourite day of the year. You simply don't understand people who want to be in disgusting Europe in August when you could be in Scotland killing things – fish, grouse or deer, mainly. You're never happier than when outside in the heather. Don't be a sissy – ignore the midges and ticks. Kippers for breakfast, picnic for lunch, whisky and venison for dinner. Splendid. You stay at Tebay on the drive up and down because they have dog-friendly rooms and you love your Labradors more than your own children. Get on, Monty! There's a good boy! Puglia You are a 30-something married couple with small children. Your parents used to holiday in Tuscany, but a few years ago you read that Puglia had become the most fashionable area in Italy, so you rent a developed trulli every year and invite various other friends with babies, too. It's a 45-minute drive to the supermarket, and you have to go every day because you always seem to be out of milk, but at least it gets you out of the house for a spell, away from the cacophony of children. The dishwasher runs at least six times a day and you don't get beyond page three of your book. Returning home to Wandsworth is, in a way, a relief. Disneyland Florida You've messed up. There are so many queues! Queues everywhere you look – queues to get in, queues for the rides, queues to get snacks. You spend $208 on four hot dogs for lunch and another $68 on churros after that; the children are now vibrating with sugar. Everyone wants to go on Space Mountain but you. Still, it could be worse, you think wearily as you approach the third hour trudging towards the front of the line: you could be a fully-grown man dressed in a Mickey Mouse suit in 40-degree heat. Next summer, you're going to Centre Parcs. No arguing.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Hogging a sunbed in Spain? It could cost you €250
It's been the most popular destination for a good fly and flop for decades. So has Spain finally cracked that eternal cause of consternation for certain holidaymakers: the scramble for sunbeds? From Barcelona to Alicante, local authorities have been racing to bring in new rules that could see tourists hit with hefty fines, as much as €250 (£215), if they are caught using underhand tactics to try to unfairly secure their sunlounger. While the rules are still in their infancy, the hope is that they may finally bring an end to bad behaviour of certain hotel guests when it comes to securing a sunlounger. The classic ruse of waking up early and using a towel to reserve the best space has been running so long it's become a cliché. Clips emerge each summer showing hotel guests rushing in formation towards the pool, a primal stampede that recalls those infamous Black Friday videos in the US. Naturally, both practices are frowned upon by hotels, who have to deal with the frustrated customers afterwards. A global conflict While Spain may be the epicentre of sunbed wars, it's far from the only destination caught up in the madness. Portugal, Greece, Turkey, and more recently Albania have all had their turn in the spotlight. Even on the other side of the world, Australian holidaymakers have been embroiled in identical arguments over sunloungers. Perhaps it was always thus. But thanks to social media, what might once have been mere watercooler gossip can now spark a full-blown national debate. Earlier this year, undignified scenes of British guests shouting at a resort in Lanzarote briefly went viral, with users weighing in on who was in the right. The tactics of sunbed-seeking combatants have grown increasingly brazen. Earlier this year, footage from Tenerife showed guests 'squatting' on poolside loungers – sitting on unfolded chairs before hotel staff could set them up – to claim the best spots. Sunbed vigilantes should beware: disputes over loungers have occasionally turned violent. In Albania, a feud between two hotel owners over sunbed space ended in a shootout that killed four people – perhaps the most extreme, and tragic, example of the sunbed wars living up to their name. While violence is rare, sunbed wars do have real-world consequences. Hotels can face poor reviews or even legal action from guests who feel cheated out of their allocated time in the sun. Last year, a German family won a claim against a hotel in Rhodes that had failed to enforce its rules against sunbed-hogging. A little respect 'It's the poolside equivalent of leaving your coat on a chair in a restaurant all day, which no one in their right mind would do – so why do they do it with loungers?' asks etiquette expert William Hanson. 'Good etiquette should require no Draconian enforcement: just basic respect for fellow guests. A lounger is for sitting, not stockpiling.' Hotels have certainly tried to manage the situation. These days, it's uncommon to encounter an all-inclusive resort in the Canary Islands that doesn't have a sign forbidding the practice of reserving loungers. Some have also introduced time-limits or even a ticketing system to make things fairer, while others allow you to pay extra to reserve a sunbed. Enforcing the rules is another matter, especially given the unfortunate tendency for poorly paid hotel staff to get caught in the crossfire of sunbed disputes – often fuelled by a heady mix of alcohol and high temperatures. A hotel in Benalmádena on Spain's Costa del Sol even hired special security staff to manage the rows. Under the influence And what of the more delicate issue: class? Judging by some of the viral videos from Benidorm and Tenerife, you might assume sunbed wars are confined to budget holidays. You'd be wrong. Last month, TikTok was awash with footage of a supposed 'stampede' as guests rushed for sunbeds at the five-star Akasha Beach Hotel & Spa in Crete, where rooms typically cost over £300 a night. The chaos was blamed on wannabe influencers vying for the perfect poolside selfie spot. @bellabixnco 9am sunbed wars 🤺 #akashabeachhotel ♬ Jet2 Advert - ✈️A7-BBH | MAN 🇬🇧 It's not limited to swimming pools, either. Given that many beachfront hotels command their own sliver of private sand, it isn't uncommon to find the same pressures when it comes to providing enough loungers. A quick look on Tripadvisor for island resorts in the Maldives reveals a number of guests complaining about the competition for the best sunbathing spots. Teutonic tendencies And what of the old stereotype about Germans being the worst offenders? Ten years ago, a German tabloid got so fed up with the accusation they carried out their own surveillance at a Spanish holiday resort and found that, shock horror, British guests were more likely to be at fault when it came to getting up at the crack of dawn to secure their spot. If you're thinking the Germans were motivated to come to that convenient finding, I'm afraid that British researchers have come to a similar conclusion. One survey found that 71 per cent of us admitted to lounger-hogging behaviour, despite the fact that almost every single respondent said they judged other guests for using those tactics. Some studies have even tried to find the worst-offending regions in Britain. Last month, a survey revealed that people from the West Midlands were most likely to aggressively claim sunloungers, followed by those from Wales and the north of England. Holidaymakers from Yorkshire and the south west of England were the most courteous (or perhaps the least likely to admit to it). Of course, if Spanish authorities get their way, these arguments might soon be hypothetical. While local police in Italy and Greece have made some attempt to address the problem in the past, the Spanish approach looks like the most concerted effort yet to make sure that tourists play by the rules. At least they have thought through how the system will work, with police confiscating belongings left on sunloungers in breach of the rules – and then requiring the offending tourists to pay a fine to get them back. Though presumably it will depend on the items being of sufficient value to bother going to the hassle. Surely no one leaves their phone, for example? Then again, stranger things have happened in the ongoing sunbed wars. At this point, you surely have to raise a glass to the Spanish for even trying to get things under control – as goodness knows they'll have their work cut out for them.
