Manuel Brines, 33, popped the question to Jacquelin Lopez, 27, on a budget Ryanair flight from Madrid to Ibiza – getting down on one knee in the cabin as passengers and crew looked on
In a heart-warming tale, one hopeless romantic popped the question to his girlfriend on a £40 Ryanair flight.
Manuel Brines sought the assistance of the cabin crew to propose to Jacquelin Lopez during their journey from Madrid to Ibiza, in Spain. The crew announced over the tannoy that someone had a special question to ask. The 33-year-old then got down on one knee and presented a ring amidst cheers and applause from fellow passengers.
Jacquelin, 27, accepted the proposal. Manuel told What’s the Jam: “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. So I thought it would be a good idea to do it on a plane.”
READ MORE: Summer holiday chaos looms as 30million UK passengers face delay for same reason
Despite Jacquelin expressing a preference for a more intimate proposal, Manuel decided to go ahead with his plan. He confessed: “Jacquelin said she didn’t want something in public, she wanted something more intimate but I thought I’d do it how I wanted.”
He also admitted to being nervous about factors beyond his control, such as getting through security without arousing suspicion about the ring. Manuel, hailing from the Spanish capital, 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.”
To avoid any interruptions by the drinks trolley, he informed the crew about his plan at the back of the plane, who readily agreed to assist him.
“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, who met a year ago, claim 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 initiated a chat about tram times and asked for her number, saving her details in his phone as ‘future wife’.
Manuel confessed to friends after their first date that he knew she was the one and began ring shopping just six months into the relationship. The pair haven’t set a date after the mid-air engagement on 16 March, but hope to tie the knot within two years.
He added: “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. She started looking it up on her phone and I told her I needed to confess that I just wanted to talk to her. She was like ‘What? me?’. I didn’t give her a lot of time to think, it all happened so fast. She thought it was a TV show prank. 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’.”