Zit jij lekker? Dan zit je waarschijnlijk in de premium economy en niet in de goedkope stoelen achterin het vliegtuig.

Premium economy-hutten van British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates en anderen beloven kleinere hutten, grotere stoelen, beter eten en extra beenruimte.

Vlieg premium economy en u krijgt ook een grotere bagagevrijstelling plus extraatjes vóór de vlucht, zoals speciale incheckbalies en vroeg instappen.

De toegevoegde extra’s zijn populair. Insiders van luchtvaartmaatschappijen zeggen dat premium economy-stoelen deze zomer veel sneller verkopen dan alle andere, vooral op belangrijke vakantieroutes naar Amerika, het Caribisch gebied en Dubai.

‘Premium Economy wordt zo’n goed ontvangen cabine’, zegt Justin Penny, hoofd luchtvaart bij reisbureau Flight Centre.

‘Veel budgetreizigers die in economy reizen, hebben het gevoel dat ze geen waar voor hun geld krijgen, omdat ze alleen maar goedkopere tarieven willen. Dan zijn er mensen uit de zakenwereld en de eerste klasse die misschien het gevoel hebben dat ze ook geen waarde krijgen, omdat ze veel betalen.’

Premium hutten hebben echter de neiging om de duimen omhoog te steken.

‘De prijs is uiteraard heel belangrijk’, zegt Penny. ‘En dat is afhankelijk van de beschikbaarheid. Je moet ook verder kijken dan het harde product [the seat dimensions]aangezien deze over het algemeen behoorlijk vergelijkbaar zijn.’

De kwaliteit van het eten en drinken, het entertainment, het aanbod van voorzieningen en de vriendelijkheid van de service zorgen samen voor een ‘X-factor’ die verder gaat dan alleen de prijs/zitplaatsgrootte, zegt hij.

De vuistregel voor het verkrijgen van de beste deal is om dicht bij uw vertrekdatum te boeken, wanneer de tarieven doorgaans 10-35 procent hoger zijn dan de economy – gemiddeld zijn ze meestal 85 procent duurder.

Premium Economy-cabines bestaan ​​al sinds het begin van de jaren negentig, toen de Taiwanese luchtvaartmaatschappij EVA Air ze voor het eerst introduceerde (in 1991), snel gevolgd door andere luchtvaartmaatschappijen.

Hier bekijken en beoordelen we enkele van de belangrijkste spelers.

Virgin Atlantic: toeters en bellen

Het draait allemaal om de ‘kleine details’ in de premium economy-hutten, volgens Virgin Atlantic, dat terugkomt in extra’s zoals porseleinen serviesgoed op de foodservice met menu’s met gerechten als kip- en preitaarten en barbecue pulled pork.

U krijgt bij het instappen een glaasje bubbels aangeboden (in plaats van na het opstijgen, meestal op BA). Snacks zijn te allen tijde verkrijgbaar bij een ‘Wander Wall’ met eiwitrepen, chocolade, pretzels en chips in de voorraadkast.

Een voorzieningenpakket met een tandenborstel, tandpasta, oogmasker en oordopjes is ook inbegrepen, en u krijgt zowel voorrang bij het instappen als voorrang bij bagageaflevering bij de carrousel.

Bovendien is er een speciale check-in om wachtrijen in economy class te vermijden.

IS HET DE MOEITE WAARD? Ja: het is levendig en voelt bijzonder, ook al zijn de stoelen niet veel groter.

Leun achterover en ontspan met een glas bubbels na het opstijgen in BA’s premium economy-versie – genaamd World Traveler Plus. Alcohol en twee maaltijden geserveerd op porseleinen serviesgoed zijn inbegrepen, evenals iets bredere stoelen – meestal ongeveer 2,5 cm breder – met een redelijke hoeveelheid extra beenruimte van ongeveer 12 cm.

Andere extra’s zijn onder meer een hoofdtelefoon met ruisonderdrukking, een persoonlijk entertainmentsysteem en een ‘stijlvolle amenity kit gemaakt van gerecyclede flessen’ met lippenbalsem, een oogmasker, tandenborstel en tandpasta.

U krijgt ook een stopcontact, voorrang bij het instappen en het dubbele van de gebruikelijke bagagevrijstelling (twee tassen van 23 kg).

Op de World Traveler Plus-pagina van ba.com is het een beetje verwarrend of toegang tot de luchthavenlounge is inbegrepen in de premium economy-tarieven… pas op, want dat is niet het geval – als u doorklikt, ontdekt u dat u extra moet betalen voor een pas.

IS HET DE MOEITE WAARD? Twijfelachtig… de stoelgrootte is vergelijkbaar met die van de economie en de add-ons missen pit.

Emirates: Keuze uit het stel

Ontspan in crèmekleurige lederen stoelen met een royale beenruimte van 100 cm in de premium economy cabine van Emirates, die is voorzien van gezellige mahoniehouten wandpanelen. De stoelen hebben hoofdsteunen die op zes manieren kunnen worden versteld, en er is een gedempte beensteun die omhoog gaat om uw kuiten te ondersteunen.

Voorzieningensets zijn gemaakt van gerecyclede materialen met een tandheelkundige kit, oogmasker en boekenlegger.

De maaltijden hebben een luxe uitstraling: het eten wordt geserveerd op Royal Doulton porselein met linnen dienbladdoeken en servetten, bij gerechten als Thais peperrundvlees met jasmijnrijst en paksoi, of salades bestaande uit gegrilde paprika, artisjokken, pijnboompitten, asperges en parmezaanse kaas.

IS HET DE MOEITE WAARD? Absoluut: Emirates was traag in de races die premium economy aanboden, maar nu is het de leider van het peloton, ook al kan de prijs wat hoog zijn.

Kies uw hoofdmaaltijd 24 uur vóór uw vlucht met behulp van de ‘Book the Cook’-functie van Singapore Airlines, dat bekend staat om zijn beter dan gemiddelde eten.

Klanten uit de premium economy – net als die in de zakenwereld en de eerste klasse (maar niet in de economie) – kunnen kiezen uit roergebakken varkensvlees met jasmijnrijst en choy sum of roergebakken ‘kung pao’-kip met cashewnoten en Aziatische groenten en noedels. Er is champagne beschikbaar, niet alleen mousserende wijn.

Premium Economy-cabines hebben een strak grijs lederen interieur en stoelen met zowel voet- als kuitsteunen. Per zitplaats zijn er twee USB-punten en handige leeslampjes.

Er zijn oortelefoons met ruisonderdrukking aanwezig, maar geen voorzieningensets, hoewel u wel tandenborstels, oogmaskers en oordopjes kunt aanvragen. Premium Economy-passagiers krijgen voorrang bij het instappen.

IS HET DE MOEITE WAARD? Kan beter: de tarieven stijgen voor premium economy en u verwacht misschien iets meer voor uw geld, hoewel de service geweldig is.

Qantas: Fatsoenlijke extra’s

De stoelen zijn ruim in de premium economyklasse, met een stoelafstand van 40 inch, wat gunstig is in vergelijking met andere luchtvaartmaatschappijen – en vooral belangrijk op lange vluchten naar Australië. De nieuwste cabines zijn voorzien van slim verstelbare ‘gevleugelde privacyhoofdsteunen’, die rondbuigen en uw buren effectief buitensluiten.

Het cabine-interieur heeft een ingetogen, smaakvolle uitstraling in grijstinten. Elke stoel heeft twee USB-oplaadpunten en een Bluetooth-audioverbinding met het entertainment-touchscreen. Er zijn hoofdtelefoons met ruisonderdrukking en voorzieningensets met oogmaskers, tandenborstels en tandpasta aanwezig.

Het eten wordt geserveerd op porseleinen servies van de Australische ontwerper David Caon. Verwacht rundvlees met zwarte peper, oesterzwammen en rijst, geserveerd met Australische mousserende wijn.

Voordat u vertrekt wordt er een drankje aangeboden en er is een zelfbedieningssnackbar met eiwitrepen, fruit, chocolade en chips.

IS HET DE MOEITE WAARD? Ja, vooral als je zo’n afstand aflegt: de toeslag is niet te hoog en de stoelen zijn goed geproportioneerd.

Cathay Pacific: Stijlvol en doordacht

Nieuwe premium economy-stoelen hebben lederen hoofdsteunen die rond buigen, wat bijdraagt ​​aan de privacy en het ‘intelligente verlichtingsontwerp’ – dat wil zeggen, goed voor het lezen en gebruiken van laptops. Er zijn kuitsteunen en voetsteunen aanwezig, en de algehele uitstraling is veel meer zakelijk dan economisch.

Eten is een sterk punt met Kantonese gerechten, zoals garnalencurry in Hong Kong-stijl of ‘varkensribbetjes met ananas en Chinese zoete tomatensaus en gestoomde jasmijnrijst’, naast steaks en gebraden kip. Er worden drie rode wijnen en drie witte wijnen aangeboden, maar geen mousserende wijn.

Entertainmentsystemen in de nieuwste hutten beschikken over bijzonder grote (15,6 inch) schermen met bluetooth-audiokoppeling.

IS HET DE MOEITE WAARD? Zo ongeveer, als je jezelf wilt trakteren op heerlijk eten en service – jammer dat de prijs zo hoog was toen we checkten.

American Airlines: Kan het beter doen

Verwacht nogal sombere antracietgrijze interieurs met leren stoelen in de premium economy-cabines van American Airlines. Op sommige routes wordt een speciaal ‘chef-geïnspireerd’ voedselmenu aangeboden voor premium economy, maar niet op alle – waar u eenvoudigweg een standaard economy-maaltijd geserveerd krijgt.

U krijgt echter een ‘Casper’-slaappakket met een lendenkussen en een dagdeken (niet meegeleverd in de economyklasse) en een voorzieningenpakket met een tandenborstel, tandpasta, bodylotion, oogmasker, sokken, oordopjes en een pen .

American Airlines, de eerste grote Amerikaanse luchtvaartmaatschappij die in 2017 een echte premium economy-dienst tussen economy en business class introduceerde, biedt ook vluchtsystemen waarmee je Apple TV kunt kijken.

IS HET DE MOEITE WAARD? Waarschijnlijk niet: de winstmarge is substantieel, de voedselprijs is variabel, en er ontbreekt een gevoel van exclusiviteit boven de economy class.

All Nippon Airways: Superservice (en sake ook)

Donkerblauwe en grijze stoelen met een no-nonsense businessclass-aanpak zijn aan de orde van de dag op ANA.

Op het menu staan ​​verse salades en fruit, samen met speciaal bereid brood dat is ontworpen om (wonderbaarlijk) zacht en vers te blijven tijdens lange vluchten.

De drankjes zijn bijzonder goed: je krijgt wat er in de business class wordt aangeboden, inclusief champagne en een selectie sake- en pruimenwijnen. Snacks zoals rijstcrackers zijn tijdens de vluchten verkrijgbaar.

U krijgt ook pantoffels en een schoenlepel, en u kunt om tandenborstels en tandpasta’s, oogmaskers en oordopjes vragen.

Een van de grootste voordelen van terugvliegen vanuit Japan is dat premiumklassetickets toegang geven tot lounges op de luchthavens Haneda, Narita en Kansai.

IS HET DE MOEITE WAARD? Zeker, als je een van de goedkopere retourtarieven kunt krijgen.

Het allerbeste in de premiumbranche

Ik voelde me een beetje underdressed toen ik vorig jaar in spijkerbroek en sportschoenen aan boord ging van de premium economy-cabine van Emirates, toen ik naar Dubai vloog. schrijft Harriet Sime.

Het had zo’n business class-gevoel dat ik bij de cabinepersoneelmanager vroeg of de gigantische 37A-stoel, bekleed met leer en met een notenhouten cocktailtafel, van mij was. ‘Ja, mevrouw Sime,’ was het antwoord, terwijl ze aanbood mijn jas aan te nemen en mij enkele minuten later een glas champagne, een driegangenmenu en een warme handdoek aanbood.

Ik zat naast een zakenman uit Dubai die zei dat het premiumaanbod van Emirates het beste ter wereld was en ‘beter dan sommige business class-hutten’.

Ik moet het ermee eens zijn. Laten we hopen dat andere luchtvaartmaatschappijen dit snel zullen inhalen.

A mother and daughter have revealed what it’s like to share their dream job as a pilot, work for the same airline – and ‘land’ a plane together in a state-of-the-art simulator.

Teresa Irving, 56, and her daughter Gabriella Irving, 29, both work for British Airways, where Teresa serves as captain of a Boeing 787 and her daughter as first officer of the Airbus A320.

The pair often cross paths at their base at Heathrow Airport, where they wish each other a ‘safe flight’ for the day and share a ‘big hug’ before leaving on separate planes.

And Gabriella, who goes by Ella, said she still calls her mother after every landing now that she has been a qualified pilot for two years.

On Mother’s Day, the pair shared their admiration for each other in a moving exclusive interview with MailOnline Travel.

Ella said: “I have always been so proud of my mother’s career. When I was little, I was excited to tell people about her work.

‘I have very early memories of sitting in the cockpit – back when children were allowed to visit – and it seemed almost normal to see her flying this huge plane, knowing what all those hundreds of buttons did and talked on the radios.”

However, it wasn’t “plane” sailing for Teresa to find her dream job.

Initially pursuing a career as a doctor, she left school after her A-levels in 1985 to begin medical training at University College London (UCL).

When she started studying psychology in her second year, she realized that medicine “wasn’t for her.”

It wasn’t until she was accepted into the University of London Air Squadron that Teresa realized her calling.

“It literally changed my life,” she said. ‘After my first weekend at RAF Abingdon, two flights including aerobatics, I remember calling my mother and telling her I was going to be a pilot.

‘From then on I started flying as much as possible and was lucky enough to gain hours for three years while I completed my studies.’

Teresa graduated in 1990 when the Royal Airforce began accepting female pilots.

There she applied for a job as a pilot and also for a place on the BA-sponsored cadet program.

“I was determined that I would fly somehow,” she said.

‘It just so happened that I was accepted for both, but then I had to make a painful decision.

‘I always knew I wanted to be a mother and this became the deciding factor for me. As the RAF did not offer maternity leave at the time, I accepted BA’s offer.’

Teresa began training at the Oxford Air Training School in August that year and earned her wings 16 months later. Since then she has worked at BA, where she also raised three children.

Her eldest, Ella, said she has “always been in awe” of her mother, who has “combined an incredibly rewarding yet demanding career with being a fully present parent.”

Now the sky seems to be the limit for Ella too, described by her mother as ‘a chip off the old block’.

Teresa said: ‘I get quite emotional when I see Ella wearing the uniform I have worn for so long and seeing her so comfortable in what was only my world, but is now ours.

“I love that she calls me after every trip to share anecdotes and understand the nuances, and I think this appreciation for each other’s environment has brought us even closer together.

‘To see Ella so passionate about the career she is embarking on is everything a mother could ask for.’

The couple dreams of one day flying a plane together, with Teresa ‘under strict instructions’ from Ella not to retire early.

But there could be some debate over which plane they leave on, with Ella favoring the Airbus and Teresa a self-confessed ‘Boeing girl’.

And that’s no wonder.

The mother has an impressive history with the aircraft family, which has a yoke for maneuvering, while Airbus planes have a side stick.

During her career at BA she has flown the Boeing 757, 767, 777 and the ‘iconic’ jumbo jet 747. Now? She is a captain on the 787 Dreamliner.

For Mother’s Day, Teresa got the chance to show her daughter what the Boeing 787 is all about when they were invited to put BA’s flight simulator of the aircraft to the test.

Footage from inside shows Teresa telling Ella she’s ‘doing fantastic’ as she guides her through the landing of the 68-metre plane and encourages her to “let it come down” and “let it sink in” just before landing.

“Brilliant, great fun,” Teresa adds. “Look, you can easily fly Boeings,” she jokes to her daughter in the video.

Speaking to MailOnline Travel, Ella said the experience was ‘everything I wanted and more’ – and that flying with her mother was ‘nothing like the driving lessons we had when I was 17’.

She praised Teresa as “a great captain” but joked that the Boeing plane was “much easier” to fly thanks to the “Head-up Display” – which shows the pilot important flight information while still being able to see out the cockpit window.

Flying planes certainly run in Ella’s family, whose father and stepfather are also pilots.

As for her two siblings, they have “decided to keep their feet on the ground so far,” she said. “But with our family it’s impossible to say.”

But it is Teresa who proves to be Ella’s driving force, described by her daughter as ‘truly inspiring’.

Her mother expanded on her passion for the job – as a pilot and mother – in a message to aspiring female pilots.

“Follow your dreams and with perseverance and determination you can do it,” she assured the waiting pilots.

‘It’s the most amazing job for a woman. It’s incredible for a family.

‘You become a bit yourself. You can go away and fulfill yourself.

“But when you come home, you also get time at home where you don’t have anything to do other than be a mom, and that’s just great.”

A mother has told how she found a new set of wings while traveling the world for work after being inspired to join the ranks by her British Airways cabin crew daughter.

Christine Barnes, 66, said ‘the world opened up for me’ as soon as she stepped into the role in 2011.

Now, as an inflight manager, she leads a team of 22 crew on board the Airbus A380 and has lost count of how many countries she has visited – with Saudi Arabia next on her bucket list.

Her career change moment came when she accompanied her daughter Sophie, 36, on a business trip and saw how much she enjoyed the role.

“I loved the professionalism and camaraderie of the crew,” she said. ‘I felt I had to be part of this lifestyle and I was looking for a new challenge.’

Sophie, now a BA customer service trainer who sometimes flies as an inflight manager, encouraged her mother to apply for the job, believing Christine could transfer skills from her previous career as a salon owner and hairdresser.

Although the training has been “a challenge,” Christine said the job has been great so far and she has no plans to stop anytime soon.

“Some members of our family were very surprised when I decided to make a career change at a time when most people my age were downsizing and thinking about retirement,” she said.

‘I couldn’t believe the places I went every week – and the experiences I shared with other crew members, most of whom are still friends.’

Seven years after the role, Sophie moved from Gatwick Airport to Heathrow, where her mother is also based.

The pair then worked together on their first – and only – flight, to Philadelphia, USA

Christine said it was great to show her daughter the ropes on the plane and visit the Rocky Steps in Philadelphia together during the layover.

In the style of the BBC show ‘The Traitors’, where contestants often have to hide their true identities, they decided not to tell their fellow crew that they were related until they landed in the US.

“It was very strange to pretend we didn’t know each other,” Sophie said.

“When the crew found out, they were surprised, but they saw the similarities.”

The couple are now known to the crew as ‘Sophie’s Mum’ and ‘Christine’s Daughter’ and said they would love their whole family to experience the ‘amazing lifestyle’.

Other funny moments include the time Sophie hopped on a flight to Vienna and surprised her mother at the boarding door.

“She had no idea I was on the run with her,” she said.

‘It was so funny to see her so confused about why I was there. I wish I could have captured it.”

Christine said she hasn’t faced as many challenges as she thought she would after changing careers at age 55.

‘“I am healthy for my age, and I think as a crew you have to be resilient,” she said.

In fact, she has found that becoming a crew member later in life helped her adapt to the role and be a good manager.

‘“I don’t find myself feeling homesick when I’m away, but I do look forward to coming home after a trip,” she said.

‘I often feel like a mother at work and notice that I can draw on the experiences I have gained while raising three children in my role as a manager. It is important as a manager to listen to and care for my team.’

Sophie shared her mother’s feelings and set the sky as the limit.

“It’s never too late to start a new career or try something different,” she said.

British Airways was recently voted one of the worst airlines for both long- and short-haul travel in a survey by consumer champion Which? – but the airline is likely to be more confident about its position in the 2025 rankings.

That’s because it has announced a £7 billion ‘transformation plan’, unveiling upgrades across the business including brand new short-haul seats, a new website and mobile app, free in-flight messaging and AI technology to improve its operations. improve.

The investment will also deliver a brand new first class cabin for the A380, which will debut in late 2025, and new lounges in Dubai and Miami.

The announcements were made last night at a glittering event in central London, where rows of brand new short-distance seats were on display in a mock cabin.

MailOnline tried them out and they seemed impressive – although the only real test is of course in flight.

The new seats, from Collins Aerospace, will feature on the Airbus A320neos and A321neos, and will initially enter service on eight retrofitted aircraft from May, with larger luggage spaces and superior ergonomics.

Calum Laming, Chief Customer Officer at British Airways, said: ‘[The seats] represent the best of Britain in design. They are made in Northern Ireland, they have Scottish leather, there will be larger luggage bins, [and] they include USB A and C technology that’s right in front of you.

‘We listen to our customers, that is crucial. Listening to the feedback.’

The mock cabin, which included both business (Club Europe) and economy (Euro Traveller) seats, showed how USB ports are conveniently placed next to the tray table.

And the seats look dynamic – with bold red piping around the headrests.

In terms of comfort, after a quick initial inspection, they seem perfectly suited for short distances, with ample padding and anti-head-droop winglets on the headrests.

Watch this space for a more thorough review.

British Airways, meanwhile, explained that the upgrade to its website and app would offer ‘deeper personalisation’, adding: ‘The new ba.com browser is already in beta testing with platforms designed to support a range of new services, including allowing customers to self-serve if they wish, taking control of their trips and making changes online, rather than having to call one of the airline’s customer service centers to make their change plans. The first changes will be rolled out by the end of the year.”

Wi-Fi improvements for customers are also being introduced as part of the bumper investment package.

BA revealed: ‘From April 3, British Airways Executive Club members will be able to send messages for free on a single device via the airline’s Wi-Fi – whichever cabin they travel in. The service will be available on all Wi-Fi enabled aircraft within two weeks of the rollout date.”

The national carrier explained that part of the £100 million investment was being spent on ‘machine learning, automation and AI around the world’. [the] operation,” a move that would “drive improvements from bookings to baggage handling and help revolutionize operations, speed departures and respond to disruptions.”

BA added: ‘Innovative new tools help predict delays – triggering preventative action to reduce disruption – and analyze real-time data on weather, aircraft capacity and customer connections to help teams make better decisions. Since the introduction of the systems, the airline has seen improvements in on-time departures, in addition to a number of new processes and ways of working.”

At the event, BA also announced that flights from London to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur will return in October and November respectively.

The airline will operate daily flights between the Malaysian capital and London Heathrow with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, as well as three flights per week between the Thai capital and London Gatwick with a 777-200ER.

“We are on a path to a better BA for our people and for our customers, underpinned by a transformation program in which we will invest £7 billion over the next two years to revolutionize our business,” Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said.

“We will take delivery of new aircraft, introduce new cabins, improve our customer service, focus on operational performance and address our impact on the environment by reducing our emissions and creating a culture of sustainability. We are also investing heavily in the development of a new ba.com website and app and are very focused on transforming our business and solving any pain points for our customers.”

Every year Easter witnesses a great British getaway, as millions of us take domestic holidays as well as trips to sunny shores.

It is one of the busiest travel times of the year. But the big problem for those traveling abroad is rising flight prices.

Airfares on some routes are as much as six times higher this Easter than just a week into the holiday period, leaving those who booked at the last minute in dire straits.

Our research into popular Easter routes found that return British Airways tickets to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands cost £938 if you fly away for a week, departing on Good Friday. However, after the school holidays ended a week later, the same route was on sale for just £152 return.

It is a year-round phenomenon: prices rise during peak hours during summer holidays, around Christmas, but also at Easter and during bank holiday weekends.

So can you avoid it? The answer is: yes, if you are smart.

Here we’ve collected some top tips to save your hard-earned money during busy periods.

FOLLOW ‘FARE TRACKERS’

If you know exactly where you want to go and when, you can use Google Flights or Skyscanner.net to ‘track’ the cost of fares on the route you’re eyeing. The latter has a section with tailor-made alerts – see the ‘Find the best airfares with Skyscanner Price Alerts’ page. It is possible to set more than one.

Meanwhile, Google Flights – a great place to check the cost of fares on a route via its ‘date grids’ and ‘price charts’ – also allows you to enter specific travel dates and be alerted when new low fares are available. issued.

Kayak.co.uk is another option, with a ‘flex dates’ feature that helps reduce prices by searching within a range of three days from your desired time.

SIGN UP FOR SALE NOTIFICATIONS

Airlines have regular ticket sales and big savings can be made if you sign up for online ‘alerts’. With British Airways you can do this by joining the Executive Club for free on ba.com. You will then receive emails when regular ticket sales start, usually around May, September and December.

Another way to find BA’s best prices is at ba.com/en-gb/offers/sale, which lists last-minute deals and the best flight prices – or by taking a look at the ‘Low Price Finder’ -page.

Easyjet has a similar low fare search arrangement in the ‘Last Minute Deals’ section of easyjet.com. You can also sign up for alerts by downloading the Easyjet app. The same applies to the Ryanair app and the airline’s ‘Why haven’t you subscribed yet?’ page on ryanair.com.

Jet2.com has a similar system with messages offering the latest deals and highlighting sales sent through the app. There’s also a handy ‘Incredible deal and great availability’ page on Jet2.com.

GO OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Avoiding tourist ‘honeypots’ can pay off when booking cheap flights. Instead of Prague, consider Brno for a cheap weekend getaway in the Czech Republic. Instead of Rome or Venice in Italy, how about Bari in Puglia or Bologna in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna?

Flight guide website Skyscanner.net this week highlighted cheap flights over the Easter period to Luxembourg (from £50 return from Stansted with Ryanair) and Oslo (from £133 return from Manchester, also with Ryanair). Tempting prices for Zadar in Croatia, Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Limoges in France.

AVOID WEEKENDS

Try not to travel from Saturday to Saturday. There are big savings to be had for those who go from midweek to midweek, especially for families during the summer holidays. Since the pandemic, employers have become much more flexible in taking annual leave. They no longer always expect this to take place in the blocks from Monday to Friday. See if you can take weeks off in the middle of the week and you will almost certainly benefit from lower rates.

Tuesday is said to be the cheapest day for domestic flights, while Wednesday and Thursday offer the best value for international travel, with savings of as much as a fifth.

GO FOR SIX NIGHTS – NOT SEVEN

It may seem counterintuitive to lose some of your precious vacation, but cutting back a day can result in significant savings; money that you can then spend on tasty meals or fun activities when you’re there. ‘Staying a day shorter can make a difference to the price,’ says Richard Sinclair of travel agency SNO.co.uk, a specialist ski holiday site. “And if you combine looking for a six-night trip with looking for flights that depart mid-week, that can yield the biggest savings.”

THINK AHEAD

The further in advance you book, the more money you are likely to save. Forget the myth about what time of day or day of the week to book – the main advice from aviation experts is simply to book as far in advance as possible.

Ultimately, the price of flights is all about supply and demand. If there is demand for certain dates, such as Easter, they will sell faster and airline prices will rise as fewer seats are available.

BEWARE OF ‘ERROR RATES’

It sounds extraordinary, but sometimes airlines make big mistakes with ticket prices – a famous example of this is when United Airlines once listed a £4,000 business class fare from London to New York for £59, leading to a rush of bookings.

Instances of ‘error fees’ (which must be adhered to once purchased) may not always be as noticeable as this, but they do crop up regularly, in most cases attributed to human error. In Britain, Jack’s Flight Club keeps an eye on them – you can sign up for alerts at Jacksflightclub.com, which will also notify you of great aviation deals that aren’t a mistake. Recent return fares include £588 return from London to Auckland and Edinburgh to New York from £366 return.

Another option is US-based Going.com, which regularly offers discounts of up to 40-90% on rates.

CHEAP FLIGHT GUARIES

Jack’s Flight Club is just one of a growing number of useful websites that compile tempting flight prices. Sign up for free or just see what they have to offer. For example, Momondo.co.uk has a simple search engine that aggregates offers from other websites such as Mytrip.com, Flightnetwork.com, Gotogate.com, Edreams.co.uk and Traveljunction.co.uk.

Meanwhile, Hopper.com offers a good search function. Return flights from London to Boston were from £460 with JetBlue in April when we looked.

TRY A TRAVEL AGENCY

That said – and it may seem almost old-fashioned to suggest this – but traditional travel agents can often offer advantages over booking online. Justin Penny, head of aviation at Flightcentre.co.uk, says this is because online booking sites don’t always list all fares. “Some airline tickets have booking criteria, which means they can only be booked offline,” he says. ‘So my advice would be to contact a reputable estate agent directly; they are the real travel experts and book holidays every hour.’

BOOK A PACKAGE

And finally… you may find cheap flights and book them quickly, but be careful: your savings may be offset by skyrocketing hotel costs. This is where booking a package can keep prices low. Chris Webber, head of holidays and deals at TravelSupermarket.com, says: ‘Tour operators such as TUI, Jet2 and easyJet often use their own flights in their holiday packages, so it may be cheaper to book those – you’ll also get a hold baggage allowance, and often a transfer, included.’

It’s 209ft (63m) long and weighs about 180 tonnes – yet I can feel this giant aircraft being pushed around by the crosswind.

And I’m having issues keeping her on course.

I’m in the captain’s seat trying to guide a British Airways Boeing 777 in to land at Heathrow Airport, but the 40-knot (46mph) crosswind – just five knots beneath the maximum permitted for a 777 landing – is not making things easy.

Luckily, I’ve got some expert help. To my right is Al Bridger, a veteran former RAF fighter-plane pilot who’s now a senior training captain at BA – a captain who trains the airline’s Boeing 777 pilots, including those training to be captains on the carrier’s command course. 

Normally, when crosswind speeds climb above 30 knots (34mph), the captain takes the controls for landings, but Al has kindly demoted himself so I can have a go.

Luckily, he’s doing some back-seat driving.

‘You’ll notice,’ he says, ‘that the runway isn’t straight ahead of us – we’re flying sideways.’

Yes, I’ve noticed, and it’s slightly perturbing.

The wind is blasting in from the left – and we’re pointing firmly to the left.

The coming-in-sideways crab-like manoeuvre is necessary to prevent the plane from being blown downwind.

‘It’s like crossing a fast-flowing river,’ says Al. ‘If you swim straight across, you will end up downstream, so you swim – or fly in this case – upstream to reach the point straight ahead.’

Al continues: ‘So we come in like a crab – and de-crab it in the flare.’

The flare is a manoeuvre that raises the nose of the aircraft and slows the descent, and ensures the main landing gear (the back wheels) touches down first for a smoother landing.

Al tells me that I must apply right rudder to straighten up the nose just before touchdown.

The rudder is hinged to the tailfin and is operated with chunky foot pedals.

To further complicate matters, I must turn the yoke – the control column – to the left upon touchdown.

This action makes the left aileron – a hinged section on the trailing edge of the wing – go up and will stop the left wing lifting.

Flare, rudder, aileron. How hard can it be?

Quite hard. For the uninitiated. I’m struggling to keep the plane at the right angle and altitude.

‘Keep easing it down,’ says Al calmly. ‘Little bit lower, come to the left, little bit more, nice and gently, pull back a little bit, little bit more, squeeze back level… ‘

The radio altimeter declares I’m 30ft above the runway.

‘Hold it there, put a bit of that rudder in and bring it round,’ says Al.

Bump.

Aileron left, rudder right. Hang on, now the plane is swerving around the runway… I press the top of the rudder pedals together to apply the brakes.

‘Well, we’re on the runway and we touched down in the touchdown zone [marked by two white lines at the beginning of the runway],’ says Al. ‘If we don’t touch down in the touchdown zone, then we’ll go around and we touched down at the end of that, so that’s fine. We were probably a bit too far downwind than what we’d accept at BA… but fabulous effort. You didn’t panic at any stage. Really nice flying, Ted.’

Of course, had this been a real aircraft, panic levels would have been sky-high.

As it happens, I’m in a hyper-realistic state-of-the-art Boeing 777-200 flight simulator at the hugely impressive British Airways Flight Training Centre next to Heathrow Airport, discovering how pilots train to cope with treacherous weather conditions.

The simulators here are so realistic that pilots can become qualified to fly new aircraft types on them without ever flying the real thing.

Nervous flyer? Rest assured that trained pilots know exactly how to cope with crosswinds.

Al demonstrates the 40-knot crosswind landing and makes it look like a walk in the park. Far from struggling with it, he enjoys the challenge.

He says: ‘We train crosswind landings often. It takes co-ordination. But it’s an enjoyable thing to do as a pilot – because it’s flying the aircraft.’

Next? A 40-knot crosswind take-off. A challenge for a novice like me, but markedly easier.

Still, we’re at the maximum permitted crosswind speed for the 777 – again a captain-only scenario in real life – so I’ll need to focus.

Al explains the plan.

He says: ‘We start with the ailerons neutral and as we get to the rotate point, we’ll put the aileron into the wind to keep the wings level and fly the wings level down the runway. Because one wing is closer to the wind and generating more lift than the other one. And as we lift off, we keep flying those wings level.’

He adds: ‘You keep the aircraft straight with the rudders, keeping it as smooth as possible for the customers.’

It’s go time.

I push the thrust levers up slightly until little white markers on the engine thrust readouts rotate to the seven o’clock mark.

This spooling up of the engines at lower power is to check both are working before take-off thrust is applied.

Then I press a button to engage the auto-throttle, with the thrust levers moving forward automatically to the correct point. Nifty.

The ‘plane’ surges forward.

Keeping the aircraft on the centerline is tricky and Al prompts me to apply rudder control to keep the behemoth travelling in a straight line.

‘Keep yourself nice and straight with your feet,’ he says. ‘Squeeze it to the right to get back to the centreline. Nicely done.’

‘V1’, an automated voice says.

That means we’re going flying, as this is the point of no return. Then Al calls ‘rotate’.

I bring the yoke back, but not enough.

‘Pull back, pull back,’ urges Al. ‘Put some of that aileron in. Keep those wings level. Put a little bit of right-hand wing down. Just pitch it forward a little bit.

‘There we are. Nicely done, Ted.’

He adds: ‘We just needed to squeeze down the middle a little bit.’

TAKING OFF IN EXTREME FOG – WITH AN ENGINE FAILURE 

What next?

Getting airborne in fog so thick that visibility is reduced to 75 metres (246ft).

With an engine failure.

Al grins mischievously and reads out some of the engine failure scenarios the simulator can produce: ‘Engine fire, flame out, separation, blade failure, engine seizure, severe failure. Severe failure sounds interesting. We’ll have one of those at the rotation point [the take-off point] at 137 knots (157mph).’

There’s no great time for an engine failure, but this is one of the decidedly less-than-ideal moments.

The visibility is so low that it’s another captain-only scenario in real life. First officers are limited to taking off with a minimum of 600 metres (1,968ft) visibility.

Scary situation?

Not really. Not in a Boeing 777 at Heathrow.

For starters, the plane is equipped with a paravisual display (PVD) guided by Heathrow’s ILS (instrument landing system) radio-beam aid.

This PVD displays black-and-white rectangles that move to the left or right to indicate whether you need to course-correct in either direction. If they move left, you need to turn left. If they move right, go right. If they’re static – you’re doing a great job and the plane is centred.

And the engine failure bit?

Al says: ‘We constantly practice this. The key to success with an engine failure, is to keep looking out. The runway lights will stream towards us and show us where the centreline is. If we lose an engine the aircraft will deviate one way or the other, depending on which engine fails. If you’ve got thrust out of one engine and none out of the other, the aircraft will turn towards the dead engine – and you’ll spot that because the lights will move one way or the other. And you use the rudders to keep the aircraft straight.

‘Once we put that amount of rudder in we hold that amount of rudder, and we ease the climb away… and we get the autopilot in at 200ft and it’s all self-contained.

‘We train it and train it and train it… so it becomes second nature.’

Al gives me a demonstration and, yet again, makes it look easy.

I try – and fail to apply anything like enough rudder after the engine fails.

We track 45 degrees off course, which in real life could have been catastrophic. Say, if there had been a big hill in front of the plane.

Al graciously praises my rotation rate – ‘which was nice’ – and goes on to reveal that my ‘smooth inputs’ have impressed him, explaining that they’re ‘the key to success in aviation’.

That, and having a mindset like Al’s, I suspect. Not only does he have a palpable passion for flying (something he’s been doing for around 40 years), but he’s never afraid to admit when he could have done something better.

‘I’m always learning,’ he says.

As I wave goodbye to him he goes straight back into the simulator to ‘train it, train it, train it,’ once more.

British Airways is investing £7billion over the next three years to ‘revolutionise how teams train and work, rolling out the very latest technology to boost the customer experience’. Some of this investment will be channelled into upgrades to the carrier’s flight simulators and the Flight Training Centre. For more information, visit www.britishairways.com/en-gb/baft.

British Airways was once so confident in its reputation that it used “the world’s favorite airline” in its advertising campaigns.

But the British airline has been named one of the worst airlines for both long and short distances.

Consumer Champion Which? investigated the flying experiences of travelers in the past year and analyzed the results of more than 10,000 flights.

BA was once one of the country’s leading airlines, finishing in the bottom five for short-haul flights – below a number of budget airlines including easyJet, and in the bottom three for long-haul flights.

Punctuality and cancellations were a particular problem, with 3.3 percent of flights canceled at short notice, according to CAA data.

From 1983 to 2001, BA based its advertising on the claim that it was ‘the world’s favorite airline’. However, it has since fallen out of favor.

Aviation expert Alex McWhirter told The Mail: ‘BA has had to cut back on standards to compete with low-cost airlines. If it wants to get back to the good old days of inflight food and beverage service, it will have to raise prices, but customers won’t pay those prices.

‘The image that has been built up over the years has made people expect more from a national airline like BA, but today they are disappointed.’

The airline suffered a major IT outage in May 2017 and again in March 2022, forcing dozens of flights to be grounded.

At the time, BA chief executive Sean Doyle apologized to staff, saying: ‘Many of our customers are rightly fed up. I know you’ve had enough too, and I’m just as frustrated as you are with some of the things we’ve been dealing with.”

In the Which? In a survey, passengers rated airlines on seven criteria, including customer service, value for money, seating comfort and food and drink. A customer score was calculated based on overall satisfaction and likelihood of recommendation.

Wizz Air finished bottom, marking the second year in a row at the bottom of the survey, with customers complaining about delays and poor customer service.

Alarmingly, almost half (46 percent) of respondents flying with Wizz Air reported problems with their flights, with delays being a common issue.

According to data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), 63 percent of the airline’s flights were on time last year. About 2 percent of flights were delayed by more than three hours, more than most competitors.

The Hungarian airline received low star ratings across the board, scoring just one star out of a possible five for customer service.

One respondent reported that it was ‘impossible to communicate with the airline’ about the cancellation of their flight, while another said Wizz Air was ‘extremely unhelpful and unresponsive’ when they needed help.

Right behind Wizz Air was Ryanair.

The Irish airline scored just one star for seating comfort, food and drinks and customer service. In the latter category, respondents were particularly critical, with one passenger saying the airline ‘treats customers with contempt’.

Jet2, meanwhile, took first place among short-haul airlines for the third consecutive year. The airline topped the rankings with an impressive customer score of 81 percent and received a whopping five stars for its customer service.

Passengers reported a largely trouble-free flying experience, with 80 percent of respondents flying with Jet2 reporting no problems. Of those who experienced a delay during their flight, 84 percent reported that staff were helpful during the delay.

Jet2 also has one of the lowest last-minute cancellation rates of any airline in the study, with just 0.5 percent short-notice cancellations, according to CAA data.

In joint second place for short-haul flights, with a customer score of 74 percent, were Norwegian and Icelandair. The carriers have risen no less than four and five places respectively compared to last year.

The latest airline survey from Which? comes as fares hit record highs over the past year and many airlines posted significant profits due to the challenges of the pandemic.

According to the Office for National Statistics, average UK airfares last summer were a whopping £713 – and at these prices, customers should see excellent service across the board.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel said: ‘Air fares have soared in recent years, and the bare minimum passengers can expect in return for their hard-earned money is reliable service, with friendly, easily accessible customer support if they are let down.

‘While Jet2 continues to excel in this regard, our research shows that passengers on many airlines are unfortunately being left short-changed – with high last-minute cancellations, terrible customer service and sneaky baggage fees driving up the final price.’

A Wizz Air spokesperson said: ‘We do not consider the findings of this report to be representative or an accurate reflection of our performance today, which is among the strongest in Europe.

“We have been honest about our performance in summer 2022, which did not meet our standards.

‘We have invested more than £90 million to put this right and have made significant improvements that the results of this research do not acknowledge, but which are evident from both independent and our own data.’

A British Airways spokesperson said: ‘We always work hard to get our customers where they need to be on time.

“Like all airlines, over the past year we have had to deal with several factors beyond our control that have had a negative impact on our customers, such as adverse weather conditions and industrial action in air traffic control.

“We apologize to our customers for any disruptions they may have experienced.”

A Ryanair spokesperson said: ‘Ryanair has industry leading punctuality with average. punctuality of 87 percent by 2023, despite the fact that UK punctuality is seriously affected by the inefficient NATS and its incompetent CEO, whose ATC system has collapsed twice this year, disrupting thousands of flights and millions of passengers flying to/from the UK travel, have been delayed.’

A group of ‘Brits’ who serenaded Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by singing ‘God Save The King’ were captured on film as the royal couple put on a united front in their first public appearance since their royal rebrand.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in the stunning Whistler Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia for a two-day trip from California to promote next year’s Invictus Games, the first time it will involve winter sports. 

The couple, who arrived hand-in-hand yesterday, looked thrilled to be spending Valentine’s Day in Canada – the country where they fell in love – as they ventured out to the mountains followed by a film crew. 

As the couple joined an Invictus Games training session to mark a year until the global sporting event, Harry even tried his hand at sit-skiing and quipped before he set off: ‘Do I need to sign a waiver?’ 

Footage has now emerged of members of the crowd breaking out into a rendition of Britain’s national anthem as Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, prepared to leave Whistler yesterday afternoon.

As a group of teenagers started bellowing out ‘Long live our noble King! God save the King!’, members of the crowd can be seen chuckling.

Sharing the clip to her Instagram, New York Times best-selling author Elizabeth Holmes wrote: ‘Did not get a clear shot of them getting in the car but I did catch these young Brits singing God Save the King’.

In another clip, the Sussexes smiled and waved before getting into a Jeep, while it appears Harry may have charmed some of the gathering crowds. One skier said: ‘He was very nice’. The prince also poked his head out the window and gave the crowd a final wave which was met with cheers. 

Harry and Meghan’s trip comes days after the couple faced a backlash over their new Sussex.com website, while it is also the couple’s first public appearance since the shock news that King Charles is undergoing treatment for cancer.

Just over a week ago, the duke travelled on a ten-hour flight from Los Angeles to London to spend just half an hour with his father in the wake of the monarch’s cancer diagnosis – but Meghan stayed at home with their children Archie and Lilibet.

Archie four, and Lilibet, two, also appear to have stayed at home in Montecito while the Sussexes are away in Whistler.

Harry could not resist trying some of the sports the disabled athletes – who have all served in the military – will be taking part in, with the father-of-two filmed as he had a go at sit-skiing.

Meghan could also not contain her laughter as she snapped a photo of Prince Harry trying the sport out.

In a candid moment, a giddy Meghan is seen borrowing a phone from a friend to film her husband’s attempts. Laughing, the former Suits star then turns to a friend and says ‘oh you have to show them’ as she hands the phone back. 

They did not appear affected by the row over their website row – and criticism over their use of the royal links despite their rift with the Windsors and an agreement with the Queen not to use their HRH titles for business purposes or trade off their royal connections. 

Yesterday, Meghan praised the ‘talented team’ behind her new Sussex.com website after it was claimed the couple did not consult palace officials in advance. 

The Duchess wrote: ‘There is a reason I have worked with Ryan and the talented team at Article for a decade: their attention to detail, their creativity and care, and the thoughtful approach to design as well as to the user experience.

‘They’re not just designers; they are collaborators who elevate your ideas into visual identities. They’re a very special company. Plus they’re Canadian, so I’m a fan.’

Meghan was all smiles and glamour in skinny white jeans and a sweater topped with a beige quilted coat. She was flashing her £140,000 engagement ring. The Duchess has not been seen publicly wearing the glittering band, comprising one huge Botswana diamond and two from Princess Diana ‘s collection, since May 2023.

Harry was dressed down in jeans and a black Eddie Bauer anorak as he arrived for a training session with athletes planning to take part in the 2025 Games.

The pair were spotted bending down to talk to athletes competing at the games, while Harry tried out one of the competitors’ sit-skis, all while being followed close behind by a camera crew. Meghan was seen smiling with officials as she used her mobile to gather content.

Harry and Meghan made their way out of the gondola on Whistler’s Blackcomb Mountain shortly after 2.30pm local time and were introduced to three groups of adaptive skiers: one Alpine sit-ski, one standing ski and one group of visually impaired athletes.

Alex Cairns, a sit-skier from Canada, was the first to meet the Sussexes and gave a demonstration of the sport – arriving at the base of the slope to cheers from Harry.

The Whistler games will be the first time that Invictus has featured winter sports.

The couple arrived in Canada on Tuesday and were pictured by DailyMail.com touching down in Vancouver just after noon Pacific time following a two-hour flight from Santa Barbara – the closest airport to their home in Montecito.

Their arrival came on the same day that Meghan announced she had signed a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media after she and Harry parted ways with Spotify.

A convoy of cars collected the famous duo and whisked them away to Whistler where they are due to be on Wednesday and Thursday before they return to Vancouver for an event in the City of Glass on Friday.

The pair are then expected to travel home to California on Friday afternoon to be reunited with their children.

The Duke and Dutchess are currently embroiled in an ongoing row over their rebranded ‘royal’ website Sussex.com – complete with Meghan’s coat of arms – which critics claim is a breach of their promise to the late Queen when they acrimoniously quit front-line royal duties.

Sources now saying the couple did not consult palace officials about using their Sussex titles.

A source close to the couple defended the use of their royal titles, saying: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That is a fact. It is their surname and family name.’

Yesterday, Meghan, 42, was forced to put out a statement defending the graphic design company that created the couple’s new website . Harry has also faced criticism over the short amount of time he spent in the UK following his father’s cancer diagnosis.

Experts have said the great Sussex relaunch is underway after poor PR caused by Spare and their Netflix documentary.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: ‘Lemonada isn’t a household name as Spotify, which terminated the Sussexes contract, undoubtedly is.

‘Bill Simmons, Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetization, labelled them ‘F*****g Grifters’ and that contract was worth $20million.

‘Lemonada received $8million in ‘Series A funding’ in 2022 and this contract with the Sussexes company Archewell is likely to be worth only a fraction of that with Spotify.

‘Meghan’s sole podcast for Spotify, the 12-episode Archetypes, which examines how women are held back, will be distributed and she will launch a new podcast, though it is unclear when or what she will earn or if Harry will have a role.

‘In 2021 Harry and Meghan made the Time 100 most influential people. It had been expected that their next move would be something spectacular.

‘Would Meghan sign with Dior? Would they have a major coup and join with a top brand? Would she go into politics?

‘Lemonada has been called ‘D-list’. It is small, having been founded in 2019 by two women during the pandemic. Both had lost brothers in tragic circumstances.

‘Meghan signed with the prestigious William Morris Agency in April of last year. Nearly a year later, they’ve produced little more than a lemon.

‘Is this the only result of yesterday’s rebrand when they launched a controversial website? With polls showing their popularity in the States low, Hollywood won’t hold its breath.’

PR expert Sean O’Meara, managing director of Manchester-based agency Essential Content, told MailOnline today: ‘Lemonada doesn’t have anything close to the brand recognition that Spotify has, and Archewell, the couple’s content production brand, had to put in a bit of work to help them move past the Spotify relationship.

‘I think it’s a good partnership for both parties nonetheless. Lemonada gets a high-profile partner, Meghan gets a new platform and a fresh start.

‘What Lemonada lacks in instant name recognition and category leadership, it makes up for in other ways.

‘It’s female-founded, gives a platform to a diverse range of perspectives and from a branding point of view, it’s far more closely aligned with how Meghan wants to be perceived.

‘Lemonada has produced podcasts with the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Samantha Bee and SuChin Pak, so they’re established with certain audiences already.

‘There’s obviously a little bit of pride to swallow when a partnership with a giant like Spotify ends, but the Archewell team can frame this quite easily to her advantage.

‘It’s a bit like when a band gets dropped by a major record label and then signs up with a cool indie label.

‘She’ll be swapping corporate clout for the prestige and authenticity of going with an indie.’

Harry’s dash to Britain began with an overnight British Airways flight from LAX that touched down in London just after 2pm on February 6.

Once there, he was taken to Clarence House for a meeting with his cancer-stricken father that lasted just 30 minutes and didn’t include his stepmother Queen Camilla.

The 39-year-old then spent the night in a hotel before catching a Delta flight back to LA – less than 24 hours after arriving.

It was claimed last week that Prince Harry ‘would have gladly accepted’ a reunion with his brother, William, but opted instead to stay in his hotel .

It’s believed William, 41, is remaining focused on tending to his wife, Kate, who is recovering from her abdominal surgery and is taking extended leave from public duties until after Easter

Harry popped up next in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday where he was a presenter at the NFL Honors Awards – a televised gala held at Sin City’s vast Resorts World hotel.

Presenting the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award to the Pittsburgh Steeler’s Cameron Heyward, he cracked a joke about rugby – telling the crowd: ‘I really love how you stole rugby from us and made it your own.

‘Instead of passing it backwards, just pass it forwards. Why not wear pads and helmets? Of course.

‘Have an offense and a defense – that makes sense. Why not take a breather every 15 seconds? And you know what? Instead of a 10-month season, let’s make it 18 weeks. Genius.’

Despite his chipper demeanor onstage, Harry was later pictured looking glum in the hotel’s underground parking lot and didn’t stick around to see the Kansas City Chief’s beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.

On Monday came the couple’s relaunched website with Harry’s 358-word biography emphasizing his environmental credentials – despite his penchant for using private jets.

Meghan’s longer bio played up her credentials as a philanthropist but made only one mention of her acting past and none of the Royal family.

Critics said the website is an attempt to monetize the couple’s royal connections leading to a new round of calls for the duo to have their titles removed, including from Meghan’s biographer Tom Bower.

Their ‘About’ page reads: ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex is shaping the future through business and philanthropy.

‘This includes: The Archewell Foundation, Archewell Productions, patronages, ventures, and organizations which receive the support of the couple, individually and/or together.’

The new-look Sussex.com also made much of Harry’s Invictus Games initiative which returns next year with a snow sports edition in Whistler.

During the trip, the couple will meet competitors from the US, Canada, France, Ukraine and Nigeria, among others, at a training camp in the resort.

Critics said the website is an attempt to monetize the couple’s royal connections leading to a new round of calls for the duo to have their titles removed, including from Meghan’s biographer Tom Bower.

One said: ‘They are going to have real trouble with the use of Sussex. It is a royal title and if there is any hint of commercialism about this it will be shut down. It’s just staggering they cannot see how gauche it is.’

Meanwhile, The Daily Mirror reported that the couple did not consult palace officials before launching the new site.

The Sun newspaper also said that Harry faced claims that the crest used was out of date, after he became son of the monarch last year.

Mail columnists Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce believe the couple should be stripped of their titles to stop them shamelessly profiting off the Royal family.

Without the Royal family, Ms Vine said, Harry would simply be a ‘slightly thick, balding ex-soldier’ while Meghan would be a ‘moderately attractive, not very successful ex-actress’. 

Meghan Markle looked every inch the snow queen as she stepped on to the slopes in Whistler, head to toe in winter whites. 

The Duchess dug out her $240 Sorel Joan of Arctic snow boots for the occasion, which are currently on sale for $95.95, teamed with a $295 Calvin Klein Quilted Maxi Puffer.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appeared thrilled to be spending Valentine’s Day in Canada – the country where they fell in love – as they hit the slopes to promote the next Invictus Games today followed by a film crew.

The couple are in the picturesque ski resort of Whistler, in British Columbia, Canada, for a two-day trip from California to highlight next year’s event. It’s the first time it will involve winter sports.

Harry and Meghan were smiling and hand-in-hand as they arrived at the ski station, watched by what appeared to be their own film crew. The former Suits star also appeared to be filming on her phone as Harry tried a ski chair for disabled athletes and spoke to instructors.

Meghan was all smiles and glamour in skinny white jeans and a sweater topped with a beige quilted coat while Harry was dressed down in jeans and a black Eddie Bauer anorak as he arrived for a training session with athletes planning to take part in the 2025 Games. 

She topped her outfit off with a chic cashmere beanie from Burberry, perfect for the winter weather.

The mother-of-two kept her chestnut tresses down and worn in loose waves and opted for a dewy, glow make-up look with dark eyes and a pink lipstick.

The pair were spotted bending down to talk to athletes competing at the games, while Harry tried out one of the competitors’ sit-skis, all while being followed close behind by a filming crew. Meghan was seen smiling with officials as she also used her mobile to gather content.

The appearance also marked the first time in nine months that the Duchess has publicly worn her £140,000 engagement ring.

The glittering band comprises of one huge Botswana diamond and two from Princess Diana‘s collection since May 2023.

Her ring was conspicuously absent at recent events, such as the premiere of Bob Marley biopic One Love in Kingston, Jamaica last month, and her attendance at the Variety’s Power of Women gala in November 2023. 

According to People magazine the reason behind the ring’s long hiatus is that a setting came loose and it needed to be serviced.

Harry proposed to Meghan in November 2017, with the ring comprising of a solid yellow gold band set with three diamonds, but Meghan has made several tweaks to the design since. 

They pair did not appear at all affected by the row over their Sussex.com website row – and criticism over their use of the royal links despite their rift with the Windsors and an agreement with the Queen not to use their HRH titles for business purposes or trade off their royal connections. 

The Whistler trip is also their first public appearance as a couple since King Charles’s cancer diagnosis. 

Harry and Meghan made their way out of the gondola on Whistler’s Blackcomb Mountain shortly after 2.30pm local time and were introduced to three groups of adaptive skiers: one Alpine sit-ski, one standing ski and one group of visually impaired athletes.

Their trip to Canada comes as the couple are embroiled in a series of controversies – one over their new Sussex.com website and another over Harry’s flying visit to London last week to see King Charles following his cancer diagnosis.

Alex Cairns, a sit-skier from Canada, was the first to meet the Sussexes and gave a demonstration of the sport – arriving at the base of the slope to cheers from Harry.

The Whistler games will be the first time that Invictus has featured winter sports.

The couple arrived in the country on Tuesday and were pictured by DailyMail.com touching down in Vancouver just after noon Pacific time following a two-hour flight from Santa Barbara – the closest airport to their home in Montecito.

Their arrival came on the same day that Meghan announced she had signed a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media after she and Harry parted ways with Spotify.

A convoy of cars collected the famous duo and whisked them away to Whistler where they are due to be on Wednesday and Thursday before they return to Vancouver for an event in the City of Glass on Friday.

The pair are then expected to travel home to California on Friday afternoon to be reunited with their children Archie, five, and Lilibet, two.

The Duke and Dutchess are currently embroiled in an ongoing row over their rebranded ‘royal’ website Sussex.com – complete with Meghan’s coat of arms – which critics claim is a breach of their promise to the late Queen when they acrimoniously quit front-line royal duties.

Sources now saying the couple did not consult palace officials about using their Sussex titles.

A source close to the couple defended the use of their royal titles, saying: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That is a fact. It is their surname and family name.’

Yesterday, Meghan was forced to put out a statement defending the graphic design company that created the couple’s new website. Harry has also faced criticism over the short amount of time he spent in the UK following his father’s cancer diagnosis. 

Meghan Markle looked effortlessly elegant as she wore a jacket captioned 'Kensington' for a trip to a First Nations center in Canada alongside Prince Harry.

The Duchess of Sussex, who is in the country to promote the next Invictus Games, opted for a longline coat from LA-based Dôen, a female-run brand “that offers collections inspired by a nostalgia for the coast of California of the Past Decades'.

The slim-fit coat, priced at $598, featured ornate brass buttons, two patch pockets, a wide Italian velvet collar and princess seams for structure.

The jacket's name, Kensington, likely refers to the Californian community in the San Francisco Bay Area, but for royal fans it will likely bring Kensington Palace to mind.

Meghan, 42, and Harry, 39, lived in Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace while they were dating. The official residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales is also located in the palace.

The mother-of-two's coat was “made from an extra-warm wool-cashmere blend and lined with viscose twill” and was inspired by the “mod coats of the 60s,” according to the brand's website.

She paired the elegant garment with black trousers and a pair of glittering gold earrings.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex toured the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Center last night with youth ambassadors Chief Nelson and Wilson Williams.

Then there was a reception at the center – which, according to the website, is “the heart of Whistler's authentic Indigenous experience – a First Nations Museum, Art Gallery and Gift Shop, and Thunderbird Café.”

At the reception, artists who created the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 logo debuted their artwork.

The Duke and Duchess' trip comes as they are currently embroiled in an ongoing row over their rebranded 'royal' website Sussex.com – complete with Meghan's coat of arms – which critics claim is a breach of their promise to the late Queen when they bitterly quit royal duties on the front line.

Sources now say the couple did not consult palace officials about the use of their Sussex titles.

A source close to the couple defended the use of their royal titles, saying: 'Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That's a fact. It's their last name and family name.'

Yesterday, Meghan was forced to issue a statement defending the graphic design company that created the couple's new website. Harry has also been criticized for the short time he spent in Britain after his father's cancer diagnosis.

The couple seemed excited to spend Valentine's Day in Canada – the country where they fell in love – as they hit the slopes to promote the next Invictus Games, followed by a film crew.

They are in the picturesque ski resort of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, on a two-day trip from California to highlight next year's event. It is the first time that it concerns winter sports.

Harry and Meghan were smiling and holding hands as they arrived at the ski station, watched by what appeared to be their own film crew.

The former Suits star also appeared to film on her phone as Harry tried out a ski chair for disabled athletes and spoke to instructors.

Meghan was all smiles and glam in skinny white jeans and a sweater topped with a beige padded jacket, while Harry was dressed in jeans and a black Eddie Bauer anorak as he arrived for a training session with athletes who planned to take part to participate in the 2025 Games.

The pair were spotted bending down to chat with athletes taking part in the competitions, with Harry trying out one of the competitors' sit-skis, while a film crew followed closely behind. Meghan was seen laughing with officials while also using her cellphone to gather content.

The appearance also marked the first time in nine months that the Duchess has publicly worn her £140,000 engagement ring.

The glittering band consists of one huge Botswana diamond and two out Princess Diana's collection since May 2023.

Her ring was noticeably absent from recent events, such as the premiere of Bob Marley biopic One Love last month in Kingston, Jamaica, and her presence at Variety's Power of Women gala in November 2023.

According to People magazine The reason behind the long interruption of the ring is that a setting has come loose and needs to be maintained.

Harry proposed to Meghan in November 2017, with the ring consisting of a solid yellow gold band set with three diamonds, but Meghan has since made several adjustments to the design.

The couple seemed completely unaffected by the row over their Sussex.com website. The Whistler trip is also their first public appearance as a couple since King Charles was diagnosed with cancer.

Harry and Meghan left the gondola on Whistler's Blackcomb Mountain shortly after 2:30pm local time and were introduced to three groups of adaptive skiers: an Alpine sit ski, a standing ski and a group of visually impaired athletes.

Alex Cairns, a sit-skier from Canada, was the first to meet the Sussexes and give a demonstration of the sport – arriving at the foot of the slope to Harry's cheers.

The Whistler games will mark the first time Invictus has offered winter sports.

The couple arrived in the country on Tuesday and were photographed by DailyMail.com landing in Vancouver just after noon Pacific Time after a two-hour flight from Santa Barbara – the closest airport to their home in Montecito.

Their arrival came on the same day Meghan announced she had signed a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media after she and Harry parted ways with Spotify.

A convoy of cars picked up the famous duo and took them to Whistler, where they will be Wednesday and Thursday before returning to Vancouver on Friday for an event in the City of Glass.

The couple are then expected to travel home to California on Friday afternoon to be reunited with their children Archie, five, and Lilibet, two.