Zoe Doyle was travelling with her mother Kimmy Chedel on Christmas. (Representative Pic)
A mother and daughter duo were left surprised when they boarded their flight for a vacation. The two were the only passengers in the economy-class cabin on the Emirates flight from the Seychelles to Switzerland, as per a report in the Independent.
Zoe Doyle, 25, was travelling with her 59-year-old mother, Kimmy Chedel, on December 25, 2023, to spend Christmas with family. She posted a TikTok video showing the empty seats and since then the clip has been watched over a million times. "Merry Christmas from the only ladies flying Emirates today," the caption said.
In the video, Ms Chedel is seen attempting to put on the headgear that Emirates cabin staff members wear, while her daughter is seen dancing along the clean corridors and creating "snow angels" on the aircraft floor. The now-viral video is set to "All I Want for Christmas Is You," a renowned Christmas pop song by Mariah Carey.
The duo revealed that they had no idea that they were the only passengers and it was a "complete surprise" for them, according to the Stuff. "We had no idea we were the only ones. There were four others, I think, that were in first class but they were totally separate from us, so we were basically the only ones," she said.
She continued, "Because it was monsoon season in the Seychelles, as well as being Christmas Day, it just meant no one was flying I guess."
The two were given a tour of the aircraft, but even with so many seats, they were not permitted to travel in first class. "It was so much fun. We were chatting with the flight attendants and filming funny videos with them. They even got a Polaroid camera out and dressed my Mum up in the cabin crew uniform. It was great" Ms Doyle added.
In April 2023, a UK man who was travelling to Portugal to meet his family from Northern Ireland discovered that he was the only passenger on the entire flight. Mr Wilkinson inquired about the same at the airport, asking if it had been postponed or cancelled, but was taken aback when they informed him that he would be the only one on board, referring to him as a "VIP guest". "I spoke to the stewards waiting to take the passports, and they said, 'Oh, Mr Paul, you're VIP today... You're flying on your own'."
Before the plane took off for Belfast, he got to choose his own seat and speak with the captain. The father of three described the experience of that of a private plane. "Someone told me a private jet is in the region of 28,000 euros (Rs 25 lakh) and it'll probably never happen again," he further said.
Mr Wilkinson enjoyed every second and said that the flight attendants were kind and that their service was "second to none". He received a personal safety demonstration and the event was documented with photographs. "I jokingly asked for a refund on my seat, which I paid for. It was just surreal. I went for a walk around the plane, and I had a pick of the toilets," he said.