In what seems like it’s almost straight out of a comedy sketch, Boris Johnson is hurrying home from the Caribbean in British Airways economy (in a suit), probably hoping to be the next Prime Minister (again).
Boris Johnson’s flight in British Airways economy
With Liz Truss resigning as Prime Minister after just 45 days in office, it’s entirely possible that Boris Johnson may once again become Prime Minister, just weeks after resigning from the post.
Johnson has been in the Dominican Republic on vacation for the past couple of weeks, but decided to cut his vacation short. So on Friday, October 21, 2022, Johnson took British Airways’ flight BA2156 from Punta Cana (PUJ) to London Gatwick (LGW) via Antigua (ANU).
That first flight covers a distance of 445 miles and is blocked at 1hr25min, while that second flight covers a distance of 4,081 miles, and is blocked at 8hr. This service operates twice weekly (Mondays and Fridays) with a Boeing 777. This is a three cabin leisure configured Boeing 777-200ER, featuring business class, premium economy, and economy.
Interestingly Johnson and his family were seated toward the back of economy, and Johnson even dressed for the occasion (maybe he read online that dressing nicely could score you an upgrade?). 😉
While Johnson was traveling in economy, reports from fellow passengers suggest that he and his family still received special treatment. They were separated from other passengers at the airport, and then pre-boarded before everyone else. Johnson was reportedly booed by some fellow passengers, though it’s anyone’s guess if he even heard that.
Why was Johnson flying economy on British Airways?
It’s pretty interesting that Johnson flew back to London in economy. After all, he’s independently quite wealthy and was also Prime Minister, so I don’t think anyone would consider it all too excessive for him to be in business class. Furthermore, presumably arriving in London well rested would benefit him, given his ambitions.
So what’s the explanation?
- Business class and premium economy were full, or at least didn’t have enough seats for his entire family
- Business class and premium economy were prohibitively expensive, as that’s not totally inconceivable for a last minute ticket change
- Johnson flew in economy for the optics as he tries to again secure the job of Prime Minister, and wants to come across as a “man of the people”
Personally I suspect the last explanation is the most likely, and he flew in economy for the optics. It can’t be ruled out, though, that business class just wasn’t available. While there are reports that there were empty seats in business class, who knows if that’s actually true, and for that matter it could be that there weren’t any business class seats for sale in advance, but there were no shows at the last minute.
Bottom line
Boris Johnson cut short his vacation in the Dominican Republic to return to London, following Liz Truss’ resignation. He flew home on British Airways from Punta Cana to London Gatwick via Antigua, though arguably the most interesting part of his journey was that he flew in economy.
I suspect he did this for optics. He’s also probably one of the few people to fly across the Atlantic from the Dominican Republic in a suit.
What do you make of Johnson’s British Airways economy trip?
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