This airline offers wedding ceremonies onboard its aircraft grounded by the pandemic
How does marrying the love of your life aboard a plane sans destination sound to you?
Weddings have taken a different meaning during the pandemic. Today, most weddings have scaled back to a simple, intimate ceremony witnessed by a few family members and close friends. But a wedding—with or without a pandemic—is a precious occasion for couples and many would go to great lengths to make it a memorable and special one.
Recently, Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) started offering a wedding experience to soon-to-wed couples—tie the knot aboard a B-777 passenger jet at the Tokyo Haneda Airport.
So, what can a couple expect from their wedding onboard the aircraft?
During the ceremony, the airline will provide live music, a congratulatory in-flight announcement by the crew and special lighting to project an image of the galaxy on the ceiling of the cabin, according to ANA.
Up to 30 people can attend the wedding onboard.
How much would it cost to tie the knot onboard the plane?
ANA is offering the onboard wedding at about 1.56 million yen or P680,000. The airline also offers a ceremony and party package for 3 million yen or P1.3 million, complete with food at the terminal building.
Because of the pandemic, some aircraft on ANAs fleet are still grounded as slow international travel continues to hit the company, along with most airlines around the world. The airline’s new offering is part of its efforts to cushion the pandemic’s damage to its business.
May and June are the busiest months for weddings in Japan, so the airline came up with the idea to offer couples who are holding back from holding wedding ceremonies to avoid crowding as the pandemic continues to rage in the world.
According to Kyodo News, weddings in Japan have also been hit by a liquor ban at party venues in some areas of the country that are under a state of emergency because of COVID-19.
Since May, seven couples have signed up and the airline has stopped accepting reservations. But ANA is open to offering onboard weddings again depending on the demand for international flights.
As part of its recovery efforts, ANA is among several airlines that have offered domestic sightseeing flights. Some 300 passengers booked the 1 ½-hour flight with a Hawaiian resort experience theme onboard an A380 double-decker passenger jet, normally used for ANA's Narita-Honolulu route.