British prime minister Gordon Brown and his ministers can take a lessons on cost cutting from Prince William, second in line to the British throne, who has directed his staff to book him in economy on scheduled flights whenever possible.
“He is determined to get his traveling costs down. Obviously there will be occasions when his security team will advise him against this, but he has told us that his default position from now on will be to turn right when he enters an aircraft. He is acutely aware that this is no time for ostentatious expenditure,” The Telegraph quoted a senior courtier, as saying.
When the 26-year-old prince flew off to Courchevel for a skiing holiday with his girlfriend Kate Middleton and her family earlier this month, very few people got to know that he sat among the economy passengers on the British Airways Heathrow to Geneva flight.
“There was a security presence, but it was all very low-key and William sat with Kate, her sister Pippa and a group of friends among the other passengers,” the courtier said.
“I think a lot of people on the flight didn't even realize who they were. William actually hates having a fuss made of him when he travels and said that he found it a lot more relaxing than having the cabin crew all nervously hovering around him at the front of the aircraft,” he added.
Kate's parents Michael and Carole Middleton, however, traveled in business class because Carole Middleton is a former British Airways employee.
This was believed to be the first occasion that Prince William had sat in economy.
Prince William's decision to switch from business and first to economy is highly in contrast with Gordon Brown's increasingly ostentatious travel arrangements.
In early March, when Brown returned from his trip to Washington, his British Airways flight was permitted to taxi directly to Royal Suite One, which is normally reserved for the Queen and senior members of the Royal Family.
Brown's flight was also accorded the call sign Speedbird One, which is considered highly pretentious in aviation circles and was avoided even by status-conscious ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair.
