“She Said Yes” – Royal Navy Officer Pulls off the Ultimate Proposal

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner British Airways helped a Royal Navy hero pull off the proposal of a lifetime. Lieutenant Lee Colthart popped the question to his girlfriend, Lydia Ayto, in the Caribbean .

The 29-year-old Navy officer wrote in to the airline to share his story and said he wanted to propose to his girlfriend of seven years in the Caribbean after he was deployed there last year to help with the relief effort following Hurricane Irma.

Lee, who is originally from Fife in Scotland, said he was desperate to take his girlfriend, who is a navigator in the Navy, back to paradise to ask her to be his wife. The airline stepped in to help surprise Lydia with a whirlwind tour of three beautiful islands, and a cocktail of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, ending with a very special question for Lydia to answer.

British Airways: Royal Navy Officer Pulls Off The Ultimate Proposal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucmG3W_XvFI

Lieutenant Colthart said: “I’d planned to propose last year but we were both deployed overseas so the stars didn’t quite align. I knew this year was going to be ‘the year’ though, so I wrote to British Airways and asked them to help me pull off something extra special in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been lucky enough to see. I couldn’t have asked for anything better, the proposal was out of this world and I’m just so happy Lydia said yes!”

Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ director of brand and customer experience, said: “We were so excited to be able to help Lee pull off this incredible proposal. He really has set the standard for other people wanting to pop the question in a really special way! Adding a touch of magic was easy when we knew we would be flying the couple to the Caribbean, it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth, and the backdrop speaks for itself.”

Lee and Lydia who live in Somerset, met at naval training college in Dartmouth in 2010, but since then have spent months apart as they have both been deployed around the world on tours lasting as long as seven months. Later this year Lee will be stationed abroad for five months, meaning the newly engaged couple will be apart for Christmas.

Their island-hopping adventure saw them fly in First and on arrival in Barbados were whisked by Rolls Royce to the newly opened Sandals Royal Barbados Resort, where the keys to a standard room were swapped for a set to their sumptuous beach front butler suite. They then watched the sun set from a private catamaran cruise, tasted fine rum at the island’s oldest distillery and dined at celeb-haunt The Cliff.

Next, the couple were driven to the exclusive Jet Centre like VIPs before boarding their private jet to ‘Spice Island’ in Grenada, where they spent time zip-lining through the jungle and soaking up the island’s sun, sea and unspoilt views. After making the 20-minute British Airways flight from Grenada to Saint Lucia, the couple were chauffeured to Sugar Beach Hotel to enjoy private dining in front of the world-famous Piton mountains.

The following day Lee got down on one knee in front of a 43-foot sailing boat with the words: ‘Lydia will you marry me?’ emblazoned on the sail, which when turned also revealed the words ‘She said yes!’ on the other side.

British Airways flies to Antigua, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Tobago, Trinidad, Turks & Caicos from Gatwick, and the Bahamas and Grand Cayman from Heathrow. The airline has a long history with the Caribbean and has been flying to Barbados for more than 60 years.

For romantics wanting to give Lee a run for his money, British Airways Holidays has the following packages on offer:

Barbados - British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the 3* Halcyon Palm, from £669 per person, travelling May 1 to May 31. Includes World Traveller return flights from London Gatwick and accommodation. Book by February 27. For reservations visit ba.com or call 0344 493 0120.

Antigua - British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the 3* Starfish Jolly Beach Resort , from £899 per person, travelling September 1 to 31 September 2018. Includes World Traveller return flights from London Gatwick and accommodation with All Inclusive. Book by February 27. For reservations visit ba.com or call 0344 493 0120.

Grenada - British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the 3* Grenadian By Rex Resorts, from £1039 per person, travelling October 1 to October 31. Includes World Traveller return flights from London Gatwick and accommodation with All Inclusive. Book by February 27. For reservations visit ba.com or call 0344 493 0120.

St Lucia - British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the 4* Marigot Beach Club & Dive Resort , from £899 per person, travelling September 1 to September 30. Includes World Traveller return flights from London Gatwick and accommodation. Book by February 27. For reservations visit ba.com or call 0344 493 0120.

Tobago - British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the 3* Grafton Beach Resort, from £729 per person, travelling November 1 to November 30. Includes World Traveller return flights from London Gatwick and accommodation with breakfast. Book by February 27. For reservations visit ba.com or call 0344 493 0120.

The airline is also adding a romantic touch to its inflight entertainment this Valentine’s Day with the introduction of a new category – Love is in the Air. Page ContentRunning until the end of February, the category plays host to a collection of films, TV shows and audio programmes, including classics like When Harry Met Sally, Chocolat and Love Me Tender.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The BA Magic campaign began in 2017, and since then the airline has surprised several deserving customers with special money-can’t-buy experiences. For more information or to watch the series of stories, visit: www.ba.com/bamagic.

From summer 2018, British Airways will also be sharing the stories on its inflight entertainment system.