Woman Flies in High Style as Lone Passenger on 747

A young Japanese woman had the trip of a lifetime on a flight from Tokyo to London--a choice of 353 seats, six movies, a gourmet menu and the exclusive attention of 15 cabin attendants.

British Airways said today that the woman, identified only as Mrs. Yamamoto, was the lone passenger on the 8,000-mile Flight 008 of the Boeing 747, which arrived at Heathrow Airport Tuesday afternoon.

“The jumbo was delayed going into Tokyo and by the time it set off for London all the other passengers had been re-booked on to other flights,” said a British Airways spokesman.

“Mrs. Yamamoto had actually arrived early at the airport for another British Airways flight which was leaving later. But since she was there, she was offered the opportunity for the flight of a lifetime,” the spokesman said.

“We had to come back empty because the jumbo was due back in Britain to get back into its schedule.”

Yamamoto, on her way to join her husband, who is studying at Salford College of Music, had paid the standard $2,975 economy fare for the 11-hour trip. But she sat in business class, dined on poached salmon and watched Goldie Hawn in “Overboard.”

The Daily Express estimated the immediate cost of the flight was at least $22,750--$17,500 for fuel and $5,250 in wages for the cabin attendants and six flight deck crew.