Sunday September 2, 2012

Man proposes to girlfriend on board AirAsia flight

By WONG PEK MEI
pekmei@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: A 27-year-old took his marriage proposal to greater heights when he staged the special moment on an AirAsia flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Assistant outbound travel manager Edmund Arvind Arubbs managed to pull off a surprise proposal to media planner, Nina Jayatileke, 26, with the help of some friends and the cabin crew.

“I wanted my proposal to be something big and different. I initially thought the idea of proposing on board was lame as I have watched videos of other men doing it,” he said.

Big surprise: Edmund on his knees proposing to Nina on an AirAsia flight.

Edmund, however, decided to send an e-mail to AirAsia group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes to ask permission.

“The AirAsia crew were very excited but I was still having second thoughts as I felt the wow factor was missing,” he said.

Edmund added it was challenging trying to get on the flight without Nina knowing.

“The staff played along and announced that they were looking for me as I had been caught smoking in the toilet at the airport.

“Nina called me countless times and I told her I would take the next flight out,” he said, adding that she was fuming as it was a holiday they were both looking forward to.

His fiancee was caught by surprise when he turned up.

“The crew made it believable. I told them to wait for Edmund but they closed the gate and I was so upset,” Nina recalled.

Later, she heard someone talking through the intercom about her love story with Edmund.

“I could not recognise Edmund's voice at first but I started crying after that,” she said.

Edmund said he only realised how “out-of-the-ordinary” his proposal was when he saw his friends' and relatives' reactions after Nina posted a video of the proposal on Facebook.

“Many friends scolded me for setting the bar so high,” he said.

Edmund's efforts have paid off as Nina accepted his proposal when he got down on his knees.

The couple first met when he was eight and she was seven. They took the same schoolbus to school.

“We only started talking to each other when I bumped into Nina at a bus stop when I was 17. I started waiting for her at the bus stop every day just to see her,” said Edmund, adding that they plan to wed next year.

News

Sunday September 2, 2012

Man proposes to girlfriend on board AirAsia flight

By WONG PEK MEI pekmei@thestar.com.my

By WONG PEK MEI
pekmei@thestar.com.my