British diplomats 'fly Economy class' - Jon Benjamin

The British High Commissioner to Ghana Jon Benjamin has revealed that British High commissioners and other diplomats do not  fly first class on planes.

According to him, the UK has strict rules on how resources are used by its foreign staff and therefore does not allow its diplomats to travel in the first class compartment of planes except under exceptional circumstances.

Speaking to Accra-based Starr FM Monday, Mr Benjamin said: “No I don’t fly first class, I fly economy class.”

He continued: “We have very strict rules, any flight of less than ten hours, you fly economy. The only exception is if you are flying overnight straight into a meeting then you can have a case for a higher class, but it has to be cleared and agreed, but generally we fly in economy. I don’t think I have ever traveled first class”.

First class is a travel class on some airliners that is more luxurious than business class, premium economy, and economy class. On a passenger jetliner, first class usually refers to a limited number of seats or cabins toward the front of the aircraft which have more space, comfort, service, and privacy.

African diplomats and politicians who rely on countries like the UK for aid to balance their budgets, are believed to often travel on the first class compartment of planes.