A flight attendant has shared details of her romance with her now-husband, Stuart, which began with a chance encounter at 30,000 feet on a flight to Tenerife.
Cabin crew member, Alexis Milford-White, was 32 when she boarded a TUI aircraft at Manchester Airport in June 2001, expecting a routine shift.
As she carried out her duties on the Boeing 757, Stuart, who was 24 and travelling on holiday with friends at the time, soon caught her eye.
She explained: ‘We got chatting throughout the flight, and at one point he even helped me when I dropped the money from duty free sales all over the cabin floor. It was one of those moments that just broke the ice.’
After landing in the Canary Islands, Stuart plucked up the courage to ask Alexis for her details – three days later, she finally received a text.
She gushed: ‘We stayed in touch throughout his holiday and would talk on the phone for hours, sometimes up to 12 hours at a time.’
Alexis, determined to see Stuart one more time before he flew back home, managed to secure a shift on his return flight.
Shortly after, the pair arranged to ‘meet properly’, and it didn’t take long for them to click and start seeing each other every week.
TUI cabin crew member, Alexis Milford-White, has shared how she fell in love with her now-husband Stuart at 30,000 feet in June 2001
Alexis was 32 when she began her shift on a Boeing 737 departing Manchester Airport for Tenerife, Spain
But, just two months into their relationship, the challenges of long-distance dating – with Stuart based in Birmingham and Alexis in Preston – were overshadowed by a tragic turn of events.
The flight attendant became seriously ill with a spinal bacterial infection that left her unable to walk.
Despite living miles apart, Stuart left his training in Birmingham ‘without hesitation’ and rushed to be by Alexis’s side.
She said: ‘It was a difficult time and I was off work for a long time. But he was an amazing support and it became clear very quickly we were meant to be together.’
Stuart stood by her as she learned to walk again, including rehabilitation in a pool.
He moved in after six months, and they have been inseparable ever since. Both Disney fans, they married at Disney World in Florida in 2004.
The couple say listening, supporting one another, and making the most of their time together has been key. Alexis added that travelling for work makes them value the time they spend together even more.
Becoming cabin crew was a lifelong dream for Alexis – after years working in a bank, she took a leap of faith, applied for a role with TUI, and got the job at her first interview.
The pair have been inseparable since the day they met, with Stuart moving in after six months and the couple later tying the knot at Disney World in Florida in 2004
The couple say the key to making their 25-year relationship work is by listening, supporting one another, and making the most of their time together
Now celebrating their 25th Valentine’s Day together, Alexis and Stuart say a chance meeting in the sky changed their lives forever.
The flight attendant said: ‘We’ve had our ups and downs like any couple. But if it wasn’t for that flight, we wouldn’t be together.
‘I went to work that day thinking it was just another shift, and instead I met my husband and he’s my rock. Even after all these years, it still amazes me that love found us in the sky.’
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, they say their story is a reminder that love can blossom anywhere – even on a routine TUI flight to Tenerife.
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