THERE’S nothing better than boarding a flight only to find it half empty.
However, think twice before switching to an empty row as it could get you in trouble and even left out of pocket.
Passengers have recently been revealing how they were told they would be charged if they tried to move to a different seat than on their boarding pass.
One passenger wrote on social media: “Most of the plane is empty.
“The attendant told us that they won’t let anyone change seats for less than $86/each even though the plane is nearly empty.”
Another wrote: “Picture it an empty plane, the flight attendant comes into the speaker saying we have to sit where we were assigned for weight issues……..
“Then…. Proceeds to say that for the low low cost of of 50$ we can swap seats.”
While it might seem unfair, the reasons behind it are due to safety.
Travel expert Brett Snyder told according to USA Today: ” Airlines will know where people are sitting, they calculate the weight and balance using their systems, and they will load the cargo and the luggage properly to make sure it stays in balance.
“It is still something that can be a problem and travelers do not want to mess that up for their flight.”
A flight attendant also backed this up.
Hailey Way, who previously worked for SkyWest Airlines, said: “If it’s deemed safe to rearrange passenger seating on an aircraft to accommodate weight and balance, then this is done prior to takeoff.”
Not all airlines will charge passengers for trying to switch seats.
It is advised however to ask crew first, as there might be a reason they are empty outside of weight limits.
And of course you can only move to another seat within your class.
So don’t expect to be able to move from an economy seat to one with extra legroom.
Some passengers have tried the controversial “empty middle seat” trick when travelling as a couple.
The “hack” is to book the window and aisle seat as a couple, with the hopes that the middle seat is left empty.
However, this doesn’t always pay off, especially on full flights.
It also risks annoying the passenger in between, if you decide to stay in your seats while with your travel companion and talk over them.
One airline is now letting you bid for an empty seat next to you for just £14.
THE world’s best male bodybuilders are going to be back in action as the time for Mr Olympia 2025 has come.
The most muscular and bronzed that the world has to offer will take to the stage in Las Vegas in a bid to be crowned the best of the best in bodybuilding.
The top competitors in the bodybuilding world will descend upon Las Vegas this weekend, on Saturday, October 11 for Mr Olympia.
The event will be taking place in the Las Vegas Convention Centre.
Pre-judging kicks off at 9:30am on Saturday, all before the finals get underway at 7pm.
Following an unprecedented increase in the prize pot, there is now a life-changing amount of money on the line for the ripped winner.
Mr Olympia has increased the already massive prize purse from $1.8m, reflecting a direct financial competition with other major shows and it proves how at the top tier in the events there’s a real injection of money.
As a result, the prize purse is now a whopping $2m and will be divided amongst the 11 divisions at the event, with $600,00 going to the Mr Olympia victor.
For the others who podium, they’ll still receive a massive $250,000 for second and $100,000 for third.
For the other divisions, the prize is a lot more modest, with the women’s categories and the remaining men’s taking $50,000 as the top prize.
The 2025 edition of the bodybuilding competition is set to be a thriller with the fierce rivalry between Samson Dauda, Hadi Choopan, and Derek Lunsford expected to reach the next level.
Choopan missed out on the Arnold Classic, which gave Lunsford the opportunity to take the win, setting him up to be a potential threat for the title.
Dauda is also in the best physical shape of his career, although was beaten at the Classic, leaving him with a bone to pick against Lunsford.
And so, while Dauda and Choopan can’t be forgotten, Lunsford is coming off the back of a win and has put in the work to improve himself and his body to finally take the Olympia title and put his name in the history books.
Elsewhere, the women’s competition is also set to be an exciting event.
This year’s Ms Olympia fans are watching for Andrea Shaw. She is a force to be reckoned with, after she won her first Ms Olympia title at her debut in 2020, beating other Olympia veterans like Helle Trevino, Mayla Ash, and Maggie Martin.
The Women’s Open division has increased in popularity during this dominance by Shaw. However, she has a bit of competition this year if she wants to upgrade that to a five-year dominance.
A MICHELIN-STARRED chef has announced an unexpected closure of his restaurant “with great sadness”
The popular establishment will shut its doors for good after 12 years in business.
Owner Phil Thompson took to Instagram to bid goodbye to his loyal customers.
He has shared that his brainchild Thompson in St Albans will be closing permanently.
In a post, Phil wrote: “It is with great sadness that after 12 years, we will be closing the doors to Thompson St Albans.
“On behalf of myself and the team, I would like to thank everyone who supported and grew with us over the past 12 years.
“Our regulars became part of the Thompson family, which meant the world. To all our staff past and present, thank you for all your hard work.
“It wasn’t always easy, but you truly made Thompson St Albans a chapter in my life that I will always be very proud to remember. Warmest regards, Phil.”
The restaurant will serve its diners for the final time on Saturday, October 18.
Customers will be able to enjoy a special, “closing menu” which features seven courses.
Restaurateur Phil hoped of one day opening his own restaurant when he was still cleaning pots in his uncle Mick’s kitchen.
He is originally from Essex, comes from a family of chefs, and began his career working in London and Hertfordshire.
While working at Brocket Hall’s Auberge du Lac, he earned two Michelin stars.
Phil’s goal became a reality in November 2013 when he established Thompsons, replacing the old Darcy’s restaurant.
Since then, it has become a citywide household name.
Customers will still have a chance of tasting the renowned chef’s cooking.
Phil has been advertising his home dining concept on the restaurant website.
He wrote: “I have already had the pleasure of cooking in the homes of some of our guests as their personal chef for the evening.
“Please book me for your special event, and I look forward to seeing you again very soon!”
FA CUP organisers have confirmed the ball numbers for the first round – which means the draw is not far away!
64 non-professional sides had dreams of keeping their cup run alive before the start of the fourth round qualifying fixtures.
Each winning team earns a spot in the hat along with some extra funds in the kitty for making it to the first proper round.
However, this also comes with a potential clash against a League One or League Two side who now enter the fray.
So fans are eager to know what ball number to keep an eye on for when the draw gets made.
Here are the all-important ball numbers for the FA Cup first round draw:
1. Accrington Stanley
2. AFC Wimbledon
3. Barnet
4. Barnsley
5. Barrow
6. Blackpool
7. Bolton Wanderers
8. Bradford City
9. Bristol Rovers
10. Bromley
11. Burton Albion
12. Cambridge United
13. Cardiff City
14. Cheltenham Town
15. Chesterfield
16. Colchester United
17. Crawley Town
18. Crewe Alexandra
19. Doncaster Rovers
20. Exeter City
21. Fleetwood Town
22. Gillingham
23. Grimsby Town
24. Harrogate Town
25. Huddersfield Town
26. Leyton Orient
27. Lincoln City
28. Luton Town
29. Mansfield Town
30. Milton Keynes Dons
31. Newport County
32. Northampton Town
33. Notts County
34. Oldham Athletic
35. Peterborough United
36. Plymouth Argyle
37. Port Vale
38. Reading
39. Rotherham United
40. Salford City
41. Shrewsbury Town
42. Stevenage
43. Stockport County
44. Swindon
45. Tranmere Rovers
46. Walsall
47. Wigan Athletic
48. Wycombe Wanderers
49. Darlington or AFC Telford United
50. Macclesfield or Stamford
51. Gainsborough Trinity or Hartlepool United
52. Carlisle United or Boston United
53. Rochdale or York City
54. Runcorn Linnets or Buxton
55. Morecambe or Chester
56. South Shields or Spalding United
57. Tamworth or Hyde United
58. Scunthorpe United or King’s Lynn Town
59. Aveley or Gateshead
60. Spennymoor Town or Billericay Town
61. Southport or FC Halifax Town
62. Altrincham or Harborough Town
63. Worthing or Forest Green Rovers
64. Maldon & Tiptree or Flackwell Heath
65. Woking or Brackley Town
66. Wealdstone or Whitstable Town
67. Slough Town or Enfield Town
68. Eastbourne Borough or Boreham Wood
69. Hampton & Richmond Borough or Eastleigh
70. Southend United or Folkestone Invicta
71. Ebbsfleet United or Solihull Moors
72. Braintree Town or Farnborough
73. Tonbridge Angels or Chatham Town
74. Weston Super Mare or Needham Market
75. Hemel Hempstead Town or Yeovil Town
76. Banbury United or St Albans City
77. Chelmsford City or Chippenham Town
78. AFC Totton or Truro City
79. Dorking Wanderers or Aldershot Town
80. Farnham Town or Sutton United
North
South
TYSON FURY has paid tribute to the late Ricky Hatton and said: “I wanted to be just like him”.
Hatton – Britain’s beloved fighter – sadly passed away aged just 46 in September – leaving behind an iconic legacy.
Renowned as the working-class people’s champion – the heroic Mancunian inspired an era of up and coming fighters – like Fury.
And the Gypsy King remembers cheering on Hatton in 2005 – in what was the two-weight champ’s crowning night against Kostya Tszyu.
During a run, Fury told his Instagram followers: “Today’s the day of Ricky Hatton’s funeral and I’m not going to be alone when I say this that Ricky inspired me as a young boy to go on and do great things in boxing.
Follow all the latest from Ricky Hatton’s funeral
“I wanted to be just like him, the ringwalks, the flashy shorts, the fans, the chanting.
“When I was a little kid, he was fighting for his world title in Manchester against Kostya Tszyu and I was there along with other young kids who were also inspired by Ricky.
“So without Ricky Hatton, Manchester wouldn’t have had, the North West wouldn’t have had, the UK wouldn’t have had, so many boxing world champions inspired by the great Richard The Hitman Hatton.
“Rest in peace, Rick. See you soon buddy.”
Fury won the heavyweight world title in a 2015 upset against Wladimir Klitschko.
But by 2017, he was forced to vacate the three belts after falling into depression and substance abuse.
Hatton – who also suffered mentally throughout his career and retirement – helped Fury through the tough times.
Fury trained in Hatton’s Manchester gym for his 2018 comeback and even had the former two-weight champ in his corner.
The Gypsy King later regained the world title with victory over Deontay Wilder in 2020 – holding the belt for four years.
Hatton’s death meanwhile shocked the British public, leaving behind son Campbell, daughters Fearne, Millie and granddaughter Lyla.
His funeral – held at Manchester cathedral – saw stars like Fury, Frank Bruno, Amir Khan, Wayne Rooney and Freddie Flintoff turn out.
Thousands of fans also lined the streets to say goodbye to the sporting legend.
A TRANSGENDER woman has been jailed for sexual assault after concealing she had male genitalia from a man she was on a date with.
Ciara Watkin, 21, spent the night with her victim after they had exchanged messages on Snapchat.
She performed sex acts on the man but refused to let him touch her, claiming she was on her period.
The victim only discovered the truth when Watkin later told him she had a “massive secret”.
She has now been found jailed for 21 months after being found guilty of two charges of sexual assault and one charge of assault by penetration.
Teesside Crown Court heard Watkin had no gender reassignment surgery and stuffed clothing inside her bra.
Her Snapchat profile used a female cartoon avatar and there had been no discussion about sexuality or gender.
In a police interview played in court, the victim said: “All the way throughout she made out she was fully a girl.”
He told officers how the pair had been sat for a while drinking and chatting before heading to the bedroom.
The man added: “Throughout the full time, she was telling me she was on her period.
“It was like as far as I was concerned she was a female.”
Watkin later messaged him to admit she had a “massive secret” to which he replied to ask if she was pregnant.
Instead, she revealed: “I’m trans. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
The man messaged: “WTF. So you have a d***?”.
He added: “OMFG. I feel ill,” before reporting her to the police.
Asked how he felt about discovering the truth, the victim told officers he felt like “it’s taken away my manhood”.
He also said he was “shocked” and claimed he would not have got with her if he knew Watkin had a penis as he “didn’t swing that way”.
The man continued: “I see it as something that upsets me. I’m just trying to hide my emotions. At first I did just have an emotional breakdown.”
Ahead of today’s case, Watkin told The Sun: “He must have known I’m not female. He knew all along I was trans and at first chose to ignore it.
“His mum knew and all his mates who met me knew, so how could he claim to be the only one who didn’t?
“I am not finished with this – I have a strong case that I have been unfairly prosecuted and I’m prepared to make a legal case for that.”
