If you've gone to the effort of planning a secret marriage proposal during a romantic minibreak or exotic far-flung holiday, the last thing you'd want is to be rumbled at the airport on the way there.
Engagement rings aren't cheap, with the average in the UK costing over a grand, so you're going to want to keep it in your hand luggage – but this brings a very real risk of setting off the metal detector and having it whipped out in front of your future fiancée. Some people attach a note to the outside of the box saying that there's an engagement ring inside, but this is hardly a foolproof strategy.
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So loved-up travellers will want to thank the big softies at East Midlands Airport, which has just launched a service to help anyone trying to smuggle an engagement ring through security without spoiling the surprise – just in time for Valentine's Day, the Nottingham Post reported.
Anyone hoping to pop the question can contact the airport ahead of their travels and receive a "secret code" which, once uttered to security staff on arrival, will ensure the ring holder is directed to a separate security lane where their belongings will be searched discreetly and away from their SO.
“It would put a big damper on someone’s meticulously planned romantic trip if their big surprise was revealed even before they’ve boarded the plane," said Matthew Quinney, the airport's head of security. “Arguably, there are more romantic places to be proposed to than in our security hall." (Understatement of the year?)
He continued: “So, out of courtesy to those who have been planning this moment for weeks or months, we have put in measures to ensure we’re not the cause of failed marriage proposals."
The initiative will run from 12th February and will cover all flights. To get the code, aspiring romantics should email love@eastmidlandsairport.com ahead of their trip or DM @EMA_Airport on Twitter. An airport security rule that makes our lives more convenient? Whatever next.
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