Laughing all the way to the bank, Peter Harrison, MBE and his wife, Marguerite, both aged 76 struck a deal with British Airways in 1983 that has saved them nearly £10,000 for the Millennium.

Taking the gamble, Peter Harrison negotiated two First Class fares to Sydney for the Millennium period at £999 per person. With today`s First Class fares to Sydney at around £5,773 per person they are definitely quids in.

The early bookers approached British Airways after a great friend, who lives in Sydney, invited them to a Millennium party during their 1983 visit. They said they would definitely be there and started negotiating on their return to the UK.

Mr Harrison commented:- “It is fantastic to see our well-laid plans finally coming to fruition. Some people might think it is a little unusual to make an arrangement 15 years in advance but we knew we couldn`t miss this party for anything in the world”.

He continued: “The idea came to us when we were on our way back from Sydney on a British Airways flight. Reading through High Life magazine we saw an article on Colin Marshall`s appointment as CEO and we decided then to write to him. We are over the moon that he was agreeable to our plans”.

British Airways, Director of Sales, Dale Moss said:- “This was an unusual transaction for the airline but we were delighted to be able to set the Harrisons plans in stone - we sincerely wish them a Happy Millennium New Year.”

The tax free investment in British Airways tickets has turned out to be more lucrative than putting the money into the stock market, the Post Office, or simply leaving it to grow with inflation.

The couple are collecting their tickets from the British Airways Travel Shop in Regent Street on Saturday, August 14 - they jet off to Sydney on December 28.

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