RAF tech posted more than 400 miles away from son wins Loganair’s Diamond Ticket competition
Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline, has announced the winner of its Diamond Ticket competition as it gifts 60 free flights to an RAF worker who was last year posted in Aberdeen – 423 miles away from his four-year-old son.
To celebrate its 60th-anniversary last month, Loganair launched a competition to give away 60 free flights across its network and asked people to enter the competition by nominating an individual or group deserving of the prize.
Tom Field, a radar tech in the RAF, was nominated by his partner Kerry Grant after a year of Tom “moving heaven and earth” to make sure he could see his four-year-old son Ethan at least every two weeks.
Ethan lives in Lincoln with his mum meaning that dad Tom, who is currently based in Aberdeen, is a long eight-hour drive away. Tom was posted to Scotland in April 2021 and has since been making the long drive to see Ethan every fortnight after an intensive week at work. The 400-mile drive meant that Tom was often extremely tired during precious and quality time with Ethan, with partner Kerry worried about Tom driving through the night.
Now, with the 60 Loganair flights, Tom and Ethan will get to spend quality time together regardless of their long-distance living situation.
While the prize was set to be redeemed for a year with immediate effect, Tom has been posted to an international base until June – making it all the more difficult to keep in contact with Ethan as he is limited to data service from his base. The airline has therefore extended the start date for the father and son duo, meaning that when Tom returns in June, the two will have a year to make the most of their prize and catch up on lost time.
Four-year-old Ethan, who is a budding pilot enthusiast himself, is extremely excited about spending more time with his dad but also getting to hit the skies on more flights with the airline. When Tom told Ethan about the prize, Ethan said: “Daddy, that means you will get down in time for bedtime stories on Fridays.”
Tom’s partner Kerry Grant said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the prize and can’t believe we won the Diamond Ticket. This will be a lifesaver for Tom and Ethan, meaning they can spend quality time together without being knackered from an eight-hour drive after a long week.
“When I met Tom, I could instantly see what an incredible dad he was and as Tom and I look to a future living in Aberdeen, with Ethan in Lincoln with his mum, I am delighted that I put Tom forward for the competition. This will really take the stress off as he travels between both places and gets to see Ethan as much as he possibly can and bring my son and I together as a family more often
“To us, this is about keeping a family connected and that is absolutely as precious as a diamond.”
Kay Ryan, commercial operating officer at Loganair, said: “Bringing people together and keeping loved ones connected is at the heart of our operation. Tom and Ethan’s story encapsulates the essence of the airline, and we are delighted to be able to give them a year’s worth of quality time together. We look forward to being part of their special trips.”
Loganair was inundated with over 1,400 entries for the Diamond Ticket and, as such, decided to select two runner up winners as part of the competition.
Loganair marked its 60th anniversary on 1 February 2022 – a major milestone for the longest-serving name in the UK airline industry.
