Richard Styles was previously convicted of smuggling drugs.
NCA
A pilot who tried to use a plane to smuggle four people from Belgium to Britain has been jailed.
Richard Styles joked with police when he was arrested, saying "I normally get arrested for drugs."
Styles was previously jailed for using a small plane to smuggle ecstasy and cannabis.
A pilot once jailed for smuggling drugs in a light aircraft has been sentenced again – this time for trying to smuggling people.
Richard Styles, 53, was sentenced to seven years, alongside fellow pilot Silvano Turchet and taxi driver Vijayakumar Sivakumar, for trafficking three men and a woman who were trying to evade immigration checks from Belgium to Britain.
The UK's National Crime Agency said Styles worked with Turchet to rent a six-seater Piper Seneca plane for £1,500 ($1,900).
Investigators believe the men were in contact with an Albanian known as "Tim K," who arranged for Styles to meet his passengers in Belgium. When the plane landed at Deenethorpe Airfield in Northamptonshire, England on March 23 last year, police were waiting.
When Styles was arrested, he joked with authorities, saying: "I normally get arrested for drugs, so it's a bit strange."
He was previously convicted for attempting to smuggle ecstasy from Belgium in 2003, and used a plane to drop cannabis into Jersey in the Channel Islands the same year. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2006, where he met his accomplice Turchet.
Jacque Beer of the National Crime Agency said: "Styles was a career criminal who previously used his piloting skills to move consignments of drugs around Europe. On this occasion he was offering a luxury end-to-end service, bringing people into the UK using a private plane.
"His comments to my officers show that he considered getting arrested nothing more than an occupational hazard."
The plane used by Richard Styles to smuggle four people.
NCA
Turchet was arrested at his home in Nottingham in July 2022 after NCA investigators identified him as the organizer. He eventually pleaded guilty, while Sivakumar was found guilty by a jury after a five-day trial.
Turchet was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, while Sivakumar was sentenced to four and a half years.
Katy Perry lost her 15-year trademark dispute with a designer.
Richard Shotwell/AP
Pop singer Katy Perry lost a 15-year trademark battle with a clothing designer named Katie Perry.
The "Teenage Dream" singer partially infringed the trademark of the designer's business.
"This is a tale of two women, two teenage dreams and one name," the judge said in her ruling.
Katy Perry lost a "David versus Goliath" trademark dispute brought by an Australian designer called Katie Perry, according to multiple reports.
Federal court judge Brigitte Markovic ruled that the "Teenage Dream" singer partially infringed the trademark of the designer's clothing business, according to documents released Thursday, Sky News reported.
"This is a tale of two women, two teenage dreams and one name," Markovic said in the judgment.
Sydney-based Katie Perry filed the lawsuit in 2019 and claimed the pop singer disregarded her trademark by selling clothing merchandise on her Australian tours between 2014 and 2018, Reuters reported.
The trademark battle spanned 15 years as the performer attempted to block the designer from registering the trademark and sought to stop her using it before dropping the move, Katie Perry claimed.
The clothing designer registered her brand name Katie Perry in 2008, a year after she started selling clothes under that name. It was the same year that Perry hit the big time with her song "I Kissed a Girl".
"Not only have I fought [for] myself, but I fought for small businesses in this country, many of them started by women, who can find themselves up against overseas entities who have much more financial power than we do," she said on her website and Instagram.
Judge Markovic ruled that the hitmaker infringed on the designer's trademark by promoting hoodies, sweatpants, T-shirts and other items on her social media, according to BBC News. However, she dismissed infringement claims around merchandise sales for her 2018 tour.
Air France and KLM started selling new business class light tickets on April 24.
The fare does not include perks like lounge access, seat selection before check-in, and refunds.
It's part of a trend that started in 2019 when Emirates first unbundled its business class offering.
Air France and KLM are the latest airlines to join in on the "basic" business class trend: offering passengers a cheaper business class ticket, without some of the perks usually associated with the class.
If you want the comfy business class seat, but have no time to go to the lounge, for example, or don't need to check a bag, you can purchase a business ticket that forgoes those perks, depending on the airline and route.
The tickets are slightly cheaper than regular business class and have names like "light", "special", "saver", "lite", and "simple". These are usually sold in comparison to the fullbusiness class experience, called "flex", "flex plus", "comfort", and "elite".
The new offering is part of the unbundling strategy that has been widespread in economy class for some time, and it has raised some eyebrows when it comes to business class, as some people perceive it as taking things away from an already pricey ticket rather than offering more flexibility.
Here are some of the airlines that have gone basic with their business offerings:
Air France and KLM
Air France business class seat.
Air France
As of April 24, Air France and KLM — two large European airlines that share a parent company — have started selling business class light tickets, in addition to the standard and flex tickets they were already offering.
Business light does not include lounge access, it does not have a free seat selection before check-in, and it allows only one checked baggage with a maximum of 70 pounds, instead of two. Additionally, the ticket is non-refundable and ticket changes are permitted only by paying a fee of roughly $300.
For about $100 more, business standard has lounge access, two pieces of checked baggage, and the option to change the ticket for free, but no free seat selection before check-in, and no refunds.
The most expensive option, business flex, has it all.
As an example, KLM business tickets from Amsterdam to Singapore in August on a randomly selected flight would run $1,662 for light, $1,772 for standard, and $ 1,938 for flex.
The goal of the new fare is to "offer personalized fares" and "offer more choice," a KLM spokesperson told Insider in an email.
The new option is available on long-haul flights, except for routes to North America, China, Vietnam, and Mauritius.
Emirates
Emirates business class lounge.
Tonya Russell
Emirates is reportedly one of the first major airlines to have started unbundling its business class offering back in 2019.
That's when it rolled out its special business class tickets, with no lounge access, no chauffeur service, restricted seat selection, no refunds, a more expensive change fee, and no ability to upgrade to first class through miles.
The special business fare is a cheaper alternative to Emirates' saver, flex, and flex plus ticket options.
Flex plus, the most expensive offering, allows passengers to change tickets and have refunds without any charge.
Baggage allowance is the same for all business class passengers, regardless of the fare selected.
As an example, business tickets on a randomly selected flight from New York to Dubai in August would cost $3,456 for special, $3,747 for saver, $4,527 for flex, and $ 6,607 for flex plus.
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways' Boeing 787 business class.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Qatar Airways introduced its own unbundled business class in 2020 — offering Classic, Comfort, and Elite business tickets — and it has since then added an additional tier, the Lite business class ticket.
Qatar's business class Lite fare is its cheapest. It does not offer seat selection before check-in and charges passengers for refunds, changes, and lounge access.
Elite business tickets, on the other hand of the spectrum, are refundable with unlimited changes, lounge access, and seat selection all included in the original price.
Lite business tickets could cost as much as $3000 less than elite business tickets, according to reviews.
Unlike most "cheaper" business class tickets, Finnair Business Light has no checked baggage, no allowed changes of travel dates or potential refunds, it doesn't offer advanced seat selection, has no lounge access, and does not give passengers priority boarding.
Lounge access, checked baggage, and seat selection can all be purchased for an additional fee.
The light fare is in comparison to Finnair's business classic and business flex tickets.
Business tickets from Amsterdam to Hong Kong in November — a randomly selected route as an example — would cost approximately $1,043 for Light, $1,208 for Classic, and $1,526 for Flex.
ZIPAIR
ZIPAIR full-flat seats.
Courtesy of ZIPAIR
The new low-cost Japanese airline has unbundled its business class tickets so much that a passenger can purchase the seat and nothing else, and it claims to have merely two different kinds of seats in its planes instead of two classes of service.
ZIPAIR's business class seats are called Full-Flat, and while passengers can select three Full-Flat packages — Value, Biz, and Premium — they can also decide to customize their own package and buy nothing more than the seat.
Things like in-flight meals, check-in baggage, seat selection, and lounge access are not included in the cheapest full-flat ticket price but can be purchased as add-ons.
Full-flat tickets from Honolulu to Tokyo in August — a route randomly selected by Insider — would cost approximately $1,420 for just the seat. For about $100 more, passengers would get a meal, seat selection, checked bag, and an amenity set.
"Sugar babies" can meet "sugar daddies" on Seeking Arrangement.
Getty Images
A lawyer was suspended after trying to sue his former "sugar baby" for C$226 million ($166 million).
Azmal Ramal-Shah said he was the victim of fraud after the woman made excuses to avoid seeing him.
But a court said his conduct during the lawsuit was "unbecoming" and suspended him for a month.
A lawyer who tried to sue his former "sugar baby" for C$229 million ($169 million) has been suspended after a court ruled he had become "obsessed" with the woman.
The Law Society of Ontario revoked Toronto lawyer Azmat Ramal-Shah's licence for a month starting April 25 after ruling that he "engaged in professional misconduct and conduct unbecoming" in his pursuit of damages for fraud after his arrangement with a student broke down.
According to court documents, Ramal-Shah, then 30, met the then-18-year-old University of Ottawa student in 2016 on Seeking Arrangement, a website where "sugar babies" and "sugar daddies" can meet.
The arrangement was described as "virtual," with the woman listening to Ramal-Shah talk about his problems and providing him with friendship. Ramal-Shah would pay her expenses including rent, and let her use his Uber Eats and Uber accounts.
He estimates he paid the woman $20,000 over the period of their "relationship" between May 2016 and March 2018.
But after meeting in person for dinner in Ottawa a few months into the arrangement, the woman alleged that Ramal-Shah's behavior began to make her feel unsafe. She claimed Ramal-Shah would interrogate her about who she had spent time with and insult her.
His behavior led the woman to attempt to sever ties with Ramal-Shah.
Court documents show she made up excuses including that she had broken her leg, that her aunt had died, and that she was being treated for cancer, to avoid seeing him again.
In a bid for revenge, Ramal-Shah began contacting her friends, her mother, and her boyfriend, setting up several social media accounts to continue his attacks, per other documents reviewed by CTV.
Ramal-Shah urged the woman's mother to offer a settlement to keep the matter out of courts, before eventually suing the family.
"I've tried reasoning with [her] but I don't think she ever loved me, this [has] all been about exploiting me for money," according to an email from Ramal-Shah to the woman's mother submitted as evidence.
"At this point, I don't believe there was a broken leg or surgeons or chemotherapy," the lawyer wrote. "I really thought [she] had cancer – clearly I was mistaken and was a victim of fraud."
The court rejected Ramal-Shah's lawsuit because it was outside the statute of limitations and was "frivolous, vexatious, or otherwise an abuse of process." He was ordered to pay the woman's family C$15,000 (about $11,000) in reimbursements for legal costs.
British Airways' mock first-class cabin, and Insider's Pete Syme.
Pete Syme/Insider
British Airways spent five months developing a new training course for its first-class cabin crew.
I experienced a one-day version, tasting vintage wines and learning about the finer details.
The passionate instructors had great stories about serving the airline's wealthiest passengers.
British Airways has spent five months developing a new training course for its first-class cabin crew, who look after the richest and most famous passengers.
The entrance to British Airways' Global Learning Academy.
Pete Syme/Insider
I got the chance to experience a condensed version of the new course. BA staff have to write a 1,000-word application for the four-day program, which teaches them how to serve food, provide a bed turndown service, and understand the nuances of wine.
Pete Syme/Insider
The training takes place in a mock cabin at BA's Global Learning Academy.
Pete Syme/Insider
It's based in the offices at the top of this parking lot next to Heathrow Airport, about an hour by Underground from central London. It was strange going to the airport without worrying about boarding times.
Pete Syme/Insider
The new crew uniforms designed by Ozwald Boateng – BA's first revamp for 20 years – were on display in the lobby too.
Pete Syme/Insider
The day began with a presentation. Tim Baxter (center) said he wanted to be a flight attendant since the age of six, when he practiced serving Play-Doh food to family. He's worked in first-class cabins for 27 years.
Pete Syme/Insider
I ate a full English breakfast to experience what it's like to be a first-class passenger, which the instructors say lets trainees understand how customers see things.
Pete Syme/Insider
I was given a hot towel and offered a selection of baked goods before my breakfast order was taken, just like a first-class passenger would.
Pete Syme/Insider
Forget the stereotypes about airplane food – this might've been the tastiest English breakfast I've had.
Pete Syme/Insider
David Mason, the product lead, said BA saved $8.5 million by reusing old parts for the mock-up. It felt just like the real thing – except for plastic air-conditioners and a laminated-paper screen.
Pete Syme/Insider
Then the script was flipped and I was put in the shoes of a flight attendant, starting with the turndown service. Baxter explained that the pillow should be held by the corners, and the duvet is folded at a 45-degree angle.
Pete Syme/Insider
Baxter said flight attendants need core strength because of all the leaning involved, so he does Pilates once a week. "It's very labor intensive, because we're always on our feet," he says. "But it's a labor of love."
Pete Syme/Insider
Not my best work, but I got a pass. The bedding is 400 thread-count linen, and the cushion uses Scotland's famed Harris tweed.
Pete Syme/Insider
Then it was time to serve afternoon tea, including scones, sandwiches, and mini-cakes, which must be placed on the top plate. All the tableware is made in Britain, with the $150 William Edwards teapot and $125 plates featuring a unique BA weave design.
Pete Syme/Insider
When it was my turn I managed to knock over a small pot. One tip is to keep your thumb on the champagne glass so it can't be spilled by turbulence.
Pete Syme/Insider
And my finished product. The teapots are at a 4 o'clock angle because the story goes that when the Duchess of Bedford "invented" afternoon tea in the 19th century, that's the time it was always served. It also just looks better.
Pete Syme/Insider
The instructors all had some amazing anecdotes. Baxter said he loves meeting his idols and seeing families grow up over the years. Apparently, one famous British singer never eats from the table, but has the plate on a cushion on his lap.
Pete Syme/Insider
First-class passengers in the center seats also have an optional divider. The instructor recalled one couple who were all smiles on their trip to the Maldives, but the divider remained firmly closed on the way home.
Pete Syme/Insider
Next up we learned about the first-class catering, handled by Vienna-based DO&CO which started in the aviation sector in 1996 thanks to racing driver Niki Lauda's airline.
Pete Syme/Insider
The meals come in aluminum foil packages, and must be plated while wearing gloves using a standardized set of utensils.
Pete Syme/Insider
The DO&CO chef has a fine-dining background, but the process is simplified to three items for cabin crew.
Pete Syme/Insider
My attempt at plating is on the right.
Pete Syme/Insider
We were also shown how to plate the duo of lamb rack and braised lamb, topped with feta, pomegranate, and mint leaves. The sauce is poured over one spot rather than drizzled around.
Pete Syme/Insider
The passion fruit tart dessert came in a see-through package, with all the fruit in smaller pots.
Pete Syme/Insider
Delicate foods like the passion fruit tart or fish are put on a piece of paper to stop them falling apart. I found removing it much harder than the chefs made it look.
Pete Syme/Insider
I was pretty amazed by how simple it was to plate the dessert – even the finer details like using the fruit to balance the chocolate curl, and keeping the mint leaf upright by pushing in the stem with tongs.
Pete Syme/Insider
But my favorite part of the day was the wine tasting, taught by BA's master of wine, Tim Jackson. He's one of just 416 accredited masters in the world, and the only one employed by an airline.
Pete Syme/Insider
It was my first wine tasting, so I learned a lot. Trainees get a 75-minute session so they're able to understand what a first-class passenger might ask.
Pete Syme/Insider
We started with the whites – a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay – holding a glass in each hand to compare the noses. The latter has a dairy, buttery aroma. Jackson asked questions like "Which wine makes your gums feel drier?" and explained how this was caused by tannins, which make the taste more complex.
Pete Syme/Insider
With a list of six wines, Jackson looks for a broad range to accommodate all tastes. The glass on the right is a 2010 Bordeaux.
Pete Syme/Insider
The Bordeaux had a slight hint of tobacco. It was the best wine I've ever tasted, and gave me a new appreciation for wine.
Pete Syme/Insider
The experience gave me a new appreciation for the care and detail that goes into providing a luxury service – as well as a new ability to pontificate about claret.
Using a chartered passenger jet, the company operates multi-day "air cruises" that take travelers around the world in an all-inclusive itinerary.
AirX Charters A340, registered 9H-BIG.
The tours include the private flights, 5-star hotels during stopovers, three meals a day, and excursions in each city.
Machu Picchu in Peru is a destination on The World Tour Grands Classiques 2023 itinerary.
Currently, there are two trips posted on the company's website: the 22-day World Tour Grands Classiques, which visits places in South America, Australia, and Asia…
The tour starts and ends in Paris and it runs from October 24, 2023, to November 14, 2023.
…and the 24-day World Tour Special Edition, which treks to Mexico, New Zealand, and Israel, among other countries.
The tour starts and ends in Paris and it runs from March 10, 2024, to April 2, 2024.
A Safrans du Monde spokesperson told Insider that reservations have been "booming" for two weeks and the company is "confident that the plane will be filled in no time, as every year."
Tasmania is a destination on The World Tour Grands Classiques 2023 itinerary.
Tourism Tasmania & Sean Fennessy
Prices range from $75,000 to $122,000 per person, with two fare options available — Club Safrans and Première Safrans.
AirX Charters A340, registered 9H-BIG.
Both include the fancy hotels and meals, but Première comes with added perks, like "first class" service on the A340, extra excursions, and "grand luxury" accommodations.
Première guests will get a seaplane ride over Sydney, Australia, and get to stay on Bora Bora in the French Polynesian.
Because everything is pre-planned, guests just need to show up — no worrying about where to stay, what to eat, or what to do.
Petra in the country of Jordan is a destination on The World Tour Grands Classiques 2023 itinerary.
The most convenient part is the chartered plane, which is leased from aircraft operators. For example, Safran du Monde rented from Portuguese charter company Hi Fly in November 2016...
The business class seats on the Hi-Fly A340 used by Safran du Monde in 2016. The plane was also equipped with an economy section.
Meanwhile, French boutique airline La Compagnie provided its 76-seater all-business class Airbus A321neo in 2021, 2022, and most recently on the "Grand Tour of the Americas" trip that departed on April 26, 2023.
La Compagnie is the world's only all-business class airline.
For the two upcoming trips, the plane will be rented from Maltese private charter airline AirX Charter, Safrans du Monde confirmed to Insider. Take a look inside the massive A340-300 — aptly nicknamed, BIG.
AirX Charters A340, registered 9H-BIG.
The VIP A340 entered the AirX fleet in 2016 after flying for SriLankan Airlines for 13 years...
The A340-300 when it flew for SriLankan Airlines, registered at the time as 4R-ADF.
...and it has been used for other high-dollar missions like flying from London to Barbados during the pandemic for $10,000 per roundtrip ticket
COVID-19 tests and a one-night quarantine were required before the wealthy travelers could go on vacation.
According to Safrans du Monde, the plane is equipped with 100 business class seats in a 2x2x2 configuration — perfect for duos traveling together.
Inside the AirX Charters A340.
AirX
There is no economy section, though the aircraft is big enough to accommodate up to 440 people in a high-density passenger configuration.
Pictured is the economy class section of the Hi-Fly A340 flying the world tour for Safrans du Monde in 2016. Mixed cabins with both business and coach typically seat around 250-290 people on the A340.
The seat is plush and comfortable, but there is one downfall.
Inside the AirX Charters A340.
AirX
While most passengers will have direct-aisle access, those by the window will have to step over their neighbor when the bed is fully flat.
Inside the AirX Charters A340.
Safrans du Monde
Granted, there's about six and a half feet of space between each set of seats, so there is some wiggle room to maneuver around without disturbing a sleeping neighbor.
The seats can also be adjusted into recliners with the legrest up.
AirX
In addition to lie-flat beds, the comfortable loungers come with the regular bells and whistles of business class, including reading lights and linens…
Inside the AirX Charters A340.
AirX
…an adjustable headrest and a legrest…
AirX
…big tray tables, cupholders, and storage space…
Inside the AirX Charters A340.
Safrans du Monde
...a universal power outlet and a USB port...
Inside the AirX Charters A340.
Safrans du Monde
…gourmet food and alcoholic beverages, like local wines...
Safrans du Monde
…and a privacy divider.
Inside the AirX Charters A340.
Moreover, Safrans du Monde says passengers will be given an "entertainment system" to use during the flight. A company spokesperson told Insider this will be a tablet with noise-reduction headphones — not a seatback TV.
Guests will not be able to use a seatback TV, but will have a tablet for entertainment.
Safrans du Monde
There is also a lounge area with two couches in the back of the jet for socializing and sipping on Champagne.
Inside the AirX Charters A340.
AirX
"We can have a real conversation sitting on the sofa, having a drink," Safrans du Monde CEO Guy Bigiaoui in an April video tour of the jet.
A few pairs of business class seats are in between the two couches.
The daytime flights typically range from four to eight hours, but the longest is the 13-hour trek from Paris to Mexico City on the Special Edition tour.
The Paris to Rio de Janeiro route for the Grands Classiques tours takes about 12 and half hours.
Safrans du Monde
While there are pre-planned itineraries available to book, customers can also plan a trip wherever they want to go First Officer Bernhard, who flies the A340, said in the April video tour.
First Officer Bernhard in the AirX Charters A340 during a video tour in April 2023.
In fact, Safrans du Monde can build tailor-made trips from scratch thanks to its small team of travel specialists: "We can go to any place in the world," Bernhard said.
Inside the AirX Charters A340.
In the same video, Bigiaoui explained the crew is used to working with "super VIP" individuals, like head of states, sports teams, and orchestras, so they are trained for a high level of customer service.
There are 12 crew members total onboard and they stay with guests for the entire trip. This includes two captions, one first officer, two lead flight attendants, and 7 regular flight attendants, a Safrans du Monde spokesperson told Insider.
"At the end of this trip you will remember your seat, you will remember all of the good times you had in this aircraft," Bigiaoui said.
Inside the AirX Charters A340.
Safrans du Monde is not the only tour company flying wealthy travelers around the world on an A340.
The first Airbus A340 to land on Antarctica.
Hi Fly
Luxury tour operator White Desert uses a leased A340 to transport people from South Africa to the remote continent of Antarctica.
HiFly's Airbus A340 it flies in partnership with White Desert to Antarctica.
Prices start at $14,500 per person for a one-day excursion, with overnight tours at Antarctic camps costing upwards of $104,000.
White Desert guests on skis at an Antarctic camp.
