James Cox originally planned to propose to his girlfriend Chloe Hutchinson in Frankfurt, Germany
Credit: Kennedy News and Media
NEED TO KNOW
- James Cox accidentally booked a flight to Frankfurt Hahn Airport, 80 miles from his planned proposal destination in Frankfurt, Germany
- The couple ended up in a quiet German town, Lautzenhausen, which they described as a “ghost town”
- Cox proposed at a local Italian restaurant, and the couple said the unexpected twist made the moment more memorable
A man in England mistakenly booked the wrong destination for a romantic proposal, ending up in a “ghost town” instead.
James Cox, 28, thought he had booked a one-night romantic getaway with his girlfriend, Chloe Hutchinson, 31, in Frankfurt, Germany, where he planned to propose.
However, he realized he’d made a mistake when the pair didn’t land in Frankfurt, but at Frankfurt Hahn Airport instead — 80 miles away from their accommodation — after booking the wrong flight destination, according to Kennedy News.
"I was in complete shock, I had no idea what to do. It completely threw all of my plans out the window,” Cox told the outlet. "As we were flying, Chloe could see fields and not a city at all, but I was asleep [on the plane] so I had no clue.”
Credit: Kennedy News and Media
"When we got off the plane, I was looking around and it was a really small, quiet airport and there was no one there. I started panicking,’ Cox recalled. "We decided to check Uber to see if we could get a taxi … My face just dropped [when] Chloe said we were 80 miles away from Frankfurt.”
Cox said he had a “meltdown” at the airport as he thought his proposal plans were ruined. "I was so upset I didn't know what to do. I've never made a mistake with booking things and I felt absolutely sick,” he told Kennedy News.
The couple, who started dating in November 2024, landed in the German town of Lautzenhausen, which they described as a tiny “ghost town” — far from the romantic setting Cox had planned for his special proposal.
"We didn't see anyone while we were walking through the town. We were having to walk past all these factories and this derelict town,” Cox told Kennedy News. "…We’ve never been anywhere so quiet in all of our lives.”
Credit: Kennedy News and Media
Determined to “make the most of the trip,” Cox and Hutchinson made a last-minute booking at a local hotel in Lautzenhausen, which served as an American military site during the Cold War.
Cox ended up proposing to his girlfriend in an Italian restaurant in the town.
"It made it even more special,” Hutchinson told Kennedy News. “It was something memorable and silly and I don't think it could be more us."
The couple were told by a staff member at their hotel that many others had made the same booking mistake at the town. "Every person we came across said it happened all the time," Cox said.
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The couple has set their wedding for April 2027 and are planning a romantic ceremony abroad for the nuptials — which they hope will go as planned this time around.
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