21-year-old Alex Macheras' dream job allows him to fly first class for free

As an aviation analyst and travel journalist, 21-year-old Alex Macheras has a dream job as he jet sets around the world for a living, testing new aircraft before they’re put into commercial service.

This young frequent flyer and traveller provides aviation analysis on international networks BBC News, Sky News, Good Morning Britain & LBC. In addition to this, Alex often reports live from exclusive aviation industry events such as airline launches and deliveries.

A day in the life of Alex involves travelling alone on a plane testing the seats in every cabin, enjoying the food, and usually sipping on a glass of fine wine or Champagne, then sharing pics of his experiences to his followers on social media.

“During these test flights, I have a number of responsibilities on board,” Macheras recently told  telegraph.co.uk.

“First, during the cabin checks, I inspect exactly how the cabin was installed and specifically look for any defects or faults which may be evident in the different cabin products.

“As they are new planes meaning no passengers have had the chance to “normalise” them yet, everything should be perfect, but sometimes it isn’t.”

From the over-head lockets to blankets and cutlery, Macheras tests every little detail and gives his review before passengers get to try it.

Macheras frequently visits the very factories that make planes with pilots and he also gets exclusive access to most airport lounges around the world.

“For me, there’s no better way I could imagine spending a Wednesday afternoon than feeling sick, weightless and watching the super A350 wings curve and shake as we enter a controlled nosedive,” says Macheras, who caught “the travel bug” from a very early age.

Born in the UK, Alex’s father is from Athens, Greece and his mother is from Lacarna, Cyprus and from a young age he would travel on a very regular basis. “My family used to joke that at eight years old I could do the safety demo in five different languages, including Greek.”

"I was born with the travel bug," he said. "There are videos of me as a toddler pointing up at the sky. It was never in my family — my parents worked in cuisine and motorsport, so I wasn't born into anything."

He studied aviation wherever he could, and even took flying lessons.

He was 'constantly reading about trends' in aviation and was inspired by Sir Richard Branson, a hero he has since had the chance to meet. He read his book at a very young age.

"I was [tweeting about] whatever was in the news at the time, and explaining everything on Twitter," he said. "They approved me to go on air. My age was an unspoken thing – I was doing LBC for years before anyone knew I was young."

Alex says he has many goals and ambitions for the future and would like to continue working in the aviation industry.

Follow Alex’s aviation adventures on Twitter or Instagram