The same appearance, clothes and even first and last names: a man met his copy on the plane

An airplane passenger probably thought he was flying to a parallel dimension when he sat next to his doppelganger, who had the same appearance, clothes, and even name.

Mark Garland, 58, told SSPDaily about the amazing encounter that took place on March 2 during a flight from London to Bangkok.

The bus driver, originally from Trowbridge, UK, was reportedly checking in for his flight when the boarding agents were surprised to tell him that he had already checked in. Only later did the staff realize that there were two Mark Garland's on the same flight.

The second was a 62-year-old construction worker from Wormley, Bristol, who was an exact copy of his younger counterpart with similar features and the same bald spot.

Mark Jr. explained that the receptionist had apparently not provided a booking number and instead checked in his lookalike, which initially caused him some concern.

"I stood at the front desk for 40 minutes while they tried to solve the problem," the transit worker complained. "Then we had to go to the boarding gate early to identify our cases."

It was then that the twins met in person - an experience that forced them to look in the mirror.

"I was shocked at how weird it was," said the younger Mark, after seeing his double in flight. "People were saying we could be brothers. I said: "Look, I'm Mark Garland," showing him my passport, and he started laughing, opened his passport and showed me his name."

They then jokingly started blaming each other for causing so many "problems".

The older Mark was also stunned by the encounter, exclaiming: "It was crazy - I've never seen anything like it. I walk up to the table and I see a guy who looks just like me, but he's a little bit bigger than me," the construction worker said before making a cheeky joke. "I'm more handsome."

The younger and older Marks accidentally decided to go to Thailand for a vacation for four and three weeks, respectively. And the happy accident did not end there: when the couple boarded the plane, they found themselves sitting next to each other.

They chatted for the entire 11.5-hour flight, during which they realized they had much more in common than just a coincidence of names and looks. The two lived just 15 minutes apart and had unknowingly crossed paths before.

"I'm a bus driver, and Mark said he sometimes uses my bus," said Mark.

In addition, both men had four children each, although Mark, the bus driver, had never been married and Mark, the construction worker, was divorced.

They even knew some of the same people. "One of my colleagues knows him and goes to the pub with him," said the younger Mark.

And, of course, both men have a passion for Thailand, each having visited this Southeast Asian paradise dozens of times.

"I told him I've been there 13 times, and he told me he's been 83 times," said the older Mark.

By the end of the flight, the pair had become so inseparable that Mark Jr. "took a little nap on his shoulder."

Now both Marks believe this is the beginning of a permanent connection. "This chance meeting made me happy," said the bus driver, who plans to keep in touch with his older colleague and meet up for a beer in Thailand.

"I've made a friend for life," said the older Mark.