The emptiest flight you've ever been on
Aug 21, 2018, 9:35 am
#496
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Orcas Island, Washington
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards Select, Maika'i Card
Posts: 256
Once when I was flying NRSA on United from PIT to ORD, I was the only person in coach. Our flight had been delayed, and most passengers were put on other flights. But there were no first class seats on other flights, so everyone in first class decided to stick with the delayed flight.
Aug 21, 2018, 12:50 pm
#498
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: SAN
Programs: UA-1K, AA-Gold, HH-Gold, MR - Gold, HY-Explorist
Posts: 222
Back in the mid 90's, I was on a late night flight Reno-Detroit on a narrow body full size plane (probably an MD-80 if I recall) on Reno Air. There were 9 passengers. They told us we could sit anywhere. 8 people immediately went to first class while I went straight to the back to lie down in a full row. I was the only one in coach as I recall at take-off, although I think one or two more people moved back as the flight went on to sleep.
Aug 21, 2018, 1:17 pm
#499
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: RBK
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 128
Mid-90's, on the short-lived Western Pacific Airlines. My wife and I were the only pax on a late night 737-300 from DEN to LAX. We were in the second row, and the FA's joined us and stretched out on the left and right sides of row 1
Mar 17, 2020, 12:55 pm
#500
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
Well I think the Coronavirus is going to start giving all of us new records. I flew last week right before travel was mainly suspended.
- SK TKU-ARN AT7: Fewer than ten people
- SK ARN-OSL 73G: At most two dozen people
- SK TKU-ARN AT7: Fewer than ten people
- SK ARN-OSL 73G: At most two dozen people
Mar 17, 2020, 12:58 pm
#501
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Colorado (anywhere between DEN DMM BAH)
Programs: United MileagePlus, SkyMiles, AAdvantage, NEXUS
Posts: 3,029
BAH (stopped in RUH)-FRA on LH 637 March 7. Airbus 330.
I think the plane was maybe about a third full or a little less. This was two days before flights between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Germany got suspended, too.
I think the plane was maybe about a third full or a little less. This was two days before flights between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Germany got suspended, too.
Feb 23, 2021, 5:54 pm
#507
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: UA, WN, AA
Posts: 4
OMA-ORD
The emptiest flight I’ve been on was a flight from Omaha to O’Hare where the flight was delayed 6 hours (it was dreadful) it had about 19 people on board, the last 5 rows of the plane were empty. I was in row 18 and was the only person in the back, I’m assuming many people assumed it was cancelled and rebooked the following day.
Feb 24, 2021, 8:16 pm
#508
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: ATL/TLV/SDF
Programs: AA EXP, UA LT Ag, Marriott LT Ti, Hyatt Glob, Avis PC, Busted-Knuckles Club Grand Poobah.
Posts: 2,590
CLT-GSO. I was coming from MSP on US, we landed at CLT and I was continuing to GSO on the same plane. After the CLT pax deplaned there were two of us left on that old 734. We took off for GSO and I doubt we were in the air for more than 15 minutes before landing at GSO.
LGW-MSP on a NW DC-10-30 was the first day of a new second daily and there could not have been more than 15 pax. I had an entire 5-seat row to myself and slept better than I could have in the old World Biz Class recliners, which kind of sucked.
I miss Northwest. Was a MSP-based Platinum and they treated me really well, better than UA ever did as a 1K.
LGW-MSP on a NW DC-10-30 was the first day of a new second daily and there could not have been more than 15 pax. I had an entire 5-seat row to myself and slept better than I could have in the old World Biz Class recliners, which kind of sucked.
I miss Northwest. Was a MSP-based Platinum and they treated me really well, better than UA ever did as a 1K.
Mar 20, 2022, 4:09 am
#509
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northeast Kansas | Colorado Native
Programs: Amex Gold/Plat, UA *G, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Gold, NEXUS, TSA Disparager Unobtanium
Posts: 21,597
With flights so full these days, you can imagine my surprise when we had just five passengers aboard EWR-DCA this past Wednesday. It was an 11:30am departure and, until the morning of the flight, I was the only person booked in F (upgraded at the Gold window). There were just two seats selected in Y, though we gained an additional two passengers shortly before departure. The GA moved the two Y pax to F and we had 5/50 for the hop to DCA. Not a bad way to fly!
Mar 20, 2022, 8:50 am
#510
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 2,094
I took a flight from YYC-LAX last month that was probably only about 5-10% full. It was the last flight of the night so I assume that Air Canada didn't want to cancel it just so they didn't strand the handful of us at the airport. It was rather odd being in a nearly empty aircraft for the duration of the entire flight. No one else was seated within 6 or 7 rows of us.
It got me thinking, what's the emptiest flight you've ever been on? It seems like lately it's become the standard to just cancel severely underbooked flights and reshuffle the passengers to other flights, so empty flights like this are becoming a rarity. Does anyone have any unique experiences regarding flights like this?
It got me thinking, what's the emptiest flight you've ever been on? It seems like lately it's become the standard to just cancel severely underbooked flights and reshuffle the passengers to other flights, so empty flights like this are becoming a rarity. Does anyone have any unique experiences regarding flights like this?