LOL. I was A16, I almost always am due to how much I fly WN.

I never line up until they call pre-boards or A group line up. Whichever. But, to your point, I often push my way past a bunch of folks A30-A20 group that have been standing there for 10-15 minutes despite the boarding process.

Very odd form of gate lice on the WN flights.

Husband and myself only passengers in a 42 seat business class cabin. Do you think we got extra attentive service? No, we were just left to our own devices and relatively ignored except for meal time.

In 2001 on the return from EZE. The flight from ATL to SLC was a Delta 767-300. There couldn't have been more than 10 people in the back and maybe 4 up front.

In late 1973, I was returning from to the U.S. from Africa, during the Arab oil embargo. TWA had been on strike for 40+ days. I'd gotten as far as LHR and just as I was trying to get across the Atlantic with them in time for Christmas, the strike ended and they needed to reposition aircraft. So they rushed to get a plane off and I was one of a handful that got on the flight. I can't recall what aircraft it was (747?) but the very few of us each had many wide open rows to choose from.

I've been 1 of circa 20 on a Ryanair flight out Manchester heading to Charleroi during the Christmas period. Normally the morning flight (6am departure) is business heavy and so not super busy with most offices closed. We were all asked to occupy only a few rows over the wing for balance. From memory we occupied 5 rows with everyone spaced out a bit.

Long haul where you expect this perhaps less; I was 1 of about 50 Y passengers on the CX flight from Manchester to Hong Kong in March. I was in XXA and had no one between me and the window on the other side of the plane, and no one three rows either side, with most people sleeping lengthways comfortably. Bliss. The CX flight I took on the return in June was 2 people to a seat and 4 in each lavatory.

In Summer 2015, I flew K6 (Cambodia Angkor Air) from REP in Cambodia to BKK. I asked the agent if I could get an exit row seat, and he was like "yeah, sure" but didn't give me a new boarding pass. Then I found out why: Nice clean A321 with about 12 people on it. Sure, there were seat assignments, but really just sit wherever you want.

MXP-AUH
FRA-AUH

Both routes I've flown twice. Very very empty plane on Etihad. Let's just say that everyone got their own row.

My flights earlier this month from LHR-LAX and then LAX-ANC were both empty by today's standards - on each I had a whole row to myself, as did many other people around me.

All-time, I'd have to say the flight I took LHR-IAD a couple of weeks after 9/11.

wg

16/50 on a Tarom ATR-42 from OTP-SOF this morning. Made for a very pleasant flight.

LHR-PHL on a Saturday morning in December 2012

Not the emptiest I've ever experienced, but certainly in recent years; LH MAN-FRA on 31-DEC, A320-200, ~20 pax aboard. It was really nice.

In the air Micro Do. YYZ YOW Air Canada mid afternoon a few months ago. It was pretty empty.

Least Empty Aircraft
 

Fourth of July 2002. Got to the gate area and it was empty, checked the board and that was the right area. Rushed up to the desk thinking they already boarded. Nope I was the only passenger PVD-RDU. What a fun flight, saw firsworks down the East Coast, when I boarded the pilot welcomed me by name, said pick any seat you want, LOL and then to the FA he said "Peanuts and lots of them for the lady. It was fun. We chatted alot about our Air Force Careers making this my most memorable flight ever. I guess that is a good thing considering what I have seen and coped with over the years of flying:)

PVD-RDU you say? Who was flying that route?

C-17, Globemaster. Only passenger from March Field, CA to Travis AFB, Fairfield, California.