I flew DTW-LHR-DTW on NW a couple weeks ago and both directions were quite empty. Just about everyone had their whole row to themselves. I had the lovely 4-across seats all for me in both directions. Paid Y fare (even though that was pretty expensive TBH) and was able to lie fully flat and actually get some good shut eye for a change. Thats never happened to me before in coach, and I was grateful. The FA's were commenting on the light load all the way...

Also flew DTW-OKC-DTW last weekend and the flights were more fully booked. Still managed both C&D to myself on the CRJ each way though...

It's a cyclical low for passengers, but the usual response is to offer targeted or limited-date fare deals to fill seats. Many of us with time flexibility who were maintaining elite status on our own dime would wind up doing disproportionate amounts of qualifying travel during the spring and fall lulls simply because that's when deals happened or when seats became available.

OTOH, I think the economic distress this year, and especially in recent weeks, is enough to keep a lot of discretionary travelers away. Airlines haven't been passing on lower fuel costs (they've cut flights rather than doing discounting), and taxes on hotels and especially rental cars aren't looking very fair in light of the current economy. You've also got places like Las Vegas that are doing discounting but have taken so many flight cuts that it's hard to get there cheaply from some places.

To make a long story short, I'm one of the people not being seen this year who has been there in past years. I think there are quite a few.

The only flights on CO I've been on with less than 80% load were come Colgan Air flights where everyone had to sit behind row 7, and most of them were pretty full in the back then, so about 45-50% loads.

My wife was on SFO->PVG. While the row started out with passengers they later moved to find more space, leaving her with a row of 3 to curl up in.

I've been taking 4 flights/week over the past several weeks and all have been 75%+ loads (all on DL). Last time I was on a plane that was maybe 50% full was on a Friday morning LAS-LAX flight back in February on an AA MD-80.

I flew SEA-YKA once on Christmas day on a Q200, and that little thing wasn't even quarter full.

I flew MLI-ORD-LGA this afternoon on UA. ORD-LGA was half full, maybe a little less. The following UA ORD-LGA flight was canceled, and I suspect it may have been a capacity issue as only four passengers were flying standby on my flight.

I had row 6 to myself on WN 0196 (BWI-BNA evening flight) two weeks ago.

This weekend I was on 12 flights. The 4 CO flights were 90%+ loads. At least one (and I think 2) was 100%, all of them were full in F. The 8 UA flights were a mixed bag. Two of them were <50% (DEN-OKC-DEN) where everyone in E+ pretty much had their own row across and E- wasn't 100% full either, one was full and the others were 50-70%.

CO's domestic LF for October was 83%, 0.5% higher than 2007. Consolidated LF was 79%, 0.5% lower than 2007.

CO posts its month-to-date consolidated LF on its website's "Investor Relations" page. It is 77.3% as of 11/9. (Whole month 11/07 was 80.1%)

So, LF is holding up pretty well.

I flew MSP>ORD>MCO on UA on Wednesday and the reverse on Sunday. The MSP>ORD leg was maybe 80%, as was the ORD>MCO leg. Coming back, the MCO>ORD flight (Ted) was packed solid, but the ORD>MSP flight was strangely empty. I had a whole row to myself.

sounds like fare cutting is needed, especially with lower fuel prices.

Yep. You've still got cartel-like behavior on routes without LCC competition. Ideal conditions for an airline like WN to start flying the route to rush into the vacuum created.

Maybe the endgame for the legacies is to shrink down to one route where they can charge $1 million a ticket.

TATL won't save the legacies either with RyanAir announcing it will begin TATL service within the year with coach tickets beginning at GBP 8. and service from Dublin and London Stansted to a number of points in the US.

Since Labor Day, I have been flying a lot of JFK/MIA/SJU on what is typically the off times and I am still hearing "this is a very full flight" from the FAs. In October, I flew JFK/EZE and both ways were 100% full. Flights that I have done to DFW and LAX have easily been over 80%.

When I am stuck in Y, I'd like to see some of these less than 50% full flights.