Lone Passenger Tweets Empty Plane

A passenger on a Delta flight tweeted out photos showing himself as the sole passenger on a 76-seat plane.

Chris O’Leary of New York sent out a series of tweets showing himself as the sole passenger on a Delta plane headed from Cleveland to New York. The passenger received his safety briefing and spoke with the captain.

“I am literally the only person on this plane,” O’Leary tweeted.

No, I’m not joking. I’m the only one on this plane. pic.twitter.com/UcZ8BZLop1

— Chris O’Leary (@ohhleary) January 12, 2015

“It was definitely the most memorable flight I’ve been on in recent memory if only for the sheer lack of passengers to become bothersome. There were no screaming babies, no one listening to loud lyrics or reclining their seats or taking their shoes,” he said.

Eventually the plane picked up a second passenger. “The thrill is gone, you guys. Just as we were about to push back, they reconnected the jet bridge to let a second passenger on the flight,” he tweeted.

Why were there no other passengers?

The flight was delayed for several hours, and it appears that the rest of the passengers booked alternate flights. O’Leary stated that he remained at his hotel and followed the delays via phone notifications.

Why did the plane fly with only two passengers?

Delta answered the question as to why it went ahead with the flight with only two passengers on board, noting that the plane still needed to be in its destination city for a flight later that night. “Keep in mind that running an airline calls for a well-orchestrated plan that has aircraft in position at airports at the right time of day to cover scheduled flying.”