Ohhh. Cramped space, noise, annoying fellow passengers…(you notice it’s always someone
ELSE being annoying? Ha. That's what a typical flight looks like. But what if you had the
whole plane just for yourself? Before you say that it's possible only for rich people
who fly private jets, just listen to this…
Sometimes airlines have to operate commercial flights with only one (in some cases 2 or
3) passenger. As you can guess, these lucky guys get a first-class experience for the
price of an economy ticket. But why would airlines do so? Don’t such flights just
make them lose money and it would be more logical to cancel them? Well, when they make
a decision to fly an nearly empty plane, they have to take into consideration much more
than headcount.
The first and most important thing is logistics. Airlines schedule their flights months (or
even a year!) in advance. These complicated timetables need every plane to be at a specific
place at specified times. Most planes don’t just fly back and forth between two airports.
They have to fly to a number of different locations along a specified route. That’s
how it can look on any given day: an empty plane rushes from airport A to airport B where
a full house of passengers is waiting to get to airport C by dinner.
Besides, airline crews use empty planes to reposition crew workers to the places where
they’re needed. Also, each plane has to go through maintenance which often happens
overnight. And since maintenance is performed at pre-planned intervals, a plane has to be
at the right place and time. So canceling a flight just because it’s lightly booked
can disrupt this intricate web of different timetables, turning the perfect system into
chaos. What’s more, all airlines are required by law to fly on schedule. Otherwise, they
can face government sanctions. The exceptions to this rule mostly include unavoidable delays,
such as mechanical errors or bad weather.
Now let’s remember that planes usually carry not only passengers but freight as well. So,
even if the flight is under-booked, the cargo holds can be full. And revenue from the cargo
can cover most of the expenses for this particular flight.
But why wouldn’t airlines have a fire sale of seats on such empty planes close to flight
time? If you’ve ever traveled by plane, you know that planning your trip many months
in advance will save you money spent on tickets. Airlines offer lower prices only for early
bird seats. Those passengers who buy tickets at short notice will have to pay much more.
And this is how airlines get extra income. So, if they suddenly started selling cheaper
tickets right before the departure just to fill an empty plane, it would compromise the
proven pricing model. People would stop booking flights beforehand, waiting for a discount,
and airlines would lose money they usually get from passengers who make last-minute decisions
about their trips.
And if you're wondering now whether there's some smart scheme that can let you catch the
plane that will be only for you, I'll have to disappoint you – predicting this is next
to impossible. Your chances to win this transportation lottery are slim. You have to fly 95 times
and somewhere between your flight #96 and #100 you might hit the jackpot. But there're
still some tips that can help you get a more comfortable trip by having an empty seat next
to yours that will allow you to get better sleep and stretch your legs.
Keep checking the seat map of your plane on an airline website. If you see that the row
you chose during booking looks full right before online check-in opens, make a switch
to one that looks like it may be empty. You’re not 100% guaranteed to get extra room, but
your chances will be higher.
If you travel with a companion and your plane has 3 seats in a row, don't book seats next
to each other. Pick aisle and window seats leaving the middle one vacant and hope that
no one will choose it. Everybody knows that middle seats are the worst since you’re
awkwardly stuck between two strangers. However, if the plane is densely booked and the middle
seat gets occupied, in most cases it won’t be a problem to swap seats with your neighbor.
Another way to get an empty seat is to fly a new airline or route. Often you’ll get
the best service since the airline tries to build up reputation on a new market. And on
a freshly introduced route or a new airline having a lighter passenger load is highly
likely since it usually takes some time for customers to grab those seats.
And the last one – choose connecting airports wisely. Packed planes are a typical thing
for mega-hubs while smaller airports don't get sold-outs.
And while you're trying to put up with the fact that an empty seat is your only bet and
the dream about an empty flight is hard to reach, take a look at other unusual flights…
The snake flight. In 2016, passengers on a Mexican flight noticed
a green snake hanging from the overhead compartment. One of the passengers decided to capture the
moment on his phone camera but then the snake started making its way to the floor. The person
jumped from their seat unbuckling the belt in a blink of an eye. Luckily, no one got
bitten since everyone onboard kept their distance from the snake. The pilots still made an emergency
landing in Mexico City, though. The employees tried to figure out how the animal got on
the plane but failed. Have any idea how this could happen? Let me know in the comments!
The longest non-stop passenger flight In October 2019, Australian carrier Qantas
decided to test the long-haul route from New York to Sydney and see how such a journey
would affect both passengers and the crew. 49 people on board spent 19 hours and 16 minutes
in the air traveling a 10,000-mile route. To have enough fuel without re-fueling, the
plane took off with restricted baggage load and no cargo. During the flight, they examined
how crossing so many time zones affects people's bodies by monitoring brain waves and alertness
of the pilots and the levels of melatonin of passengers. However, it was only a test,
and Qantas plans to make this flight regular in 2022.
The falling gold flight. In 2018, a plane was taking off from Yakutsk
in Russia. The cargo was probably too heavy for the latch of the plane’s door and it
started falling out right on the runway. Now imagine a typical runway littered with gold
bars, gems, and precious metals. Because this is what the cargo was. All those valuables
belonged to a Canadian mining company that planned to transport the goods. The loss of
the company because of this incident was valued at staggering $368 million. Since the plane
flew a few miles from the airport before landing, some gems or gold might have fallen into someone's
yard. If this happened to my yard, I'd buy a new car! What about you?
The shortest scheduled passenger flight. We’re so used to long and exhausting trips
by plane. But this flight will take you… just 2 minutes! In the Orkney Islands in Scotland,
there are two airports, Westray and Papa Westray, that are located in spitting distance from
each other. The air journey between them covers a distance of 16 mi. You’re gonna be up
in the sky for about 47 seconds and then about a minute the pilots need for taxiing, takeoff,
and landing. This route connects two nearby inhabited pieces of land in the North Sea.
They carry kids to school, bring some cargo, and as an amusing experience for tourists
who come to see the huge amount of historical and archaeological sites on the islands.
The shortest international passenger flight. It takes only 8 minutes to get from St. Gallen-Altenrhein
in Switzerland to Friedrichshafen in Germany. The plane flies over a big, long Constance
Lake that separates these two countries. The flights are frequent but not overcrowded;
they usually carry up to 50 people at a time. There are other ways to travel between the
two cities – by car and by ferry, but it's 10 times longer than by air.
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or right, and stay on the Bright Side of life!