A college student was boarding an eight-hour international flight from London to Orlando, Florida, when he realized that he was the only passenger on the plane.
The student, Kai Forsyth, later posted a video of his experience on TikTok. So far, the post has received more than 500,000 views and over 26,000 likes.
"Maybe the weirdest experience," Forsyth said of the flight in the post's caption.
At the beginning of the 15-second clip, Forsyth walks about the cabin to prove that he really is alone, save for the flight crew. He then shows viewers the makeshift "bed" he made, which includes two pillows and a row of empty seats.
"Literally the comfiest I've ever been on a plane," read the video's text overlay.
He also told viewers that the flight crew "literally gave [him] all the snacks and unlimited food," and in a follow-up video, he claimed that he befriended one of the flight attendants.
Speaking to Fox 35 News, Forsyth said that he was "a bit confused" when he first boarded the plane. "I felt like I owned the plane. It was very weird," he said.
Overall, however, he said he enjoyed the flight and wanted to thank the flight attendant who tended to him during the trip.
"I'd actually like to say thank you to British Airways for providing me with a great experience like that and the flight attendant in the back, if he does watch this you know who you are, he was basically my caterer for eight hours," he continued. "It was very surreal, I have to say."
As it turns out, Forsyth may not be the last passenger to experience a near-empty flight this winter.
According to The Guardian, air travel in and out of the U.K. "slumped by 71 percent in 2021."
"Just over 406,000 international flights operated from the UK up to 22 December this year compared with almost 1.4m in 2019 before the pandemic struck and travel restrictions were imposed," the paper said, adding that the number of domestic flights also decreased.
To keep "coveted" takeoff and landing spots at airports amid decreased travel, CNBC reported that European airliners are flying planes that are "nearly empty."
"Due to the weak demand in January, we would have reduced significantly more flights," Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr said, according to CNBC. "But we have to make 18,000 additional, unnecessary flights in winter just to secure our take-off-and-landing rights."
Many of Forsyth's commenters argued that his flight was "damaging" to the environment. Others, however, said that the experience looked great.
"Living my dream," said J.ANAR15.
"This is crazy but bet it must have been a fantastic experience for you. Glad the crew took care of you as well," wrote another TikTok user.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Sara Santora is a Newsweek reporter based in Florida. Her focus is reporting on viral social media posts and trends. ... Read more
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