In this March 23, 2019, file photo, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft lands at the Southern California Logistics Airport in the high desert town of Victorville, Calif.
A man on a Southwest Airlines flight from Ft. Lauderdale to St. Louis on Thursday night didn't need a seat in first class to receive VIP treatment. That's because he was the only passenger on the plane, NBC News reports.
Bob Pitts documented some of the flight in a series of videos. "We're going on our little flight from Ft. Lauderdale to St. Louis," Pitts said from his aisle seat. "It's about 8:30 and I'm the only person on the plane."
"It's a very, very, very unique experience," he said.
As unique as it may have been for Pitts, airline travel has dropped so precipitously that even with reduced flights, some of those planes that remain in the air apparently have fewer passengers.
The Transportation Security Administration said this week the number of people choosing to fly has plummeted over the last few months as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines for America, an industry lobbying group that represents Southwest and other major carriers, said passenger volume is down 97 percent to a level not seen since 1954.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com
