Traveller Phil Stringer was heading back to his home from Oklahoma City to Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday, but unfortunately, his flight got delayed for 18 hours. By that point, other passengers had booked another flight or given up flying out that day, but Mr Stringer did not and was rewarded by being the only person on the flight when it finally took off.
Mr Stringer got a free pass into first class and a private party with the crew, reported New York Post.
Mr Stringer in an interview with Insider said that he felt awful for making the American Airlines crew show up just for him - but the flight attendants got a laugh out of the situation and soon turned it into a "private party" in the sky
Sharing his experience, Mr Stringer told the media outlet, "I went to the gate and nobody was there. I was like, 'Did you guys already board everyone?'" he said, adding that the flight attendant "was like, 'No, honey, you're the only passenger.'"
He also posted about his trip on TikTok. He wrote, "When you buy every single ticket on the plane so you don't have to deal with people."
In the video, the crew members are seen giggling and riffling with him as they performed the airplane safety routine for the audience of one.
They also ended their loud-speaker messages with, "And yeah, Phil, this message is just for you."
He said he tried to change his flight multiple times with no luck and spent 18 hours waiting in the airport because he needed to get home to return to his job as the COO of a real estate brokerage.
"I apologized like 400 times," Mr Stringer said for being the sole reason the staff was called in so late.
During the flight, he was served top-notch food and drink service.
"I believe that your attitude determines your destination," he said. "Yeah, it was a sucky day. No one wants to stay in the airport for 18 hours, but if you have a positive view, you can turn something into a lot of fun."
Mr Stringer told the media outlet that they spent the whole flight chatting, joking and laughing with one another.
