A British Airways passenger whose London-to-Chicago trip was disrupted by severe weather ended up with an airline story few travelers ever get: a United Airlines Boeing 737 operating to O’Hare with him as the only passenger onboard.
According to View from the Wing, the disruption began on July 4 when storms forced two British Airways flights from London Heathrow to Chicago O’Hare to divert to Cincinnati. BA299, operated by a Boeing 777-200, and BA295, operated by a Boeing 787-10, both landed in Cincinnati instead of continuing directly into Chicago.
One passenger later said he struggled to get onward help after the diversion, despite repeated calls involving British Airways and American Airlines customer service. A baggage claim employee eventually helped him secure a United Airlines flight from Cincinnati to Chicago.
That United flight, identified as United 1813, was then delayed for hours by the same storm system. As the delay stretched on, other passengers either gave up waiting or moved to different options, leaving the aircraft to depart with a single customer in the cabin.
The passenger said the crew turned the unusual flight into a memorable ride, allowing him to choose his seat, offering snacks and making announcements directed just to him. What began as a messy diversion ended as a private-aircraft-style experience on a scheduled United 737.
The episode also shows why airlines may still operate extremely empty flights. Even when most customers disappear after a long delay, the aircraft and crew often still need to reach the next city so later flights can operate. In this case, that meant one stranded passenger got a whole narrowbody jet to himself.
The passenger also shared the empty-cabin experience in an original Reddit post, giving readers a direct look at the one-passenger United flight.
