After 18-hour flight delay, man celebrates being the only one on plane with crew

A TikToker has posted the aftermath of a very delayed flight, and it’s shockingly wholesome.

Phil Stringer got the flight upgrade of a lifetime after he was scheduled to be on an American Airlines flight from Oklahoma City, which was delayed a whopping 18 hours.

However, what awaited him may have been worth the delay. Stringer was on a flight to his destination with no other passengers aboard. In his TikTok video, he says he was alone because “everyone else gave up” after finding out about the extensive wait time.

Having an entire plane to yourself sounds like a blessing — no angry kid kicking the back of your seat, no babies crying, and no one trying to recline their whole seat into your lap. But when paired with the best in-flight crew ever, Stringer’s flight became a unique experience.

He documented his experience on TikTok, captioning his video, “18-hour delay turned this flight into a private party!”

@phil.stringer 18-hour delay turned this flight into a private party! ✈️🥳 Watch how the amazing crew and I made the most of it! #americanairlines #flightattendant #airplanetiktok #privateparty #FlightFun #delayedflight #fyp #viral ♬ Makeba – Jain

Even though the video intro implies he bought out every seat on the plane, that wasn’t the case. Stringer clarifies this in his comments.

Ground and air staff were both in a stellar mood and decided to play along, even though Stringer says they were “pulled from the hotel to do this flight for just one person.”

In the video, an American Airlines worker at the boarding gate makes a special announcement for Stringer to board the flight, even though the airport is visibly empty, and he’s filming her right there.

And once he entered the aircraft, Stringer was greeted with the cutest safety announcements.

One flight attendant, who maintained severe eye contact with his only passenger throughout the announcement, has quickly become a hit with Stringer’s followers for his enthusiasm.

Another did a special seatbelt safety demonstration, asking Stringer, “Did you get that?” at the end.

The whole thing truly feels like an airplane-themed party, with crew members lounging and chit-chatting with Stringer.

A key highlight of the video is when everyone starts clapping at the end of a regular life jacket safety demonstration. Why? Who knows! And who cares, as long as they’re all in great spirits.

And from the looks of the video’s comments section, this kind of situation is usually a mood-lifter for the in-flight crew.

“I was a flight attendant for ten years, and this happened to me one time,” wrote viewer Tiffany Raglin in the video’s comments. “Our passenger’s name was Ben, and I will never forget it!! Such a blast!”

“Flight attendant here – this is literally our dream scenario, especially for a delayed flight,” wrote another. “So glad you had a nice time!”

“We know it can be frustrating when travel plans get delayed,” American Airlines told Daily Hive in an email.

“We are thankful for our crew members who went above and beyond to care for Mr. Stringer during his flight.”

Would you wait 18 hours to be the only one on a plane?