A British family travelling to Orlando this month got an unexpected surprise when they discovered they were effectively the only passengers on board their Virgin Atlantic flight to Florida. Uploading a photo of her near-empty surroundings in the popular Facebook group Orlando Tips for Brits, user Gemma Murray appeared to have enjoyed a rare, virtually empty flight, with rows ahead of her free of passengers. In an accompanying caption, she added: ‘On the plane and this is it! Empty virgin flight from Heathrow to Orlando.’ Under the post, other travellers shared stories of similarly quiet journeys, with some describing the experience as like having a private jet.One person shared: ‘Gatwick to Paris was pretty much the same it’s like you’re on a private jet lol.’Another said: ‘Hubby & I came back Sunday on a Tui flight. We sat in premium & was 3/4 empty.’A third wrote: ‘When I went in May during the holidays it was only half full I had a whole row to myself and on the way back I had a row to myself as well it was bliss.’ Holidaymaker and Facebook user Gemma Murray boasted of her near-empty surroundings on a recent Virgin Atlantic flight from London Heathrow to Orlando But while an almost empty long-haul flight may seem out of the ordinary, industry experts say there are several reasons why passengers are occasionally finding themselves on sparsely occupied aircraft.One factor is that airlines have added significant capacity on some Florida routes this year. Virgin Atlantic in particular has expanded Orlando operations from both Manchester and Edinburgh, adding extra flights and thousands of additional seats as it aims to meet holiday demand, as reported last year by Simple Flying. The airline currently operates daily services to Orlando from London Heathrow and Manchester, alongside seasonal flights from Edinburgh.However, demand does not always match capacity on every departure. During the COVID-19 pandemic, between 2021 and 2022, ‘ghost flights’ across Europe made headlines as airlines flew near-empty planes to protect valuable airport slots at major hubs like Heathrow, Frankfurt, and Paris CDG. Under airport slot rules, airlines generally have to use around 80 per cent of their allocated slots to retain them for future scheduling seasons. Even though the threshold was lowered temporarily to 50-70 per cent during the pandemic, the pressure to maintain these slots remained high. Greenpeace documented over 10,000 such flights across Europe in winter 2021/2022, while the UK Department for Transport data revealed that an estimated 15,000 empty flights had taken off since March 2020, as reported by Jettly. Even today, airlines schedule flights months in advance and can find themselves with quieter flights on certain days, especially during shoulder periods between peak holiday seasons, according to Forbes. Industry analysts also say airlines are often reluctant to cancel long-haul flights simply because passenger numbers are lower than expected. Aircraft and crews may be needed in specific locations for subsequent flights, while cancelling services can create a knock-on effect across an airline’s wider network.Competition is another factor. Airlines plan their routes months ahead of time, which means some flights end up being pretty quiet – especially during those slower gaps between big holidaysVirgin Atlantic’s recently increased capacity on some Orlando routes follows schedule changes made by rival airlines, such as Aer Lingus’ decision to withdraw its long-haul flights from Manchester, meaning more seats are available in the market overall. For the lucky passengers who end up on board, the experience can feel more private jet than a commercial airline. The downside, according to environmental campaigners, is that nearly empty flights still burn substantial amounts of fuel regardless of how many passengers are on board.Herwig Schuster, spokesperson for Greenpeace’s European Mobility For All campaign, said: ‘We’re in a climate crisis, and the transport sector has the fastest-growing emissions in the EU – pointless, polluting ‘ghost flights’ are just the tip of the iceberg. ‘It would be irresponsible of the EU to not take the low-hanging fruit of ending ghost flights and banning short-haul flights where there’s a reasonable train connection.’For now, however, a small number of travellers are discovering that booking an economy ticket can occasionally offer a luxury experience worth thousands – that’s if they happen to board on the right day.